Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For a city of 114,527, Provo does well: it grades B+, 71st among Utah's 118 graded towns. Residents are healthier than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. The trade-off: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 74% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. 45% of the land in Provo is conserved, above both the Utah town median (3.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Its National Register listings include Reed Smoot House and Provo Tabernacle. Only 14 of Utah’s 173 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Provo beats most towns.
Reed Smoot House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its 40 National Register listings are more than in 94% of Utah towns with a listing.
Census counts: 2,030 in 1860, 115,162 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1876 and 5 maps from 1948 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Utah), ordered by how far Provo is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Provo. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaLaVell Edwards Stadium10 mi Theme parkEvermore Park
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaDelta Center
36 mi LakeLake Bonneville
8 mi LakeUtah Lake
10 mi MountainMount TimpanogosLaVell Edwards Stadium: The original uploader was Bobak at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5 · Delta Center: Lomrjyo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Bonneville: Wilson44691, Public domain · 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Provo, 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 Provo.
Provo is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Orem and beyond and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Utah.
37.7% of residents are enrolled in college, against 8.1% statewide, which pulls the median age down. Only 39.4% of households own their home, against 70.2% across Utah.
6.7% of Provo residents are 65 or older. Provo: nearly a fifth of residents are under 18, against 30% in Utah’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Adults 18 to 34 are 56% of residents (26% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 19% of residents (34% statewide). Utah has 38% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 45%.
| Provo | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 23.6 years | 32.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 30% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 6.7% | 11% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1 point). Across Utah, 49.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 23.2, men 23.9.
| Provo | UT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.5% | 14.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.2% | 13.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 40.3% | 11.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.1% | 13.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.8% | 11% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 5.3% | 9.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 3.9% | 7.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.8% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.9% | 6.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 14.6% | 22.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.5% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.8% | 9.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 31.3% | 24.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.9% | 13% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Its public schools are run by the Provo District. Of its 32 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. 6 public schools serve Provo, with 3,727 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centennial MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 1,073 | B− |
| Timpview HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,300 | B+ |
| Edgemont SchoolTop results in townGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 611 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within UT on state tests and graduation
Its 12,754 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 97% of Utah towns.
Trails run 86 miles in 57 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, 9,426 acres with 43.6 miles of trail. For Provo, the trail density is 1.9 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest | 43.6 mi | 9,426 |
| 2. Slate Canyon Park | 3.5 mi | 88 |
| 3. The Park at Rock Canyon | 1.2 mi | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
58,445 jobs are based in Provo, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
The middle household income for Provo comes to $64,000. Employers in Provo added 10,248 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 58,445. About one worker in three stays in Provo for work. The top destinations are Orem (15%), Salt Lake City (6%) and Lehi (5%).
| Provo | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 6.2% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,755 U.S. towns with household incomes like Provo’s, it is healthier than 97%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income. Within Utah it is less healthy than 63% of the 118 graded towns: Utah sets a high bar.
The share of adults in Provo who have high blood pressure: 21%. No town among the 118 in Utah we compare has a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Provo. In Provo, 66% of adults had a checkup this year, and 39% feel lonely. Among 118 Utah towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who worry about having enough food than Provo.
| Provo | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 11% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 66% | 72% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 28% | 35% |
| What stands out | Provo | UT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.5% | 7.2% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 14.1% | 21.7% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 12.1% | 6.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Provo has had 16 paid flood insurance claims since 1980. Expected losses in Provo break down as 60% from earthquakes and 21% from avalanches.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes sold in Provo spent a median 35 days on the market. Only 2 of the 119 Utah towns we compare have a lower owner-occupancy rate than Provo. The midpoint rent in the town is $1,193 a month.
| Provo | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 39% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,193 a month | $1,542 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 50% | 45% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 1,727 to 1,490 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Provo’s rate of thefts and burglaries stands at 11.1 per 1,000 residents. In Provo, the level of violent crime is 1.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Provo | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.1 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
5 within 15 miles of the center of Provo
College town 38 of every 100 Provo residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Utah.
3 colleges in town.
40 places in Provo on the National Register of Historic Places.
52 notable people were born in Provo.
City in Utah, United States
Provo ( PROH-voh) is a city in and the county seat of Utah County, Utah, United States. It is 43 miles (69 km) south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front, and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south. With a population at the 2020 census of 115,162, Provo is the fourth-largest city in Utah and the principal city in the Provo-Orem-Lehi metropolitan area, which had a population of 526,810 at the 2010 census. It is Utah's second-largest metropolitan area after Salt Lake City. Provo is the home to Brigham Young University (BYU), a private higher education institution operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Provo also has th…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Provo.
| Town | UT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provo | #71 | B+ | B | B− | B− | A− |
| Orem | #47 | A− | C+ | B− | B+ | A |
| Springville | #50 | A− | C+ | B | B+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Provo grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #71 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−.
That is 4.8 years of the area's median household income ($100,704 across the Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
52 notable people were born here, including Paul D. Boyer and Evan McMullin.
