Make minimum wage? You need to work a lot more to afford the average Utah rent
May 16, 2025, 1:34 PM
A "for rent" sign at a property in Salt Lake City on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.(Scott G Winterton/Deseret News)
(Scott G Winterton/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — New numbers suggest that full-time minimum-wage workers would have to work nearly four times as many hours every week to be able to afford the average Utah rent.
According to Redfin’s most recent calculation using Utah’s median rent, those who make minimum wage would have to work 156 hours a week to pay their rent.
Related: Mayor introduces new programs to help Salt Lake City renters
Redfin considers state-level data on newly listed apartments in buildings with five or more units. The website also uses minimum wage data sourced by the United States Department of Labor.
And that’s only if the renter is spending only 30% of their income on rent — the typical guideline from financial planners.
The average Utah rent is better than last year
However, the new numbers are better than they were a year ago. In 2024, Redfin reported that renters earning minimum wage needed to work 164 hours a week to pay the average Utah rent.
Five states ranked worse than Utah in the new Redfin report. One of those was Idaho.
Minimum-wage workers in South Dakota have the most luck when it comes to affording that state’s typical apartment.
Related: Antitrust lawsuit could affect hundreds of Utah renters
