Utah residents rate their quality of life at the lowest level in 15 years. Draper, with the priciest homes in Salt Lake County, sits at the center of the housing crunch driving the decline.

The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute's 2026 Quality of Life Index scored 63 out of 100, a 10-point drop from its 2013 peak of 73, according to the report released Monday, Oct. 12. The Utah Foundation produced the study in partnership with the Gardner Institute and the Utah Chamber.

Housing affordability ranked 20th out of 20 factors measured in the survey. At the start of 2026, Utah's median single-family home price sat at $544,000, placing it among the 10 most expensive states in the country.

Draper's median single-family home price hit $925,000 in the second quarter of 2026, nearly $400,000 above the statewide median and the highest of any Salt Lake County municipality, according to the Salt Lake Board of Realtors' quarterly affordability report cited by the Deseret News. A household would need to earn $259,641 a year to afford that price.

Statewide, 91% of renters were priced out of buying a median-priced home in 2026, up from 59% in 2015, the report found.

"People do not feel good about the affordability of housing in their communities," Shawn Teigen, president of the Utah Foundation, told KSL. "Even if you own your own home, you don't feel good about it because often, you bring up things like 'What about kids? What about younger people?' …"

That concern echoes locally. Mayor Troy Walker told the Draper Journal in December 2025 that three of his adult children live under his roof despite having college degrees and jobs, because prices keep climbing and interest rates have not dropped enough for younger buyers.

The index measures 20 factors. All but two declined significantly since 2013. Parks and recreation and community safety were the exceptions, according to Fox 13.

Opportunities for good jobs was the only factor to fall significantly between 2022 and 2026, dropping 10%.

The report flagged four "action items" needing the most attention: cost of living, good jobs, community acceptance and shared values. Natalie Gochnour, director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, said Utah's success depends on addressing housing affordability, cost of living and economic opportunity while protecting the assets residents value most.

Nearly half of survey respondents, 47%, said housing and growth issues would most improve their communities. Housing affordability alone was cited by 23% as the single factor that would help the most.

Draper has housing in the pipeline. The city's 2025 Moderate Income Housing Plan identified 3,345 entitled residential units that had not yet received building permits as of May 1, 2025. Edge Homes won City Council approval on June 17, 2025, for a development near the Kimballs Lane TRAX station at 25 to 27 units per acre, totaling roughly 500 to 540 units.