Jens Nielson House · National Register of Historic Places
Bluff’s story
146 years in pictures
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1880Bluff is settled
BluffUT
Photo: François5000 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
252
2025 Census estimate · +3.3% since 2020
Median home value
$402K
Census ACS
Household income
$56K
median
Median age
68.4
years
Jobs based here
97
Balanced
Is Bluff a good place to live?
71% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Bluff, against 36% in Utah’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. No town among the 120 in Utah we compare has a higher age of the median resident than Bluff. 49% of the land in Bluff is conserved, above both Utah’s towns (3.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Bears Ears National Monument, at 5,436 acres with 17.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Bluff has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Bluff stand out
Where Bluff beats most towns.
Small town
252 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Bluff: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bluff, and how to reach them.
PowerRocky Mountain Power13.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBluff Water Works Service DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Bluff’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Utah you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 11 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSan Juan County ClerkSan Juan County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code8451284512 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 13, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bluff.
Schools
The schools Bluff’s kids attend
Its one school is below. Bluff’s only public school teaches 82 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluff SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 82 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Outdoors
Protected land: nearly a third of Bluff
Count the trails in 1 park or preserve and they come to 61 miles. In Bluff, the trail network density is 1.7 miles per square mile.
49.1%conserved
49.1%
conserved · 11,552 of 23,519 acres
61 mi
of trails · 1.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bears Ears National Monument | 17.7 mi | 5,436 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards
Bluff stands out in Utah and nationally, with the FEMA risk score lower than most
Of the losses FEMA expects in Bluff, 42% come from avalanches and 19% from inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 100% of U.S. communities.
0risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesInland floodingHeat waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
7″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–47°
Spring41–72°
Summer63–95°
Fall41–72°
Oct 13
typical first frost
Apr 24
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
The average trip to work in Bluff is shorter than in most of Utah or the rest of the country
Jobs based in Bluff grew to 97 in 2023, 70 more than in 2013. Just 4% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The top destinations are Blanding (55%), Monticello (7%) and Salt Lake City (2%). Half commute less than 24 miles.
4%work in town
| Bluff | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 6 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.1% | 8.4% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Bluff4%
Blanding55%
Monticello7%
Salt Lake City2%
Basalt1%
24 mi
median commute distance
97
jobs based in Bluff
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
How healthy Bluff is
No town among the 119 in Utah we compare has a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Bluff. The town does better than the Utah average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 12. Only 3 of the 119 Utah towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Bluff. Among adults locally, 17% report frequent physical distress.
| Bluff | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 8.4% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 7.3% | 11% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Utah
7 better13 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Bluff | UT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 7.3% | 12.4% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81% | 65.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.5% | 4.7% |
Blue Mountain Hospital
22.9 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bluff
17pages on Bluff
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Bluff; the nearest are
Dine CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Tsaile, AZ72 mi$1,410 in-state tuitionSan Juan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Farmington, NM86.5 mi$1,928 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Bluff residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Utah.
Landmarks
7 places in Bluff on the National Register of Historic Places.
About Bluff
Incorporated town and municipality in Utah, United States
Bluff (Navajo: Tséłgaii Deezʼáhí) is a town in San Juan County, Utah, United States. The population was 240 at the 2020 census, down from 320 at the 2000 census, of which, at the time, it was a census-designated place. Bluff was incorporated in 2018. Josh Ewing is currently the mayor.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1880
- Area
- 23 sq mi
- Elevation
- 4,324 ft
- ZIP code
- 84512
- Area code
- 435
Questions about Bluff
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bluff, UT a good place to live?
Bluff has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.