St. George Utah Economy, Cost of Living

Everything in St. George, Utah in the last few years has boomed – its population and its economy. A great deal of the economy of southwestern Utah comes from tourism. However, industry has found St. George – Sky West has it corporate headquarters there, and Wal-Mart has a large distribution center located near St. George. In 2003, Intermountain Health Care opened a new $100 million, 196 bed, 420,000 square foot hospital building.

Tourism plays a huge part in the economy of St. George, Utah. Located in close proximity to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park, as well as several state parks and recreational areas, St. George is in an excellent location for tourists who travel to this scenic area of southwestern Utah. It is a little less than an hour drive from the Utah Shakespearian Festival, which won a Tony in 2000. Golf also plays a large part in the city's tourism industry. St. George offers one of the highest number of golf courses per capita in the country. Special events such as the St. George Marathon draw thousands to St. George each year. The St. George Marathon is currently the 13th largest marathon in the country.

In addition, St. George, Utah has a 102.0% rating from the ACCRA Cost of Living Index for the third quarter of 2006.