Salt Lake County Wellbeing Survey Report
By Dr. Courtney Flint and Team

Contact Information
Dr. Courtney Flint
courtney.flint@usu.edu
435-797-8635
Summary
The Utah Wellbeing Survey project is designed to assess the wellbeing and local perspectives of city residents and to provide information to city leaders to inform their general planning processes. Over the years, we have found that each city and town has a unique experience and the Utah Wellbeing Survey allows for focused analysis at the community level. Survey questions include rating and importance of twelve different domains or categories of wellbeing, participation in recreation and nature-related activities, perspectives on local population growth and economic development, transportation perspectives, concerns for the future, and an array of demographic characteristic questions. Some cities added additional questions to their survey.
In early 2024, participating cities in Salt Lake County advertised the survey via social media, email lists, newsletters, and other ways of reaching out to local residents. All city residents age 18+ were encouraged to take the online Qualtrics survey.
What is in this report?
This report summarizes findings from the 2024 survey from ten cities in Salt Lake County (Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Emigration Canyon, Herriman, Midvale, Millcreek, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, and West Valley City). Please see the individual city reports on the Utah Wellbeing Project website for more details. This information may help cities and other regional entities refine their messaging with residents on key issues, affirm existing plans, support future planning, and have practical implications for spending and providing services.
Utah League of Cities and Towns Cluster Classifications and Response Numbers
From Salt Lake County, 3,251 viable surveys were recorded in this 2024 survey effort. It should be noted that responses for Midvale were particularly low and caution should be taken when interpreting these results.
This project benefits from the partnership with, and funding from, the Utah League of Cities and Towns, which is helping cities envision ways to use the findings from the wellbeing survey to inform their general planning processes. The Utah League of Cities and Towns clusters cities and towns into five different categories based on size and growth rates. We utilize these clusters in our analysis and have combined Rural Hub & Resort communities with Traditional Rural Communities. Some cities may fit within more than one cluster. The Salt Lake County cities with their cluster classification and number of responses are listed below:
Cities of the 1st & 2nd Class
Millcreek (291)
Sandy (955)
South Jordan (206)
West Jordan (309)
West Valley City (149)
Established/Mid-sized Cities
Cottonwood Heights (347)
Draper (650)
Midvale (68)
Rapid Growth Cities
Herriman (131)
Rural Hub & Resort, Traditional Rural Communities
Emigration Canyon (145)
Overall Personal Wellbeing and Community Wellbeing
Survey participants were asked about their overall personal wellbeing and overall community wellbeing in their respective cities or towns. The Salt Lake County cities are highlighted in the graph below. wellbeing indicators were both measured on a 5-point scale from poor (1) to excellent (5). The average of the city average personal wellbeing scores in Salt Lake County was 4.10 with 83% of respondents indicating their wellbeing at a 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale. The average of the city average scores for community wellbeing in Salt Lake County was 3.75 with 70% of respondents indicating community wellbeing at a 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale. As the graphs below show, scores vary across the ten participating cities.




Wellbeing Domains
According to national and international entities that track wellbeing, there are a number of common dimensions or domains of wellbeing. Survey respondents rated twelve domains on a 5-point scale from poor to excellent. They were also asked to indicate the importance of each domain to their overall personal wellbeing on a 5-point scale from not at all important to very important.
The highest rated wellbeing domains for the ten Salt Lake County study cities were:
- Living Standards (all 10 cities)
- Family Life (Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Herriman, Midvale, Millcreek, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, West Valley City)
- Mental Health (Cottonwood Heights, Midvale, Millcreek, Sandy, West Jordan, West Valley City)
- Safety and Security (Draper, Emigration Canyon, Herriman, South Jordan)
- Connection with Nature (Cottonwood Heights, Emigration Canyon)
- Physical Health (Cottonwood Heights)
The most important wellbeing domains for the ten Salt Lake County study cities were:
- Mental Health (all 10 cities)
- Safety and Security (Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Herriman, Midvale, Millcreek, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, West Valley City)
- Physical Health (Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Emigration Canyon, Millcreek, Sandy, South Jordan)
- Living Standards (Midvale, Millcreek, West Jordan, West Valley City)
- Connection with Nature (Emigration Canyon)
- Family Life (Herriman)
The “Red Zone” Domains (higher importance, lower quality) for the ten Salt Lake County study cities were:
- Cottonwood Heights — Local Environmental Quality
- Draper — Local Environmental Quality
- Midvale — Local Environmental Quality, Safety and Security
- Millcreek — Local Environmental Quality
- Sandy — Local Environmental Quality
- South Jordan — Local Environmental Quality, Physical Health
- West Valley City — Local Environmental Quality, Safety and Security
Community Connection
Survey participants were asked about how connected they feel to their city on a 5-point scale from not at all (1) to a great deal (5). Community Connection was highest for South Jordan and lowest for Midvale and Herriman.


Participation in Recreation and Nature-Related Activities
Respondents were asked to indicate whether or not they participated in various activities in the last 12 months. The most popular activities in Salt Lake County were walking or biking in your neighborhood or city (94%), gardening at home (84%), and recreating in parks in your city (83%).

Activities for each city that were found to be significantly correlated with higher levels of wellbeing, community connection, mental health or physical health are shown below in the table.
| Personal Wellbeing | Community Wellbeing | Community Connection | Mental Health | Physical Health | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood Heights |
|
|
|
|
|
| Draper |
|
|
|
|
|
| Emigration Canyon |
|
||||
| Herriman |
|
|
|
||
| Millcreek |
|
|
|
|
|
| Sandy |
|
|
|
|
|
| South Jordan |
|
|
|
||
| West Jordan |
|
|
|
|
|
| West Valley City |
|
|
|
|
|
Perspectives on Population Growth and Economic Development
The largest proportion of respondents felt the Rate of Population Growth was just right in Emigration Canyon and too fast in West Valley City, Midvale, Millcreek, Cottonwood Heights, Sandy, Draper, South Jordan, West Jordan, and Herriman.
The largest proportion of respondents felt the Pace of Economic Growth was too slow in Herriman and just right in Emigration Canyon, Midvale, West Valley City, West Jordan, Cottonwood Heights, Sandy, Millcreek, South Jordan, and Draper.

Transportation in Salt Lake County
Respondents were asked to indicate all of their primary modes of transportation on a regular basis in their city. The most popular modes of transportation across Salt Lake County were personal car (99%) and walking (37%).

Respondents were asked to indicate the most common barriers to transportation in their city. The most problematic barriers across Salt Lake County were Travel time (46%) and Lack of routes (32%).

Respondents were asked to indicate the importance of a set of possible transportation developments in their city. The most important developments to respondents in Salt Lake County were Improving road surfaces (74%), Enhancing safety (72%), and Improving walkability (62%).

Respondents were asked to indicate how frequently various activities take them out of your city to another city or town. The most commonly indicated reasons for traveling to another city or town at least sometimes or once a month in Salt Lake County were Eating Out (87%), Friends and Family (87%), Other Services (74%), and Recreation/Sports (73%).

Concerns for the Future of Salt Lake County Cities
Survey respondents indicated the degree to which a number of possible local issues were a concern as they look to the future of their city. Across Salt Lake County, Air Quality (87%), Water Supply (84%), Open Space/Green Space (80%), Traffic (79%), and Water Quality (79%) were the top concerns.

Top concerns also varied across cities. The top five concerns for each city are highlighted in the graph below.
