By growth
I am Scott Buehler, and this is Utah's 20 largest counties ordered by how much each has grown since the April 2020 count, fastest to flattest. Growth is where the new roads, the new homes, and the pressure on prices actually show up.
The full ranking
Sorted by growth since the 2020 count, fastest first, with the county's population and median home value alongside.
| Rank | County | Growth since 2020 | Population | Median home value | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tooele CountyCounty offices: Tooele | +20.3% | 87,461 | ~$431,600 | Tooele County |
| 2 | Washington CountyCounty offices: St. George | +18.5% | 213,670 | ~$510,700 | Southern Utah |
| 3 | Iron CountyCounty offices: Parowan | +17.2% | 67,141 | ~$379,000 | Southern Utah |
| 4 | Utah CountyCounty offices: Provo | +15.2% | 759,859 | ~$538,700 | Utah Valley |
| 5 | Juab CountyCounty offices: Nephi | +15.2% | 13,567 | ~$425,400 | Central Utah |
| 6 | Box Elder CountyCounty offices: Brigham City | +13.3% | 65,320 | ~$403,600 | Box Elder County |
| 7 | Wasatch CountyCounty offices: Heber City | +10.7% | 38,514 | ~$787,300 | Wasatch Back |
| 8 | Sanpete CountyCounty offices: Manti | +10.6% | 31,453 | ~$347,200 | Central Utah |
| 9 | Cache CountyCounty offices: Logan | +8.9% | 145,000 | ~$444,400 | Cache Valley |
| 10 | Morgan CountyCounty offices: Morgan | +8.8% | 13,383 | ~$654,900 | Weber & Morgan Counties |
| 11 | Millard CountyCounty offices: Fillmore | +8.3% | 14,057 | ~$284,700 | Central Utah |
| 12 | Uintah CountyCounty offices: Vernal | +7.5% | 38,278 | ~$298,600 | Eastern Utah |
| 13 | Duchesne CountyCounty offices: Duchesne | +6.4% | 20,856 | ~$283,700 | Eastern Utah |
| 14 | Sevier CountyCounty offices: Richfield | +6.1% | 22,827 | ~$311,200 | Central Utah |
| 15 | Weber CountyCounty offices: Ogden | +6.1% | 278,174 | ~$426,700 | Weber & Morgan Counties |
| 16 | Davis CountyCounty offices: Farmington | +5.1% | 381,227 | ~$505,500 | Davis County |
| 17 | Salt Lake CountyCounty offices: Salt Lake City | +3.0% | 1,220,916 | ~$525,700 | Salt Lake County |
| 18 | Summit CountyCounty offices: Coalville | +1.9% | 43,141 | ~$1,067,700 | Wasatch Back |
| 19 | Carbon CountyCounty offices: Price | +1.3% | 20,680 | ~$228,500 | Eastern Utah |
| 20 | San Juan CountyCounty offices: Monticello | +0.2% | 14,542 | ~$224,200 | Eastern Utah |
Population: Census Bureau county population estimates, Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025). Growth measured from the April 1, 2020 estimates base in the same Census table. 2026 outlook: a straight-line outlook from the 2020 to 2025 Census trend (the Census Bureau does not project county totals). Home values and income: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, county medians. Sales tax: Utah State Tax Commission, combined rate in the town that holds the county offices, first quarter 2026. Federal and private land: Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, Utah Land Ownership, July 2025. Figures checked September 2026 and rounded; the population figures are exact.
County by county
Each county below, in ranked order, with the reason behind its number and what growth means for a buyer.
No. 1
+20.3% since the 2020 count
Tooele County spreads across a wide valley floor west of the Oquirrh Mountains, with the county offices and the most people in Tooele, near its center. It grew faster than any other county on this list since the 2020 count as people looked west of the metro for ground that still had room. That pace shows up in a steady stream of newer homes and a market that moves quickly.
No. 2
+18.5% since the 2020 count
Washington County fills Utah's southwest corner with low desert and red rock, centered on St. George, which has both the county offices and the most people. Hot summers and mild winters keep it a year-round destination, and Zion National Park lies close at its edge. Growth here has run strong for decades and stayed near the top of the state after 2020, which keeps new construction moving and the market competitive.
No. 3
+17.2% since the 2020 count
Iron County sits on a high mountain-valley floor around Cedar City, its largest town, with the county offices in Parowan to the north. Winters here run cold and snowy, Cedar Breaks National Monument lies in the high country above, and Brian Head ski area is up the mountain. Southern Utah University anchors Cedar City, and growth has pushed a steady run of newer neighborhoods through the valley.
No. 4
+15.2% since the 2020 count
Utah County runs down the west side of the Wasatch into Utah Valley, with the county offices in Provo, also its largest city. Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University anchor its two biggest towns, and summer days run hot and dry. Growth of this size keeps the valley in constant building, with new subdivisions pressing out from Provo toward the county's north and south ends.
No. 5
+15.2% since the 2020 count
Juab County is a ranching and farming valley in central Utah along Interstate 15, with the county offices in Nephi, also its largest town. The Little Sahara dunes east of the highway draw recreationists, and the county sits where the southern push out of Utah Valley meets open country. Its growth since 2020 puts it in the fast group, though the base it grows from is still a small one.
No. 6
+13.3% since the 2020 count
Box Elder County sits below the Wellsville Mountains at the north end of the Wasatch, with the county offices in Brigham City, also its largest town. Golden Spike National Historical Park and Willard Bay State Park are both in the county, and the economy mixes agriculture with the corridor that runs toward Idaho. Growth has climbed steadily since 2020 as buyers look further north of the main metro.
No. 7
+10.7% since the 2020 count
Wasatch County anchors the valley around Heber City, home of the county offices and its largest town, on the east side of the Wasatch crest. Winters run long and cold, and the big Park City ski areas sit just across the county line in Summit County. Growth here has been strong as the Wasatch Back fills in, and the county's own home values have climbed with that demand.
No. 8
+10.6% since the 2020 count
Sanpete County is a broad farming valley in central Utah, with the county offices in Manti and Ephraim as its largest town. Snow College sits in Ephraim, and Palisade and Yuba state parks lie at the valley's edges. The county has grown at a solid clip since 2020, pulling buyers who want lower home values than the Wasatch Front and the Wasatch Back carry.
No. 9
+8.9% since the 2020 count
Cache County fills the northern Utah valley around Logan, home of the county offices and its largest city, with Utah State University near the center of town. Winters are cold and inversions settle into the bowl, while the surrounding peaks hold the Beaver Mountain and Cherry Peak ski areas. Growth has been steady as more of the Wasatch Front looks north for room, and the county's home values sit below Salt Lake County's.
No. 10
+8.8% since the 2020 count
Morgan County is a narrow valley along the Weber River between the Wasatch Front and the mountains to the east, with the county offices in the town of Morgan, also its largest community. Winters bring heavy snow, and East Canyon and Lost Creek state parks sit in its high country. It is the smallest county on this list, so a modest gain in people reads as a large percentage.
No. 11
+8.3% since the 2020 count
Millard County spreads across the broad Pahvant Valley in central Utah, with the county offices in Fillmore and Delta as its largest town. The Territorial Statehouse in Fillmore preserves the county's early history, and Interstate 15 crosses its west side. Growth since 2020 sits near the middle of this ranking, steady rather than dramatic.
No. 12
+7.5% since the 2020 count
Uintah County sits in the high-desert Uinta Basin of eastern Utah, with the county offices in Vernal, also its largest town. Dinosaur National Monument lies just outside town, and Steinaker and Red Fleet reservoirs carry the local water recreation. Energy work has long driven the economy, and growth has held a steady pace since 2020 with home values staying lower than most of the state.
No. 13
+6.4% since the 2020 count
Duchesne County covers the western Uinta Basin, with Roosevelt as its largest town and the county offices in Duchesne. Starvation Reservoir draws anglers and boaters, and ranch land spreads across the valley floor. Growth here has been modest and steady, in line with a county where energy and agriculture set the pace and home values run low.
No. 14
+6.1% since the 2020 count
Sevier County runs down the Sevier Valley in central Utah, with the county offices in Richfield, also its largest town. Interstate 70 crosses the county and meets Interstate 15 just to the west at Cove Fort, which makes it a true crossroads. Growth has been mild since 2020, and the housing market here runs calmer than it does in the fast movers.
No. 15
+6.1% since the 2020 count
Weber County centers on Ogden, home of the county offices and its largest city, on the valley floor where the big Wasatch canyons open to the east. Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, and Nordic Valley ski areas sit up those canyons, and Weber State University anchors the city. Growth has run at a moderate pace, with Ogden's older neighborhoods seeing steady turnover rather than new sprawl.
No. 16
+5.1% since the 2020 count
Davis County hugs the bench between the Wasatch and the Great Salt Lake, with Layton as its largest city and the county offices in Farmington. Antelope Island State Park sits just offshore, and Hill Air Force Base and Lagoon anchor the county's economy on either end. It is one of the older suburban counties on the Wasatch Front, which keeps its growth moderate and its market steady.
No. 17
+3.0% since the 2020 count
Salt Lake County is the state's population center, with the county offices in Salt Lake City, also its largest city and the Cottonwood ski areas up its east-side canyons. Intermountain Health, the University of Utah, state government, and Delta Air Lines anchor a deep job market. The county's growth percentage looks small only because it started this period as the largest county in Utah by a wide margin.
No. 18
+1.9% since the 2020 count
Summit County is the Wasatch Back's resort county, with Park City as its largest town and Coalville, home of the county offices, up the valley to the north. Park City Mountain and Deer Valley sit in the county, and Rockport and Echo state parks hold its reservoirs. Growth has been light since 2020, in line with a county where resort land and conservation ground already cover much of the map.
No. 19
+1.3% since the 2020 count
Carbon County sits in the high-desert Castle Valley corridor of eastern Utah, with the county offices in Price, also its largest town. Coal mining built the county, and Utah State University Eastern now anchors the town alongside that energy history. Growth since 2020 has been nearly flat, which keeps the housing market calm and home values near the bottom of this list.
No. 20
+0.2% since the 2020 count
San Juan County is Utah's southeastern corner, a high, wide country of red rock at the base of the Abajo Mountains, with Blanding as its largest town and the county offices in Monticello. Canyonlands' Needles district, Natural Bridges, Hovenweep, and Bears Ears all fall inside its borders. It has grown the least of any county here since 2020, and its home values sit among the most affordable in the state.
Reading the list
This page ranks counties on a single number: how much the population changed between the April 2020 count and the latest estimate, stated as a percentage. Percentages flatter small starting bases. A county that adds real volume against an already large population can still rank low, while a small county can climb the list on a relatively modest number of new homes. Read the percentages as a speedometer, not as a map of everything happening on the ground.
The number also covers the whole period in one lump. It does not show whether growth came early or late, whether it has settled into a rhythm, or whether it is spread across a county or concentrated in a single town. Two counties with the same figure can look very different once you drive them, which is why this ranking is a starting point rather than the whole conversation.
For a buyer, growth is useful context, not a verdict. Fast-growing counties tend to build more homes and see more price movement; slower ones tend to be steadier but thinner on new inventory. The ranking shows the direction of travel, while current listings, a drive around the towns that interest you, and an agent who works the area week to week show what it actually feels like.
Common questions
Tooele County. It sits on a wide valley floor west of the Oquirrh Mountains, across the ridge from the Salt Lake metro, and it grew faster than any other county on this list since the 2020 count. Washington County, the longtime Southern Utah grower, is second. This page ranks only Utah's 20 largest counties, so the fastest county in the whole state could be a smaller one not shown here. Use the figure as the answer to a specific question, not the whole picture.
It cuts both ways. Fast growth usually brings more new construction and a wider choice of homes, which helps a buyer. It also tends to push prices up and add competition, because more people are arriving. A county that barely grows tends to be steadier, with less competition, but also thinner on newer homes and slower to add services. Match the pace to what you need: newer inventory and activity on one side, calm and predictability on the other.
San Juan County has grown the least of any county on this list since the 2020 count, and Carbon and Summit sit near it at the flat end. Salt Lake County also shows a small percentage, which can look odd until you remember the base is already huge, so steady gains read as a low number. Slow growth is not the same as no activity. These counties still have turnover, new residents, and markets that shift, just at a calmer pace.
The growth figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau. Each county's current population estimate is compared with its April 2020 census count, and the change is stated as a percentage. The same method is applied to every county, so the ranking compares like with like. The median home values and incomes shown alongside come from separate housing and survey data and move on their own schedule. Figures are estimates that get revised, so treat them as the best current read rather than a final word.
Talk it through
Tell me the counties you are weighing and what you need from the move. I will show you where the growth is real and where it is a number, and connect you with a partner agent who works the area every week.
If you buy or sell outside Southern Utah, I connect you with a trusted local partner agent and stay involved through your move. If you work with that agent, their brokerage pays my brokerage (Real Broker, LLC) a referral fee. It comes out of the agent's compensation, not as an added cost to you, and you are always free to choose your own agent.