Is $175,000 a good salary in Utah?
$175,000 in Utah is an upper-income household income - the 80th percentile of Utah households in the Census ACS 2024 distribution (82nd nationally). A single filer keeps about $123,086 after federal, Utah state, and FICA taxes - roughly $10,257/mo at a 30% effective rate. Statewide median rent takes 10% of gross, inside the affordable band.
Estimate only - not financial advice. Methodology and sources.
Census ACS 2024 1-year data (tables B19080, B19013), verified . Reviewed by kgenots, Editor. Methodology
Utah household income distribution (ACS 2024)
Utah's own published cut-points - where $175,000 sits is highlighted. These are the actual Census quintile thresholds for Utah, not the national distribution rescaled.
| Percentile | Band | Household income |
|---|---|---|
| 20th percentile | Bottom 20% | $46,274✓ passed |
| 40th percentile | Lower-middle | $79,666✓ passed |
| 50th percentile (median) | Median household | $96,658✓ passed |
| 60th percentile | Upper-middle | $116,298✓ passed |
| 80th percentile | Top 20% starts | $172,511✓ passed |
| 95th percentile (top 5%) | Top 5% starts | $250,001 |
$175,000 clears the 80th percentile threshold in Utah - placing it at the 80th percentile of state households.
Take-home pay on $175,000 in Utah
| Gross income | $175,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$31,247 |
| Utah state income tax | −$7,280 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$10,850 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$2,538 |
| Take-home (net) | $123,086 |
That's about $10,257/month net, an effective tax rate of 29.7%. Utah's average combined sales tax is 7.44%, charged on taxable spending out of that net - a consumption cost on top of the income tax above.
Single filer, 2025 federal brackets + standard deduction. State tax uses Utah's top/flat marginal rate, so in progressive-bracket states (e.g. California, New York) the state line is an upper bound and your actual net is likely a little higher. Married-filing-jointly and pre-tax 401(k)/health deductions also change the result. Estimate only - Utah take-home detail →
Occupations near $175,000 (single earner)
BLS national median wages within ±15% of $175,000 - gives texture for which careers and seniorities land at this income level.
| Occupation | Stage | National wage |
|---|---|---|
| Data scientist | senior | $178,000 |
| Dentist | mid-career | $170,000 |
| Physician (family medicine) | entry-level | $162,000 |
| Pharmacist | senior | $162,000 |
| Software engineer (senior) | mid-career | $159,400 |
| Marketing manager | mid-career | $158,280 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024. National medians; metro/state variance can be ±30%. Career stage estimates: entry ≈ 25th pct, senior ≈ 75th pct of the same SOC code.
Lifestyle context - rent burden in Utah
At $175,000 gross, statewide median rent eats 10% of income - inside the affordable band. Metro areas (LA, SF, NYC, Boston, Seattle) typically run 30-50% above the statewide median.
Home affordability at $175,000
Using the 28% rule on a 30-year mortgage, $175,000 gross supports a home purchase up to about $472,172. Utah median home value is $484,700 - you can afford 97% of the median home, so buying requires lower-priced markets, a larger down payment, or co-buying.
How $175,000 ranks in neighboring states
State-adjusted percentile shows the same income placed in Utah's contiguous neighbors. Relevant for relocation, remote-work geography, or border-town decisions.
| State | Median HH | % vs median | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah (current) | $96,658 | +81% | 80th |
| New Mexico | $67,816 | +158% | 85th |
| Idaho | $81,166 | +116% | 84th |
| Wyoming | $75,532 | +132% | 84th |
| Nevada | $81,134 | +116% | 83rd |
| Arizona | $81,486 | +115% | 83rd |
| Colorado | $97,113 | +80% | 76th |
$175,000 ranks similarly in
Other incomes in Utah
Common questions
- Is $175,000 a good household income in Utah?
- It sits at roughly the 80th percentile of Utah households in the state's own Census ACS 2024 income distribution (Utah median $96,658). Nationally that's about the 82nd percentile. Whether "good" depends on household size, debt, and metro cost of living - state figures smooth over big within-state variation.
- How does $175,000 compare to the Utah median?
- It's 81% above the Utah median household income of $96,658 (Census ACS 2024, table B19013). Half of Utah households earn less than $96,658, half earn more.
- How exact is the 80th percentile figure for $175,000?
- It is interpolated, not read off a published table. The Census publishes Utah household income only at quintile cut-points, and $175,000 falls between the 80th-percentile cut-point ($172,511) and the 95th-percentile cut-point ($250,001). We interpolate linearly between those two published points, so the figure is accurate to a few percentile points, not to the decimal.
- What is the highest income Utah's data can rank?
- Utah's published 95th-percentile cut-point is $250,001, below the $250,001 level at which the Census top-codes this measure. That means percentile positions in Utah stay meaningful across the full range shown here, unlike in higher-income states where the top bracket is censored.
Full data sources and formulas: /sources.
Source and methodology
Data source. Utah household income distribution comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates: table B19080 (quintile upper limits) and table B19013 (median household income), retrieved via the Census Reporter API on 2026-07-11.
How the percentile is derived. The Census publishes Utah only at the cut-points shown in the table above. We interpolate linearly between the two published points that bracket $175,000 ($172,511 and $250,001). We do not rescale one national curve by a state median, which is what most percentile calculators do.
Limitations. Interpolated positions are accurate to a few percentile points, not to the decimal. Utah's 95th-percentile cut-point is $250,001, below the $250,001 top-code ceiling, so ranks stay meaningful across the range shown. State-level figures also smooth over large metro-to-rural variation within Utah.
US household income percentile calculator → Income percentile by state (all 50) → Full methodology →
Estimate only - not financial advice. Percentiles are interpolated from US Census Bureau ACS household income distribution tables and describe where an income falls nationally - they are not a judgment of what you should earn or financial advice. Cost of living varies widely by state and metro.
Reviewed by kgenots, Editor · editorial policy