Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Murray grades C+ overall, 103rd of 118 graded towns in Utah, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $91K. On the other side, it reports more crime per resident than 86% of U.S. towns, including 84 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Murray’s rate of thefts and burglaries is 27.8 per 1,000 residents, against 8.6 in Utah’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 11 of Utah’s 173 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Henry J. Wheeler Farm and John P. Cahoon House.
Where Murray beats most towns.
Census counts: 3,302 in 1900, 50,637 in 2020. The archive holds 20 old photos and papers going back to 1927 and 4 maps from 1951 on.
19 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Utah), ordered by how far Murray is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Murray. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaDelta Center
8 mi Stadium & arenaRice–Eccles Stadium
5 mi Stadium & arenaAmerica First Field
22 mi LakeLake Bonneville
8 mi GardenTemple Square
5 mi Stadium & arenaMaverik CenterDelta Center: Lomrjyo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rice–Eccles Stadium: Brenton Walker, CC BY 2.0 · America First Field: Scott Catron, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Lake Bonneville: Wilson44691, Public domain · Temple Square: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Maverik Center: Dave O, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Murray, 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 Murray.
Murray draws workers from Salt Lake City and beyond and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Utah; it also reports more crime than West Jordan and its other graded neighbors.
43,440 jobs are based in Murray, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Just just over a tenth of Murray’s working residents have a job in town. Jobs based in Murray grew to 43,440 in 2023, 4,108 more than in 2013. Also worth knowing: in Murray, 21% of workers do their job from home. The top destinations are Salt Lake City (29%), West Valley City (7%) and Sandy (5%).
| Murray | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 16% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 8.2% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Public schools: the Murray District. Below: Three of its 19 schools, each with why it was picked. The 6 public schools in Murray teach 2,916 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 664 | B |
| Cottonwood HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,451 | C− |
| Academy for Math Engineering & ScienceTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 460 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within UT on state tests and graduation
The biggest place to walk is Murray Park, 85 acres with 1.8 miles of trail. In 14 parks and preserves, walkers have 18 miles of trail. The town’s concentration of trails stands at 1.5 miles per square mile.
| Murray | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.5 miles per square mile | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wheeler Historic Farm | 4.4 mi | 68 |
| 2. Murray Park | 1.8 mi | 85 |
| 3. Willow Pond Park | 1.8 mi | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Within Utah it is healthier than 54% of the 118 graded towns: Utah sets a high bar.
Of 32 CDC measures, Murray beats the Utah average on 3 and trails it on 2. For adults locally, the share who binge drink is 15%.
| Murray | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.6% | 8% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 28% | 23% |
| What stands out | Murray | UT |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 69% | 63.1% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 68.6% | 65.6% |
| More binge drinkers | 15.2% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from West Jordan (C) to Cottonwood Heights (B−). Property crime runs at 27.8 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Utah rate, most of it theft.
In Murray, the violent crime rate is 1.7 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Of the losses FEMA expects in Murray, 88% come from earthquakes and 10% from inland flooding. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in nearly four fifths of U.S. communities. The national flood insurance program has paid 36 claims in the town since 1982.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
College graduates make up just over two in five adults 25 and older, against 38% across Utah. Children under 18 are just over a fifth of residents (28% statewide); people 65 and older are 18% of residents (12% statewide). Since 2020, Murray has grown 5.1%, to 53,297 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Among 119 Utah towns, just 10 have a lower share of children under 18 than Murray.
| Murray | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 21% | 30% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 36% | 29% |
| Median age | 38.7 years | 32.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 11% | 18% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.5 points. Across Utah, 49.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 40.2, men 37.1.
| Murray | UT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 14.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 13.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 11.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.5% | 13.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.7% | 11% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.3% | 9.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 7.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.5% | 6.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.3% | 22.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.9% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.3% | 9.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.3% | 24.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.6% | 13% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Among households in Murray, 65% are owner-occupiers. The going rate for rent for Murray comes to $1,500 a month. Bidding over the asking price: 30% of homes sold in the town.
| Murray | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,500 a month | $1,542 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 42% | 45% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
8 within 15 miles of the center of Murray
About 7 of every 100 Murray residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Utah.
Where Murray’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
19 places in Murray on the National Register of Historic Places.
24 notable people were born in Murray.
City in Utah, United States
Murray () is a city situated on the Wasatch Front in the core of Salt Lake Valley in the U.S. state of Utah. Named for territorial governor Eli Murray, the city had a population of 50,637 as of the 2020 United States Census. Murray shares borders with Taylorsville, Holladay, South Salt Lake, Millcreek and West Jordan, Utah. Once teeming with heavy industry, Murray's industry mix has now shifted significantly toward healthcare, retail, and professional, scientific, and technical services. Known for its central location in Salt Lake County, Murray has been called the Hub of Salt Lake County. Unlike most of its neighboring communities which use unified civic services, Murray operates its own p…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Murray.
| Town | UT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murray | #103 | C+ | C+ | D | C | A |
| Taylorsville | #109 | C | C+ | C | C− | B+ |
| Millcreek | #95 | B− | C− | — | C− | A |
| Midvale | #61 | A− | C | — | A− | A− |
| Holladay | #89 | B | C | — | C− | A+ |
| West Jordan | #87 | B | C | C | B | A− |
| Cottonwood Heights | #48 | A− | C | B− | A− | A |
Millcreek, Midvale and Holladay report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Murray with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Murray grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #103 of 118 in Utah. It grades A for health, D for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 5.5 years of the area's median household income ($98,083 across the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area).
24 notable people were born here, including Nathaniel Coleman and Scot Pollard.
