Salt Lake City, UT vs Orem, UT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Salt Lake City, UT outspends Orem, UT by a wide margin per resident — $25,335 versus $7,841, a 223% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Orem, UT edges Salt Lake City, UT on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 55/100 (grade C) to 52/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Orem, UT reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Salt Lake City, UT carries $1,610 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Salt Lake City, UT at $1,879 per resident and in Orem, UT at $752.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 5% of total revenue in Salt Lake City, UT and 2101% in Orem, UT.
Summary
Salt Lake City spends 223.1% more per capita than Orem ($17,494/person difference). Orem, UT has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 55/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $213 | $201 |
| Sales Tax | $1,451 | $351 |
| Income Tax | $737 | $509 |
| Intergovernmental | $4,455 | $137 |
| Charges & Fees | $4,537 | $1,690 |
| Other | $8,729 | $2,873 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $499 | $134 |
| Highways & Roads | $536 | $0 |
| Education | $90 | $56 |
| Public Welfare | $2,075 | $469 |
| Health | $1,244 | $376 |
| Hospitals | $470 | $148 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,879 | $752 |
| Housing | $3,710 | $1,776 |
| Sewerage | $371 | $101 |
| Utilities | $3,955 | $1,081 |
| Interest on Debt | $43 | $0 |
| Other | $10,462 | $2,949 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.