What these Utah communities pay for bills each month, on average
This article originally appeared on abc 4
By Addy Bink
HEBER, Utah (ABC4) – Heber, the county seat of Wasatch County, is located 43 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. Home to just over 11,000 people, Heber isn’t among the largest cities in Utah but its residents boast the highest average monthly bill costs.
A report from doxo, an online bill pay service, says Heber residents have the highest monthly bill costs in the state and among the highest nationwide. The Wasatch County city comes in 34th in the national rankings, just behind Boulder, Colorado.
Below are the metropolitan areas with the highest average monthly bills, according to doxo:
- San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara area, California: $3,151
- San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley area, California: $3,080
- Santa Cruz and Watsonville area, California: $3,029
- Urban Honolulu: $2,926
- Bridgeport, Stamford, and Norwalk area, Connecticut: $2,904
The average bill costs per month in Heber is $2,372, according to the report. That is more than 25% higher than the national average and makes up about one-third of a Heber household’s income. Of the nine Utah cities including in the report, Heber ranks the highest.
Of Heber residents using doxo, just over half use it to pay their mortgage – the average cost here is $1,884. Other top bill costs reported in Heber include rent, auto loans, and utilities.
Behind Heber, and coming in 100th in the nation, is the Provo/Orem area. The combined population of both is about 200,000 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. According to doxo, the average monthly bills in the Provo/Orem area are $2,029, 7.4% higher than the national average of $1,889. The Utah County metropolitan areas land between two Florida areas on the national ranking – the Crestview, Fort Walton Beach, and Destin area and the Orlando, Kissimmee, Sanford area.
In the Provo/Orem area, monthly bills make up about 34.8% of the average household’s income. Some of the most expensive bills for Provo/Orem residents are mortgage payments, rent, and auto loans.
Two other Utah cities have average monthly bill payments higher than the national average – Salt Lake City and the Ogden and Clearfield area. For Salt Lake City residents, the average monthly bills total $1,930 and in the Ogden/Clearfield area, it’s $1,911.
Here is how each Utah city included in the doxo report ranks, as well as the average monthly bills for each:
- Heber: $2,372
- Provo, Orem area: $2,029
- Salt Lake City: $1,930
- Ogden, Clearfield area: $1,911
- St. George: $1,761
- Logan: $1,644
- Vernal: $1,607
- Cedar City: $1,581
- Price: $1,403
Three of these cities – Ogden, Provo, and Salt Lake City – were recently ranked among the top ten with the most overpriced housing markets.