Living in Provo, UT

Crime in Provo runs a bit below the national average. The violent crime index is 66 (100 is the U.S. baseline), with property crime at 85. That puts it in a decent spot — not the safest metro in the country, but meaningfully better than the midpoint. Neighborhood choice still matters, especially if you have kids or walk home late. FBI Uniform Crime Report data.

Housing costs in Provo are reasonable. Median rent sits at $1,193/month with median household income at $64,171/year — a 22.3% rent-to-income ratio. That's well within the comfort zone that most financial advisors recommend. It's not dirt cheap, but most working households can afford rent here without financial strain. Other costs like groceries and utilities will vary, but the rent picture is solid. Census ACS 2023 data.

The average worker in Provo spends about 16 minutes getting to the office. Driving solo is the default (56.5%), with 16.1% working remotely and 5.1% on public transit. It's a fairly typical commute — not a selling point, not a dealbreaker.

Not particularly. The climate risk score is 25/100, which puts Provo in the low-risk tier. Drought, Wildfire, and Earthquake are the most relevant hazards, but none of them are frequent concerns. Standard insurance should have you covered. It's one less thing to worry about if you're comparing this city to higher-risk metros along the coast or in tornado alley. Data from FEMA disaster declarations and NOAA.

Strong, on paper. The high school graduation rate in Provo is 92.0%, and classrooms average a 24:1 student-to-teacher ratio. That puts the district above most national benchmarks. Individual schools still vary — a few are outstanding, others are just solid — so look up specific school ratings on your state's education department site before choosing where to live.

A bit less than you'd pay in most U.S. cities. The average monthly utility bill in Provo is around $205 (covering electric, gas, water, sewer), compared to a national average of $230. That $25 monthly savings won't change your life, but it's a nice perk — especially if you're coming from a more expensive market.

Good, overall. The median AQI sits at 50, which falls within the EPA's "Good" category, and Provo logs 225 clean-air days annually. PM2.5 is the main pollutant. Occasional spikes happen — wildfire smoke, temperature inversions, or high-ozone days — but they're the exception, not the rule. Check AirNow.gov during allergy season or summer heat waves.

Everything on this page is built from public government sources: rent and income figures from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-Year Estimates, 2023); commute and transportation data from Census ACS tables B08303 and B08006; crime rates from the FBI Uniform Crime Report; climate risk assessments using FEMA disaster declarations and NOAA storm records; air quality measurements from the EPA's Air Quality System database; school data from the National Center for Education Statistics; utility cost estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. We refresh each dataset monthly through an automated pipeline and cross-check for anomalies. No surveys, no user-submitted guesses — just official federal data presented in a way that's actually useful for people researching a move.