When discovering a place to call home, income equality (or inequality) should be an important factor included in your decision. As we see on the national stage, income inequality is dividing our nation. If it exists in your home town, it may not be a harmonious place to live. It could lead to tension and even crime.
Conversely, the bigger cities seem to have the higher income inequality. Depending on your financial goals, heading to a bigger city may be right for you as there is more opportunity.
The team at HomeArea.com created the 10 Utah Cities with the Best Income Equality (Graphic) based on the newly released Census Bureau data of cities with a population of 60,000 or more.
Income inequality is measured on a scale from 0 to 100 using the Gini Coefficient. Lower values indicate that household income is more evenly distributed on a pre-tax basis. In the U.S., it typically falls in the range of 30-65. Other countries range from high inequality like in Brazil (50s) to high equality like in Sweden (30s).
Here is the list from best income equality to worst:
West Jordan, UT: 33.3
Layton, UT: 35.1
South Jordan, UT: 36.1
West Valley City, UT: 36.3
Orem, UT: 41.4
Sandy, UT: 42.6
St. George, UT: 44.7
Ogden, UT: 46.3
Provo, UT: 47.3
Salt Lake City, UT: 49.3
To see where your city ranks and how it is trending, click here to view the complete graphic.