Utah covers 82,144 square miles, with a 2019 estimated population of 3,205,958 people – 335,301 living in rural Utah (USDA-ERS). Salt Lake City, Utah's largest city and capital, is located in the northern region of the state. The state's other large cities include West Valley City and Provo. According to 2019 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 90.6% of the state's population is white, 1.5% is African-American, 2.7% is Asian, 1.6% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.1% is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 14.4% is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Utah Rural Healthcare Facilities

According to data.HRSA.gov, as of April 2021 Utah had:

• 13 Critical Access Hospitals
• 15 Rural Health Clinics
• 21 Federally Qualified Health Center sites located outside of Urbanized Areas
• 8 short term hospitals located outside of Urbanized Areas

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Utah

9.6% of Utah residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2019). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per capita income for Utahns in 2019 was $48,939, with the rural per capita income at $53,045. The ERS reports, based on 2019 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Utah is 11.2%, compared with 8.6% in urban areas of the state. 8.8% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 7.6% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2015-2019 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Utah is 3.3%, while in urban Utah it is 2.5% (USDA-ERS, 2019).

Utah Office of Primary Care and Rural Health
Phone: 801.273.6677
Email: opcrh@utah.gov
Collects and disseminates information, provides technical assistance, coordinates rural health efforts, and supports efforts to improve recruitment and retention of health professionals.
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