WHAT THE STATE DISTRIBUTION SAYSAcross the 15 current published direct-evidence ZIP reports, Zillow ZORI asking-rent index values range from $1,318 to $2,365, a $1,047 spread. That dispersion makes a ZIP-level practical question more useful than a single state figure: is a current asking-rent level aligned with household-income context, renter-burden evidence, and its own historical path? The distribution includes only published ZIP reports with direct evidence, not every Utah ZIP, neighborhood, or rental property, and should be read as an observed slice rather than a complete market inventory. Within this distribution, publication denotes direct evidence rather than a judgment about geographic importance or property supply.
Affordability needs two lenses that answer different questions. The asking-rent-to-income measure—current ZORI asking rent against ACS median household income—runs from 18.1% to 43.7%, with a 23.3% median. The ACS five-year ZCTA share of renter households paying 30% or more of income toward gross rent ranges from 34.3% to 59.7%, with a 44.2% median. The first is a current-rent-to-area-income comparison; the second describes surveyed renter-household burden under a gross-rent measure. A lower ratio can coexist with a higher burden share because source definitions, household composition, and reference periods differ; that is a measurement distinction, not an explanation for rent differences. Neither establishes the cost position of a particular household.
Momentum is not uniformly positive, and it should not be conflated with steadiness. One-year change in the direct monthly ZORI series spans a 3.1% decline to 4.7% growth, with a 1.3% median gain. Annualized volatility ranges from 2.6% to 4.8%, median 3.5%; 9 reports are tagged high variability, compared with 4 stable-growth and 2 mixed histories. For a counter-signal, 84116 carries the fastest one-year gain but is high variability, while 84103 has the lowest volatility and is stable growth. The categories are compact history classifications; they do not replace review of the monthly series when timing matters. These are historical rent-index patterns, not predictions.
HUD comparison is a benchmark check, not a market-rent appraisal. Across these reports, ZORI asking rent equals 88.2% to 162.0% of the applicable HUD two-bedroom FMR/SAFMR figure, with a 107.9% median. In 84043, the $2,365 index sits against a $1,460 HUD two-bedroom standard; in 84116, $1,318 sits against $1,494. Those gaps frame comparison with an administrative benchmark but cannot identify a unit’s bedroom count, utilities, lease terms, condition, availability, or exact eligibility. They also do not establish whether a listed home is comparable to the index or a program’s applicable rent standard. ZORI is observed asking-rent evidence, whereas HUD FMR/SAFMR is an administrative bedroom standard, so a ratio is not a like-for-like property valuation.
