The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Carbon County is a county of Utah with 20,517 residents. Its economy produced $1,284 million in 2024 (ranked #18 of 29 counties) and had 8,653 jobs with an average annual pay of $50,378 (#15 for pay). The unemployment rate was 4.2% in 2026M09. It is part of the Price, UT micropolitan area (central county).
Carbon County produced about $1,284 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 0.4% of the combined output of the 29 counties of Utah that BEA reports (about 0.6% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 18th of 29 on that measure. Per resident that is $62,565, 29% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $88,279. In current dollars output grew -11.4% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 8,653 jobs located in Carbon County on average in 2024, spread over 644 employer sites (about 13 jobs per site). That is 0.42 jobs for every resident, close to the 0.42 of the typical county in Utah, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $50,378, 25% below the average of all counties in the state ($50,378 against $66,894). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 2.1% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are retail trade (24.4% of private jobs, $32,058 a year on average), accommodation and food services (16.3% of private jobs, $18,196 a year on average), manufacturing (13.4% of private jobs, $68,592 a year on average). Together they hold 54.0% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is wholesale trade at $71,847 a year, followed by manufacturing ($68,592). Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($32,058), accommodation and food services ($18,196). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Carbon County was 4.2%, 33% above the average of the state's counties (4.2% against 3.2%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 8,299. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 4.2% (2026M09) to 6.4% (2026M02); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $58,377 (ACS 2020–2024), 39% below the state median ($58,377 against $95,166). None of the largest places of the guide has this as its main county, which usually means a smaller or more rural county; the figures above still describe the whole county.
Counties close to Carbon County in output are Millard County, Emery County, Grand County, Juab County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 29 counties of Utah ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,517 | 15 of 29 |
| GDP 2024 | $1,284 million | 18 of 29 |
| GDP per resident | $62,565 | 20 of 29 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 8,653 | 16 of 29 |
| Average annual pay | $50,378 | 15 of 29 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +2.1% | 13 of 29 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 4.2% | 27 of 29 |
| Median household income | $58,377 | 28 of 29 |
Federal jobs in Utah (798) →All cities of UtahState guide: Utah
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
None of the 60 largest places of Utah has this as its main county, so the guide has no city page here. County figures on the other tabs are complete.
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 1,082 | 24.4% | $32,058 | 1.25 |
| Accommodation and food services | 722 | 16.3% | $18,196 | 0.92 |
| Manufacturing | 596 | 13.4% | $68,592 | 0.84 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 355 | 8.0% | $68,217 | 0.97 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 340 | 7.7% | $50,018 | 1.31 |
| Administrative and waste services | 334 | 7.5% | $43,495 | 0.66 |
| Wholesale trade | 313 | 7.0% | $71,847 | 0.92 |
| Construction | 312 | 7.0% | $60,406 | 0.69 |
| Finance and insurance | 161 | 3.6% | $49,179 | 0.46 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 73 | 1.6% | $11,452 | 0.50 |
| Utilities | 64 | 1.4% | $133,653 | 1.95 |
| Real estate and rental | 63 | 1.4% | $31,394 | 0.47 |
| Information | 28 | 0.6% | $42,589 | 0.17 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 8,299 |
| Employed residents | 7,950 |
| Unemployed residents | 349 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 8,653 |
| Employer sites | 644 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake County | 1,196,523 | $153,846 million | $128,578 | 796,203 | $77,495 | 3.2% |
| Utah County | 705,400 | $47,943 million | $67,966 | 295,152 | $62,648 | 3.3% |
| Davis County | 370,924 | $23,322 million | $62,874 | 144,747 | $59,003 | 3.0% |
| Weber County | 269,648 | $18,120 million | $67,197 | 121,786 | $58,684 | 3.1% |
| Washington County | 196,431 | $11,555 million | $58,824 | 86,508 | $48,688 | 3.2% |
| Cache County | 140,046 | $9,088 million | $64,895 | 63,167 | $52,281 | 2.7% |
| Tooele County | 79,347 | $3,249 million | $40,950 | 20,615 | $53,737 | 3.3% |
| Iron County | 62,252 | $3,193 million | $51,297 | 24,829 | $48,239 | 2.9% |
| Box Elder County | 61,246 | $3,553 million | $58,016 | 23,942 | $59,175 | 3.0% |
| Summit County | 42,970 | $6,080 million | $141,492 | 31,820 | $67,235 | 2.6% |
| Uintah County | 37,056 | $2,879 million | $77,693 | 15,177 | $57,108 | 3.2% |
| Wasatch County | 36,642 | $1,875 million | $51,184 | 12,108 | $56,807 | 2.8% |
| Sanpete County | 29,719 | $1,506 million | $50,660 | 9,381 | $44,420 | 3.1% |
| Sevier County | 22,085 | $1,657 million | $75,026 | 9,927 | $47,714 | 3.4% |
| Carbon County | 20,517 | $1,284 million | $62,565 | 8,653 | $50,378 | 4.2% |
| Duchesne County | 20,185 | $1,858 million | $92,055 | 8,970 | $57,898 | 3.2% |
| San Juan County | 14,483 | $823 million | $56,829 | 4,647 | $49,715 | 3.7% |
| Millard County | 13,315 | $1,494 million | $112,214 | 5,495 | $55,610 | 3.5% |
| Morgan County | 12,802 | $575 million | $44,950 | 3,306 | $53,990 | 2.8% |
| Juab County | 12,586 | $895 million | $71,106 | 4,543 | $46,736 | 2.9% |
| Emery County | 10,046 | $1,456 million | $144,902 | 3,675 | $57,193 | 3.5% |
| Grand County | 9,754 | $939 million | $96,260 | 6,934 | $47,058 | 2.7% |
| Kane County | 8,170 | $586 million | $71,745 | 4,062 | $43,909 | 2.6% |
| Beaver County | 7,273 | $587 million | $80,644 | 2,715 | $44,316 | 2.8% |
| Garfield County | 5,219 | $417 million | $79,937 | 2,517 | $41,748 | 4.8% |
| Rich County | 2,631 | $253 million | $96,298 | 1,174 | $43,704 | 2.7% |
| Wayne County | 2,584 | $160 million | $62,050 | 1,232 | $43,295 | 3.4% |
| Piute County | 1,694 | $131 million | $77,460 | 315 | $35,949 | 5.0% |
| Daggett County | 783 | $146 million | $186,985 | 410 | $41,037 | 1.8% |
20,517 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$1,284 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
4.2% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
8,653 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $50,378 (BLS QCEW).