Americans on the whole were doing well financially heading into 2020, with major markers like unemployment reaching 50-year lows. The pandemic changed all that: During the second quarter of the 2020 fiscal year, our nation's real GDP fell by a whopping 31.4%, a number that hasn't been seen since the Great Depression. Since then the GDP has recovered, the first quarter of 2022 was 11% above the fourth quarter of 2019.
While GDP has recovered since the height of the pandemic, wage growth has not kept pace with inflation. In 2021 average hourly wages increased 4.7% while there was 7% inflation, meaning the worker's purchasing power dropped by 2.4%.
Where you live can make a big impact on your financial situation. The highest earning county in the U.S. earns $147,111, while the lowest earns $22,292. Stacker compiled a list of the lowest-earning counties in Utah using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the Census' 2020 5-year estimate median household income.
MJBUMM // Wikimedia Commons
1 / 29#29. Summit County
- Median household income: $106,973
--- 44.2% above state average, 64.6% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 53.0%
--- #27 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 4.6%
--- #3,117 highest among all counties nationwide
Rich jj // Wikimedia Commons
2 / 29#28. Morgan County
- Median household income: $100,408
--- 35.3% above state average, 54.5% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 50.9%
--- #44 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 2.5%
--- #3,095 highest among all counties nationwide
Hollywood // Wikimedia Commons
3 / 29#27. Davis County
- Median household income: $87,570
--- 18.0% above state average, 34.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 41.5%
--- #141 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 3.9%
--- #3,031 highest among all counties nationwide
Rich jj // Wikimedia Commons
4 / 29#26. Wasatch County
- Median household income: $85,807
--- 15.6% above state average, 32.0% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 42.2%
--- #131 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 3.2%
--- #3,018 highest among all counties nationwide
Skyguy414 // Wikicommons
5 / 29#25. Salt Lake County
- Median household income: $77,128
--- 4.0% above state average, 18.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 36.7%
--- #243 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.3%
--- #2,918 highest among all counties nationwide
Ben P L // Wikimedia Commons
6 / 29#24. Utah County
- Median household income: $77,057
--- 3.9% above state average, 18.6% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 35.6%
--- #266 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 5.7%
--- #2,917 highest among all counties nationwide
Tricia Simpson // Wikimedia Commons
7 / 29#23. Tooele County
- Median household income: $76,737
--- 3.4% above state average, 18.1% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 35.2%
--- #282 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 4.8%
--- #2,913 highest among all counties nationwide
JERRYE AND KLOTZ MD // Wikimedia Commons
8 / 29#22. Daggett County
- Median household income: $74,911
--- 1.0% above state average, 15.3% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 44.3%
--- #101 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 5.3%
--- #2,879 highest among all counties nationwide
Scott Catron // Wikimedia Commons
9 / 29#21. Weber County
- Median household income: $71,275
--- 3.9% below state average, 9.7% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 29.8%
--- #494 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.7%
--- #2,798 highest among all counties nationwide
Raymond Cannefax // Wikimedia Commons
10 / 29#20. Juab County
- Median household income: $68,333
--- 7.9% below state average, 5.1% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 27.3%
--- #676 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 5.6%
--- #2,712 highest among all counties nationwide
Cory Maylett // Wikimedia Commons
11 / 29#19. Beaver County
- Median household income: $66,705
--- 10.1% below state average, 2.6% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 20.8%
--- #1,475 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.1%
--- #2,642 highest among all counties nationwide
Acroterion // Wikimedia Commons
12 / 29#18. Rich County
- Median household income: $63,917
--- 13.9% below state average, 1.7% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 20.3%
--- #1,558 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 3.6%
--- #2,500 highest among all counties nationwide
Tricia Simpson // Wikimedia Commons
13 / 29#17. Box Elder County
- Median household income: $63,573
--- 14.3% below state average, 2.2% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 25.1%
--- #878 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.3%
--- #2,482 highest among all counties nationwide
Tricia Simpson // Wikimedia Commons
14 / 29#16. Millard County
- Median household income: $63,221
--- 14.8% below state average, 2.7% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 22.6%
--- #1,191 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.5%
--- #2,471 highest among all counties nationwide
MojaveNC // Wikimedia
15 / 29#15. Washington County
- Median household income: $61,747
--- 16.8% below state average, 5.0% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 27.0%
--- #703 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.4%
--- #2,372 highest among all counties nationwide
1915chapel // Wikimedia Commons
16 / 29#14. Duchesne County
- Median household income: $61,655
--- 16.9% below state average, 5.1% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 23.3%
--- #1,080 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.3%
--- #2,365 highest among all counties nationwide
Nile Dean Meservy // Wikimedia Commons
17 / 29#13. Cache County
- Median household income: $60,530
--- 18.4% below state average, 6.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 23.3%
--- #1,094 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 8.1%
--- #2,293 highest among all counties nationwide
Recline // Wikimedia Commons
18 / 29#12. Uintah County
- Median household income: $59,428
--- 19.9% below state average, 8.6% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 24.5%
--- #932 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.2%
--- #2,195 highest among all counties nationwide
The Dye Clan // Wikimedia Commons
19 / 29#11. Emery County
- Median household income: $57,772
--- 22.1% below state average, 11.1% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 21.5%
--- #1,352 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 9.3%
--- #2,065 highest among all counties nationwide
John Manard // Wikimedia Commons
20 / 29#10. Grand County
- Median household income: $56,639
--- 23.7% below state average, 12.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 18.3%
--- #1,902 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 12.9%
--- #1,946 highest among all counties nationwide
runt35 // Wikimedia Commons
21 / 29#9. Sanpete County
- Median household income: $55,820
--- 24.8% below state average, 14.1% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 20.8%
--- #1,475 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.6%
--- #1,881 highest among all counties nationwide
PiConsti // Wikimedia Commons
22 / 29#8. Sevier County
- Median household income: $55,361
--- 25.4% below state average, 14.8% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 19.6%
--- #1,683 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.2%
--- #1,834 highest among all counties nationwide
Bob Palin // Wikimedia Commons
23 / 29#7. Iron County
- Median household income: $52,045
--- 29.9% below state average, 19.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 18.4%
--- #1,892 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.8%
--- #1,474 highest among all counties nationwide
mypubliclands // Wikimedia Commons
24 / 29#6. Carbon County
- Median household income: $50,328
--- 32.2% below state average, 22.6% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 15.7%
--- #2,389 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 12.6%
--- #1,250 highest among all counties nationwide
Pretzelpaws // Wikimedia Commons
25 / 29#5. San Juan County
- Median household income: $49,690
--- 33.0% below state average, 23.5% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 16.3%
--- #2,267 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 19.0%
--- #1,174 highest among all counties nationwide
rob Stoeltje // Wikimedia Commons
26 / 29#4. Kane County
- Median household income: $49,486
--- 33.3% below state average, 23.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 21.2%
--- #1,406 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 12.4%
--- #1,154 highest among all counties nationwide
Tricia Simpson // Wikimedia Commons
27 / 29#3. Wayne County
- Median household income: $49,299
--- 33.6% below state average, 24.1% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 16.5%
--- #2,226 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.0%
--- #1,133 highest among all counties nationwide
Jonathanking // Wikimedia Commons
28 / 29#2. Garfield County
- Median household income: $44,279
--- 40.3% below state average, 31.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 14.7%
--- #2,551 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 13.7%
--- #674 highest among all counties nationwide
Ken Lund // Wikimedia Commons
29 / 29#1. Piute County
- Median household income: $29,125
--- 60.7% below state average, 55.2% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 12.0%
--- #2,863 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 24.5%
--- #29 highest among all counties nationwide
