Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Highland grades A overall, 26th of 118 graded towns in Utah. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates. The median household earns $186K. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $976K, 9.7 years of the Provo metro’s $101K median household income. Highland’s median household income is $186,000, above both the Utah town median ($101,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). On the outdoors, just 13 of Utah’s 173 towns do better. Highland has 1 place on the National Register.
Where Highland beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Highland | UT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.1% | 12.4% |
15,523 counted in 2010 and 19,348 in 2020; an estimated 21,571 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 11.3% since 2020, after 24.6% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Utah), ordered by how far Highland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 195 in 1900, 19,348 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1951 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Highland. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaDelta Center
24 mi LakeLake Bonneville
23 mi Stadium & arenaRice–Eccles Stadium
8 mi MountainMount Timpanogos
12 mi Stadium & arenaAmerica First FieldDelta Center: Lomrjyo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Bonneville: Wilson44691, Public domain · Rice–Eccles Stadium: Brenton Walker, CC BY 2.0 · Mount Timpanogos: Eric Ward from Provo, UT, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · America First Field: Scott Catron, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Highland, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 13, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Highland.
Highland has less food insecurity than most of Utah and has household incomes well above the Utah norm, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Utah.
At 9.7 years of the Provo metro’s $101K median household income, the typical home (about $976K) costs more against local pay than in 97% of Utah towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
The median rent in Highland is $2,166 a month. Typical home values rose 5.3% in the year to September 2026. 92% of households own their home in Highland.
| Highland | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,166 a month | $1,538 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 92% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Alpine District. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lone Peak High, with 2,484 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgeline SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 746 | A− |
| Lone Peak HighLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 2,484 | B+ |
| Highland SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 585 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within UT on state tests and graduation
18 miles of trail in 22 parks and preserves. Highland’s trail density is 2.1 miles per square mile. Highland Glen Park, at 67 acres with 1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Highland | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.1 miles per square mile | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.3% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Highland Glen Park | 1 mi | 67 |
| 2. Canterbury North Park | 0.4 mi | 8 |
| 3. Highland Town Center Plaza | 0.4 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Utah is food insecurity: 6.1% of its 12,263 adults worry about having enough food, against 12.4% statewide. Against the 1,225 U.S. towns with household incomes like Highland’s, it is healthier than 84%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
11% of Highland adults get no exercise outside work. Of the 118 Utah towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Highland. 8.8% of Highland adults binge drink.
| Highland | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 11% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5% | 8% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 15% | 19% |
| What stands out | Highland | UT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.1% | 12.4% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5% | 9.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.2% | 7.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Highland for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in Highland grew to 3,468 in 2023, 737 more than in 2013. Among 119 Utah towns, just 9 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Highland.
| Highland | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 16% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 1.9% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.6% | 8.5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Highland has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 21° and about 74 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
6 within 15 miles of the center of Highland
About 6 of every 100 Highland residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Utah.
8.3% of the town is conserved land, across 22 parks and preserves.
City in Utah, United States
Highland is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is approximately 30 miles (48 km) south of Salt Lake City and is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 census, the population was 19,348, a nearly 25% increase over the 2010 figure of 15,523.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Highland.
| Town | UT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland | #26 | A | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| American Fork | #29 | A | C+ | — | B+ | A |
| Alpine | #55 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Lehi | #16 | A | C | A− | B+ | A+ |
| Cedar Hills | #14 | A | C+ | — | B+ | A+ |
| Draper | #57 | A− | D | B− | A− | A |
Highland, American Fork, Alpine and Cedar Hills report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Highland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Highland grades A overall, better than 89% of U.S. towns and #26 of 118 in Utah. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
2 notable people were born here, including Alexis Warr and Addison Weichers.
