Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The picture is mixed. Its weakest subject is safety — its crime rate is higher than 86% of U.S. towns, with 84 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On health it is strong: it is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns. It also does well on walkability (A): it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 91% of U.S. towns. At about $544K, a typical home costs 5.5 years of the Salt Lake City metro’s $98K median household income. Put together, the subjects come to a C+ overall, ranking 103rd of 118 in Utah. Nationally, it does better than 40% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Henry J. Wheeler Farm and John P. Cahoon House.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · FBI crime data, 2025 · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
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. In Murray, just over a fifth of workers do their job from home, against 16% in Utah’s towns and 11% across U.S. towns. Also worth knowing: jobs based in Murray grew to 43,440 in 2023, 4,108 more than in 2013. 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
In Murray, the concentration of trails is 1.5 miles per square mile, above both the Utah town median (1.1) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest place to walk is Murray Park, 85 acres with 1.8 miles of trail. This Utah town has 14 parks and preserves, 310 acres in all.
| 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. In Murray, 15% of adults binge drink.
| 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.
Only 3 of the 62 Utah towns we compare have a higher rate of thefts and burglaries than Murray. In Murray, the violent crime rate is 1.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Murray | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 27.8 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
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
A home in Murray typically sold within 41 days of listing. Zillow values the typical Murray home at about $544,000, up 1.4% in a year, close to the Utah typical home. For households in the town, the share who are owner-occupiers is 65%.
| 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.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
24 notable people were born here, including Nathaniel Coleman and Scot Pollard.
