Jobs in Utah, Where People Actually Work (2026)
Jobs in Utah: Where People Actually Work (2026)
Everybody knows Utah for the mountains, the skiing and the crazy housing market. But when people call me about moving here, one of the first questions is always the same: "What do people actually do for work in Utah, and where should I live to be close to it?"
Great question. Where you work should help pick where you live, so let's break it down.
The Utah job market at a glance
Here's the big picture, straight from the Utah Department of Workforce Services:
About 1.8 million jobs in the state as of September 2026
3.5% unemployment, compared to 4.2% nationally
About 25,000 jobs added in the last year
The takeaway: Utah keeps adding jobs, and people who want to work here are finding it. The bigger question is which kind of work, and where.
Utah's biggest industries
These are Utah's industries ranked by number of jobs (August 2026, not seasonally adjusted):
Rank | Industry | Utah jobs | Example jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Trade, Transportation & Utilities | 312,800 | Truck driver, warehouse lead, retail manager, airline crew |
2 | Government | 268,200 | Teacher, police and fire, Hill AFB civilian, city staff |
3 | Professional & Business Services | 262,700 | Software developer, engineer, accountant, attorney |
4 | Education & Health Services | 253,400 | Nurse, physician, medical assistant, physical therapist |
5 | Leisure & Hospitality | 185,000 | Chef, hotel manager, ski instructor, river guide |
6 | Manufacturing | 156,000 | Aerospace assembler, machinist, welder, food production |
7 | Construction | 148,600 | Electrician, plumber, framer, HVAC tech |
8 | Financial Activities | 102,900 | Loan officer, banker, insurance agent, real estate agent |
9 | Other Services | 47,800 | Auto tech, barber, pet groomer, nonprofit staff |
10 | Information | 40,400 | Software engineer, telecom tech, video producer |
11 | Mining & Logging | 11,000 | Oilfield worker, mine tech, geologist |
A few things surprise people:
Public school teachers count as Government. That's a big reason Government ranks #2. Hill Air Force Base adds thousands more.
Tech doesn't show up as one category. Utah's tech workers are spread across Professional Services, Information, Manufacturing and Finance. So if you're in tech, Silicon Slopes is real even though no single bar says "tech."
The fastest-growing industry is Professional & Business Services. It added about 8,500 jobs in a year. Engineering and architecture jobs alone grew almost 7%.
Healthcare is everywhere. Hospital jobs grew 3.9% and nursing and care facilities grew 4.3%. If you're a nurse, you can find work in almost any Utah city.
Construction is booming with the growth. Two out of three construction jobs are specialty trades like electricians, plumbers and framers. That's what happens when a state keeps building new homes.
Where the jobs are, region by region
Now the fun part. Let's travel the state and see where these jobs actually are. Job counts are the state's September 2026 county estimates.
1. Salt Lake and Tooele (about 846,000 jobs). The economic heart of the state. Finance, hospitals, logistics, the airport, state government and professional services. If you can work anywhere, odds are you can work here.
2. Utah County (about 327,000 jobs). Home of Silicon Slopes in Lehi, plus BYU and UVU, healthcare and a lot of construction. Utah County jobs grew 2.6% in a year, one of the fastest rates in the state.
3. Davis and Weber (about 270,000 jobs). Hill Air Force Base is Utah's largest single-site employer, and it pulls in aerospace, defense and manufacturing companies all around Layton, Clearfield and Ogden.
4. Box Elder and Cache (about 92,000 jobs). Aerospace and food manufacturing, plus Utah State University in Logan. A slower pace with real job options.
5. Park City and Heber (about 44,000 jobs). Resorts, tourism, hospitality and the construction that goes with them.
6. Southern Utah (about 122,000 jobs). St. George and Cedar City lean on healthcare, construction and tourism. Washington County jobs grew 3.1% in a year, the fastest of Utah's big counties.
7. Eastern Utah (about 44,000 jobs). Vernal and Roosevelt run on oil and gas, Price on mining and energy, and Moab on tourism.
Let your job help pick your city
Here's the biggest mistake I see people make when they move to Utah: they fall in love with a city before they think about the commute.
I-15 is the backbone of the Wasatch Front, and traffic is real. So start with where you'll work and work outward:
Working at Hill Air Force Base? Look north at Davis and Weber counties.
Working in tech in Lehi? Look at Utah County and the south end of Salt Lake County.
Working downtown or near the airport? Salt Lake County gives you the most options, and FrontRunner and TRAX can help with the commute.
Working remotely? Lucky you. Pick based on lifestyle and budget, from Cache Valley to St. George.
Your job doesn't decide everything, but it should be part of the conversation from day one.
Let's find your spot
If you're thinking about moving to Utah or buying your first home here, I'd love to help you figure out where you'd fit. Tell me what you do for work, and I'll tell you where I'd start looking.
Book a call with our team at homutah.com.
And for more on what it's really like to live here, subscribe to Living in Utah with Connor on YouTube.
Connor Holt | HŌM|EXP Realty
Sources: Utah Department of Workforce Services Employment Update · Utah Nonagricultural Jobs by Industry, Aug. 2026 · Nonfarm Employment in Utah's Counties, Sept. 2026
