Beaver County

Beaver County scores a 91 on appreciation and a 0 on cash flow, which tells you everything you need to know about where this market sits on the spectrum. At a median home price of $321,960 with 6.78% year-over-year price growth, the market is moving, but the investment estimate fields return zeroes across cap rate, cash-on-cash, and monthly cash flow, meaning the tool cannot construct a profitable rent-to-cost scenario at current pricing. The affordability index of 61 confirms the market is not deeply discounted relative to incomes, and with no cap rate to anchor an income valuation, buyers here are essentially underwriting on price trajectory, not yield. This is not a knock on the market, it is simply the honest read of the numbers.

That scorecard points clearly toward one buyer profile: the appreciation-oriented investor who can carry the asset without relying on rental income to cover the mortgage. A cash-flow buyer has no numbers here to justify the purchase, and a value-add operator looking to force equity and then refi into a stabilized yield will face the same structural problem on exit. The appreciation buyer, however, gets a market ranked 149th nationally out of 1,000 counties and sitting in the 81st national percentile, with a 91 appreciation score and the number-two ranking among Utah's 28 counties. For an investor whose thesis is long-term price growth in a low-population, supply-constrained western county, those rankings are meaningful context.

No economic anchors or employer data were provided for Beaver County. The county's population of 7,102 does, however, warrant direct attention from any investor underwriting rental demand. This is a small market. Thin rental demand is the natural consequence of a small and geographically isolated population, and it is likely a primary reason the cash-flow score registers at zero. An investor buying here needs a specific view on who their tenant is, whether that is a local household, a seasonal worker, or a short-term renter tied to outdoor recreation access. Without that demand thesis clearly defined, the carry risk is real.

On carry costs, Beaver County actually offers a tailwind. Utah's state-average effective property tax rate is 0.63%, flagged as low, and with a median purchase price of $321,960 that translates to $2,028 in annual property tax. Combined with $612 in estimated annual insurance, the monthly tax-and-insurance burden is $220. That is a comparatively modest number for a sub-$325,000 asset, and it softens the carry cost for an investor holding through an appreciation cycle. Worth noting: this figure uses a state-average effective rate per Tax Foundation 2024 data, and actual Beaver County or township rates may differ, so confirm the local mill rate before closing.

The concentration risk here is the one that matters most and it flows directly from the population figure. A county of 7,102 people has a thin rental pool. One large employer departure, one demographic shift, or one policy change affecting whatever draws people to the area can move vacancy materially in a market this small. No vacancy or crime data was provided, so no specific statistics can be cited, but any investor should stress-test an extended vacancy scenario given the limited renter base. Regulatory risk is also an unknown without specific local data, particularly relevant if a short-term rental strategy is part of the thesis.

Compared to its neighbors, Beaver sits at a $321,960 median, which is higher than Emery ($288,826, score 68), Carbon ($270,914, score 67), and Millard ($334,525, score 66) but lower than Juab ($442,422, score 65) and Duchesne ($370,278, score 63). Critically, Beaver outscores all five neighbors on the overall index (70 versus a range of 63 to 68), which at similar or lower price points makes it the more attractive entry among this peer group. Carbon and Emery offer cheaper entry prices, but with lower overall scores and presumably weaker appreciation dynamics. Juab costs $120,000 more at a lower overall score of 65, a difficult trade to justify. Choose Beaver over its neighbors when your thesis is Utah appreciation exposure at a sub-$325,000 entry and you can stomach the cash-flow gap; choose Carbon or Emery if yield or a lower buy-in matters more than appreciation rank.