Salaries and Cost-of-Living in Utah

Salaries and Cost-of-Living in Utah

When people think about worker safety and occupational health, physical safety in the workplace is probably the first thing that comes to mind. However, there are actually far more pieces to this puzzle, including wages and how they can support the one performing this labor. For example, consider: when getting a new job in a new state, accepting that offer requires thinking about a lot more than just the work itself. Additionally, what is the average salary in that field? What is the cost of living in the new area? What protections and benefits are part of the job, to make it viable for workers? All of these questions fall under occupational health as well, because all of them are still about workers’ well-being. 

“Average salary” describes “the average amount of money earned by workers in a particular industry, economy, area” at a particular time.1 So, thinking about average salary means considering whether you are being paid fairly for your work (i.e., more or less than other people in your workplace or your field). It also means thinking about whether there are chances to grow and earn promotions that will increase your earnings, and how this can support yourself, your goals, and possibly your family. 

“Cost of living” describes the cost of maintaining a chosen standard of living, usually determined by how much money it takes to live in a certain place and buy certain goods and services.2 So, the jobseeker might wonder, does the average salary for a particular job support the cost of living in an expensive city? Being able to rent alone or with roommates, or buy a home or condo? Will these costs change in the future if one has a family or the cost of living in a specific area rises? 

Finally, protections and benefits encompass all the additional things that come with the job. Protections describe how the worker will be protected from any hazards or risks of the job, while benefits may include things like health insurance, paid time off, vacation time, overtime, and so on. 

This topic in Utah

Utah has many different industries that people may move here to work in, such as tourism, construction, healthcare, or higher education. The average salary for each of these sectors is quite different, which means that the state’s average salary of $23/hour or $48,753 a year does not accurately represent what every worker here earns.3 While labor shortages across the state have helped to raise wages in most industries,4 the state’s minimum wage is $7.25/hour,5 which is the same as the federal minimum wage.6

However, the cost of living in Utah is one of the highest in the US, and the average cost of $42,653 per year is nearly as high as the average salary.7 This means that new workers from more expensive states like California may find Utah's cost of living desirable, compared to their previous location, but those moving to Utah from elsewhere or those who have lived in the state their whole lives may find these rising costs prohibitive. Utah is a right-to-work and employment-at-will state, which means that some worker protections like unions are less robust here than in other states. The Utah Department of Workforce Services has collected many resources on worker rights,8 as has U-POWER itself.9