List of counties in Utah

File:Utah population map.png

Population density of Utah counties

There are 29 counties in the U.S. state of Utah.

In 1849, the provisional State of Deseret established seven counties: Davis, Iron, Sanpete, Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah, and Weber.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> After the Territory of Utah was created in 1851, the first territorial legislature (1851–1852) acknowledged those seven and created three more: Juab, Millard, and Washington. Over a 40-year period (1854–1894), the Utah Territorial Legislature established most of the counties that exist today. In the early 20th century, after Utah had become a state, the final two counties were created: Duchesne by gubernatorial proclamation (1913) and Daggett by popular vote (1917).<ref name="CountyFormation" /> Present-day Duchesne County encompassed an Indian reservation that was created in 1861. The reservation was opened to homesteaders in 1905 and the county was created in 1913.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Due to dangerous roads, mountainous terrain, and bad weather preventing travel via a direct route, 19th-century residents in present-day Daggett County had to travel Template:Convert on both stage and rail to conduct business in Vernal, the county seat for Uintah County a mere Template:Convert away. In 1917, all Uintah County residents voted to create Daggett County.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Based on 2024 United States Census data, the population of Utah was 3,503,613. Just under 75% of Utah's population is concentrated along four Wasatch Front counties: Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, and Weber. Salt Lake County was the largest county in the state with a population of 1,216,274, followed by Utah County with 747,234, Davis County with 378,470 and Weber County with 276,118. Daggett County was the least populated with 956 people. The largest county in land area is San Juan County with Template:Convert and Davis County is the smallest with Template:Convert.<ref name="2020census">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each county.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Utah's FIPS code is 49, which when combined with any county code would be written as 49XXX. In the FIPS code column in the table below, each FIPS code links to the most current census data for that county.<ref name="FIPS" />

The Utah Code (Title 17, Chapter 50, Part 5) divides the counties into six classes by population:<ref>Utah Code 17-50-501. Classification of counties</ref>

• First class: Population of 1,000,000 or more. Only one county - Salt Lake - is first class.
• Second class: Population between 175,000 and 1,000,000. Four counties.
• Third class: Population between 40,000 and 175,000. Five counties.
• Fourth class: Population between 11,000 and 40,000. Ten counties.
• Fifth class: Population between 4,000 and 11,000. Five counties.
• Sixth class: Population below 4,000. Four counties.

The county classes, for example, are used in the Utah legislature in crafting of legislation to distinguish between more urban and rural areas, such as important yet subtle distinctions in how revenue can be distributed. Usually, a bill intended to benefit rural counties would target the counties of the fourth, fifth and sixth class.<ref>'One of the big boys': Cache County expected to move up in class in 2019, based on population growth</ref>

Under Utah Code (Title 17, Chapter 52a, Part 2), Utah counties are permitted to choose one of four forms of county government:<ref>Utah Code > Title 17 > Chapter 52a > Part 2 – Forms of County Government</ref> a three-member full-time commission; a five or seven member expanded commission; a three to nine member (odd-numbered) part-time council with a full-time elected county mayor or a three to nine member (odd-numbered) part-time council with a full-time manager appointed by the council. 23 out of 29 counties are ruled by the standard three-member commission. Of the other six, Cache County was the first change in 1988 to a seven-member council with an elected mayor. Grand County adopted a seven-member council with appointed manager in 1992, followed by Morgan County in 1999 and Wasatch County in 2003. In 1998, Salt Lake County residents approved adopting a nine-member council with elected mayor that began work in 2001.<ref>Changes in state's county governments</ref> Summit County adopted a five-member council with an appointed manager in 2006.<ref>Guest Editorial</ref>

Counties

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State of Deseret counties

• Great Salt Lake County – original county created January 31, 1850
• Iron County – original county created January 31, 1850
• Sanpete County – original county created January 31, 1850
• Tuilla County – original county created January 31, 1850
• Utah County – original county created January 31, 1850
• Weber County – original county created January 31, 1850
• Davis County – created October 5, 1850, from portions of Great Salt Lake County and Weber County

County name changes

• Tuilla County, Deseret created January 31, 1850, re-created as Tooele County, Utah Territory on March 3, 1852.
• Great Salt Lake County, Utah Territory created March 3, 1852, name changed to Salt Lake County, Utah Territory on January 29, 1868
• Richland County, Utah Territory created January 16, 1854, name changed to Rich County, Utah Territory on January 29, 1868

Former counties

There were ten counties in the Territory of Utah that were absorbed by other states or other Utah counties.

County<ref name="CountyFormation" />	Established<ref name="CountyFormation" />	Superseded<ref name="CountyFormation" />	Etymology	Present location<ref name="CountyFormation" />
Carson County	January 17, 1854	March 2, 1861	Named for Kit Carson, an American frontiersman<ref>Template:Harvtxt</ref>	Nevada
Cedar County	January 5, 1856	January 17, 1862	Named for the numerous cedar trees growing in the area (which are actually juniper trees)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Harvtxt</ref>	Utah County
Desert County	March 3, 1852	January 17, 1862	Named for the surrounding desert	Box Elder County, Tooele County and Nevada
Greasewood County	January 5, 1856	January 17, 1862	Named for the greasewood plant growing in the area<ref>Template:Harvtxt</ref>	Box Elder County
Green River County	March 3, 1852	February 16, 1872	Named for the Green River, a Template:Convert tributary of the Colorado River that runs through Wyoming, Colorado and Utah<ref>Template:Harvtxt</ref>	Cache, Weber, Morgan, Davis, Wasatch, Summit, Duchesne, Carbon, and Utah Counties, and Wyoming and Colorado
Humboldt County	January 5, 1856	March 2, 1861	Named for the Humboldt River, a Template:Convert river in Nevada and longest river in the Great Basin<ref>Template:Harvtxt</ref>	Nevada
Malad County	January 5, 1856	January 17, 1862	Named for the Malad River, the name being French for "sickly"<ref>Template:Harvtxt</ref>	Box Elder County
Rio Virgen County	February 18, 1869	February 16, 1872	Named for the Virgin River (el Rio de la Virgen<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>), a Template:Convert tributary of the Colorado River located in southern Utah and Nevada<ref>Template:Harvtxt</ref>	Washington County, Nevada and Arizona
St. Mary's County	January 5, 1856	January 17, 1862	Named after the Mary's River, which was later renamed to the Humboldt River<ref>Template:Harvtxt</ref>	Nevada
Shambip County	January 12, 1856	January 17, 1862	Goshute Native American Tribe word for Rush Lake<ref>Template:Harvtxt</ref>	Tooele County

Further reading

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Bibliography

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