Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Payson is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades A overall, 35th among Utah's 118 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 89% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on safety: it reports less crime per resident than 71% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $472K, 4.7 years of the Provo metro’s $101K median household income. Payson’s density of trails is 1.7 miles per square mile, where Utah’s towns sit at 1.1 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Payson has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Payson Presbyterian Church and Peteetneet School. Payson is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 73% of U.S. towns.
Where Payson beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Payson | UT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 8.5% | 12.4% |
18,294 counted in 2010 and 21,101 in 2020; an estimated 24,630 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 16.5% since 2020, after 15.3% 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 Payson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 830 in 1860, 21,101 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1968 and 5 maps from 1948 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Payson, 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 Payson.
Payson pairs an A overall with homes cheaper than the Utah norm, has added a third more jobs in ten years and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Utah.
The biggest place to walk is Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, 242 acres with 2.1 miles of trail. Count the trails in 17 parks and preserves and they come to 22 miles.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest | 2.1 mi | 242 |
| 2. Gene Hillman Recreation Complex | 1.5 mi | 43 |
| 3. Lions Hollow Park | 0.9 mi | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Two of its 8 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The Nebo District runs its public schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Nebo MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–7 | Grades 6–7 | 1,034 | C− |
| Payson HighLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 1,648 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within UT on state tests and graduation
Within Utah it is healthier than 58% of the 118 graded towns: Utah sets a high bar.
For adults in Payson, the share who have been diagnosed with depression is 26%. Only 4 of the 118 Utah towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Payson. The share of adults in Payson who smoke cigarettes is 7.4%, below both Utah’s towns (8%) and U.S. towns (14%).
| Payson | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 11% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 72% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.4% | 8% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 28% | 35% |
| What stands out | Payson | UT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 8.5% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 4,737 in 2013 to 6,572.
Half the trips to work are shorter than 18 miles. Jobs in Payson grew by 1,835 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 6,572. Only 13% of working residents stay in Payson for work; the rest commute out. The top destinations are Provo (12%), Spanish Fork (9%) and Orem (8%).
| Payson | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 15% | 16% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Payson, the rate of thefts and burglaries is 5.4 per 1,000 residents. The town’s rate of reported violence stands at 1.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Payson | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.4 per 1,000 residents | 9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Payson once, in 2011. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 72% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts just over four fifths of the town’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 10% to inland flooding. Flood insurance has paid one claim locally since 2011.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect July afternoons of 92° and January nights of 19°, with about 55 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Payson at 24,630 residents, up 16% since 2020. By age, Payson looks like Utah: each broad group is within 4 points. In Payson, 10% of residents are 65 or older. Here, 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 38% in Utah as a whole.
| Payson | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 29.5 years | 32.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 31% | 30% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 10% | 11% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 36% | 29% |
45% women, 55% men
About 123 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.5 points). Across Utah, 49.3% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 65% are men (UT 51%). Median age: women 32.2, men 27.1.
| Payson | UT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.4% | 14.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 17.4% | 13.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.5% | 11.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.7% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 13.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.7% | 11% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.5% | 9.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.2% | 7.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.2% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.3% | 6.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.8% | 22.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.6% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.4% | 9.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.5% | 24.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.4% | 13% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Payson grades A overall with a typical home of about $472K, below the Utah typical value; only 26 of the 59 Utah towns graded A− or better can say that. Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Salem is next at $600K.
The typical Payson home is worth about $472,000, up 1.5% in a year, 11% below the Utah typical home. In Payson, the median rent is $1,549 a month. Among households here, 82% own their home.
| Payson | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,549 a month | $1,538 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Payson. Close and well known come first.
16 mi Stadium & arenaLaVell Edwards Stadium
13 mi LakeUtah Lake22 mi Theme parkEvermore Park
25 mi MountainMount Timpanogos
39 mi Stadium & arenaAmerica First Field
21 mi Canyon & gorgeProvo CanyonLaVell Edwards Stadium: The original uploader was Bobak at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5 · Utah Lake: NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S, Public domain · Mount Timpanogos: Eric Ward from Provo, UT, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · America First Field: Scott Catron, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Provo Canyon: Eric Ward from Provo, UT, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Payson
About 5 of every 100 Payson residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Utah.
Where Payson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Payson on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Payson.
City in Utah, United States
Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem metropolitan area. The population was 21,101 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Payson.
| Town | UT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payson | #35 | A | B− | B+ | B+ | A |
| West Mountain | — | — | B | — | B+ | A− |
| Spring Lake | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Elk Ridge | #67 | B+ | C+ | — | B+ | A+ |
| Salem | #60 | A− | C+ | — | B+ | A |
West Mountain has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. West Mountain, Elk Ridge and Salem report no FBI crime data of their own. Spring Lake isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Payson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Payson grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #35 of 118 in Utah. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
15 notable people were born here, including Jewel and Scott Jorgensen.
