St. George, UT
The numbers that matter most
What an investor checks first when sizing up a new metro — affordability ratio, rent vs income, cap rate proxy, and where the market is moving. Each metric shown vs. state and national medians for instant context.
expensive
Price to income
6.09×
The single most-cited 'is this market still cheap' check. Below 3× and you're in an affordability tailwind.
- vs Utah
- 5.03×
- vs U.S.
- 3.43×
Benchmark
ACS median home value ÷ median HHI
comfortable
Rent to income
24.7%
What share of a typical household's income goes to rent. Below 30% means tenants can absorb modest rent increases.
- vs Utah
- 19.7%
- vs U.S.
- 23.3%
Benchmark
(HUD FMR 2BR × 12) ÷ median HHI
tight
Cap rate proxy
2.64%
Rough first-pass yield assuming a 35% expense ratio. Not an underwriting number — a 'is this even worth modeling' filter.
- vs Utah
- 2.64%=
- vs U.S.
- 4.35%
Benchmark
(FMR 2BR × 12 × 0.65) ÷ ACS median home value
steady
Net migration
+0.84%
Forward-looking demand signal. Positive net migration drives rent growth and absorbs new supply.
- vs Utah
- 0.19%+0.65
- vs U.S.
- 0.03%+0.81
Benchmark
IRS net migration ÷ population
strong
Permit pipeline
14.85
permits per 1,000 residents
Forward-supply indicator. Above ~5 means the metro is building meaningfully relative to its size; below 2 means supply is tight.
- vs Utah
- 7.89+6.96
- vs U.S.
- 3.52+11.33
Benchmark
Census BPS permits TTM ÷ population × 1,000
healthy
Unemployment
3.7%
Tighter unemployment means higher wages, more rental demand, lower vacancy.
- vs Utah
- 3.4%
- vs U.S.
- 3.9%-0.2
Benchmark
BLS LAUS, latest month
Where prices are and where they've been
5-year price appreciation
+52.1%
homeValues.yearOverYear
+0.2%
Median home value
$465,600
The rent ladder
| Bedroom | Monthly | Annual | % of median HHI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 BR | $1,218 | $14,616 | 19.1% |
| 2 BR | $1,575 | $18,900 | 24.7% |
| 3 BR | $2,072 | $24,864 | 32.5% |
Labor market direction
Unemployment
3.7%
Median household income
$76,411
What's being built
Total TTM
2,722
+18.2% YoY
Single-family
2,425
2–4 unit
42
5+ unit
255
All 1 counties, ranked by population
| County | Population | Home value | Median HHI | Permits TTM | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County | 183,297 | $465,600 | $76,411 | 2,722 | +18.2% |
Similar metros nationally
| Metro | Pop | Med HHI | P/I | Cap proxy | HPI 5y | Permits/1k | Unemp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ★St. George | 183,297 | $76,411 | 6.09× | 2.64% | +52.1% | 14.85 | 3.7% |
| Yuba City, CA | 180,806 | $74,762 | — | — | +34.0% | — | 7.9% |
| Billings, MT | 185,147 | $74,599 | — | — | +48.7% | — | 3.4% |
| Dover, DE | 182,400 | $72,872 | — | — | +49.9% | — | 5.6% |
| Iowa City, IA | 175,894 | $74,142 | — | — | +34.6% | — | 2.4% |
| Warner Robins, GA | 192,171 | $78,702 | — | — | +60.2% | — | 2.8% |
Where people are moving in from
Net migration
+1,539
+0.84% of population
| Origin county | Tax returns |
|---|---|
| Salt Lake County, UT | 793 |
| Utah County, UT | 615 |
| Clark County, NV | 439 |
| Iron County, UT | 339 |
| Davis County, UT | 224 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 204 |
Who lives in St. George
- Median age
- 39
- Bachelor's+
- 33.3%
- Owner-occupancy
- 72.6%
- Vacancy rate
- 15.3%
- Rent burdened (30%+)
- 51.2%
- Median household income
- $76,411
This page shows federally sourced data. A full editorial analysis with charts and investment commentary is in progress.