City of Orem

What City of Orem does

The City of Orem is a municipal government located in Utah County, Utah, incorporated in 1919 (with historical settlement dating to 1912). It serves a population of approximately 98,000 residents within the broader Provo-Orem metropolitan statistical area of 633,000+ people. The city provides core municipal services including water and sewer utilities, garbage and recycling collection, police, fire, and emergency medical services, parks and recreation, building permitting, business licensing, and a justice court. Its revenue is generated through a diversified mix of property taxes, sales taxes (including a dedicated CARE tax of one-tenth of one percent generating roughly $1.9 million annually), user fees for utilities (water at $0.84–$1.47 per 1,000 gallons; garbage at $18.40 per month), and inter-local service agreements.

The city owns and operates one of its most distinctive strategic assets: the UTOPIA Fiber open-access fiber-optic network, a multi-city joint venture co-founded between 2002 and 2004, restructured under the Utah Infrastructure Agency in 2010, and brought to full citywide build-out in January 2023 with fiber-to-the-premise speeds of up to 10 Gbps. This infrastructure is leased wholesale to retail internet service providers, positioning Orem as a broadband-ready hub for residents and the 4,000+ businesses licensed within city limits. Adjacent jurisdictions including Vineyard and Lindon contract with Orem for fire and EMS services, extending the city's operational footprint and revenue capture beyond its incorporated boundaries.

Orem's digital service surface includes the my.orem.gov resident portal, the Know Your Force community feedback tool for police accountability, the Recycle Coach app for waste-management guidance, and automated water metering infrastructure that enables remote consumption tracking and tiered billing. The city actively positions itself under the "Family City USA" brand and was ranked by AreaVibes as the #1 city in Utah for quality of life. Its business model is fundamentally that of a chartered municipal corporation: statutory tax and fee authority over a defined geographic customer base, with no exposure to competitive market dynamics within its service area.

Name

City of Orem

Legal name

City of Orem

Website

https://orem.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The City of Orem is a municipal government in Utah County, Utah, serving ~98,000 residents with utilities, public safety, parks, permitting, and broadband services via the UTOPIA Fiber open-access network, funded by taxes, user fees, and inter-local service agreements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works / In-House Municipal Collection Operations (EUAIAAAF), Local Transportation, Parking & Mobility Administration (BPAIACAM)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Water and sewer utilities
• Parks and recreation
• Public safety services
• Business licensing and permits

Headquarters

HQ city

Orem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Utility Services: Revenue from water, sewer, garbage, streetlights, and storm sewer services. Monthly garbage service starts at $18.40, water rates use tiered pricing from $0.84-$1.47 per 1,000 gallons.
2. Business Licensing: Annual business license fees regulatory in nature, with over 4,000 businesses licensed in the city.
3. Property Tax: Property tax revenue supporting city operations and services.
4. CARE Tax Revenue: 1/10th of 1% local sales and use tax ($.01 for every $10) generating approximately $1.9 million annually for cultural arts and recreation enrichment programs.
5. Building Permits: Fees for building permits, fence permits, and related construction oversight services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The City of Orem is a municipal government that delivers essential public services to its residents and businesses, including water, sewer, garbage, and recycling utilities; parks and recreation programs; public safety (police, fire, and EMS); justice court; business and landlord licensing; building permits; cemetery services; fingerprinting; and passport acceptance. It also supports digital self-service through an online resident portal and participates in the UTOPIA Fiber municipal broadband network.

Product overview

City of Orem operates as a municipal government entity providing comprehensive public services to approximately 98,000 residents. The city's digital offerings center on citizen-facing web portals for utility management (water, garbage, recycling via my.orem.gov), business licensing, building permits, court services, and parks reservations. Key programs include UTOPIA Fiber (open-access fiber-optic internet in partnership with 20 Utah cities), the myHometown community partnership initiative, the Know Your Force police feedback system, and the Recycle Coach app for residential recycling guidance. The Orem Business Alliance supports local economic development through networking and resource programs. The city also maintains extensive public-facing interactive mapping tools for neighborhoods, parks, zoning, and city services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water, Sewer, Garbage, and Recycling Utility Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately $30,000 eventually collected from $80,000 in annual unpaid rental utility bills through landlord licensing program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CARE Grant Recipients (SCERA, Hale Center Theater, Utah Regional Ballet, Utah Valley Symphony, others)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2005CARE (Cultural Arts and Recreation Enrichment) tax funds local nonprofit cultural arts organizations. Recipients include SCERA Center for the Arts, Hale Center Theater Orem, Utah Regional Ballet, Utah Valley Symphony, and others providing cultural programming to Orem residents.
• UTOPIA Fiber (Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Open-access fiber-optic network founded by 11 Utah cities in 2004. Orem is fully built out as of January 2023, providing fiber-optic connection to residents and businesses with speeds up to 10 Gbps. Currently operates across 20 cities with over 60,000 subscribers.
• Waste ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaste Management partners with the City of Orem to provide garbage and recycling services. When residents sign up for utility accounts, they receive both garbage and recycling bins. Recycling is picked up every other week on the same day as garbage collection.
• City of VineyardcoreOthersOrem Fire Department provides comprehensive Fire and EMS services to the City of Vineyard in addition to Orem residents.
• City of LindoncoreOthersOrem Fire Department provides comprehensive Fire and EMS services to Lindon City in addition to Orem residents.
• myHometownminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResident, City, Church, Non-Profit, and Corporate partnership program supporting neighborhood communities through volunteer opportunities, classes, and days of service. Currently active in Geneva Heights and Sharon Park communities.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• City of Mesa: Large Intermountain/Sun Belt city (~500,000 residents) operating similar full municipal services at scale. Comparable in offering (utilities, fiber, parks, business licensing) but at substantially larger scale, illustrating where Orem could grow into if population and economic development continue.
• City of Chandler: Sun Belt municipality (~280,000 residents) with a similar family-friendly, tech-business-attracting profile to Orem. Comparable municipal service portfolio and economic development orientation; useful comparable for the trajectory of a family-oriented tech-hub city.
• City of Boise: Larger Intermountain West city (~235,000 residents) operating a similar full municipal service portfolio but at greater scale and complexity. Useful as a benchmark for how Orem's programs (UTOPIA Fiber, landlord licensing, digital portals) could evolve as the city grows.

Direct peers

• City of Provo: Adjacent municipality in the Provo-Orem MSA with comparable population scale (~115,000) and a similar full-service municipal portfolio (utilities, fiber, public safety, parks, business licensing). Provo operates its own iProvo fiber network, making it the closest functional peer to Orem's UTOPIA Fiber-backed model.
• City of Lehi: Rapidly growing Utah County municipality (~85,000 residents) competing with Orem for tech-sector growth along the I-15 corridor. Operates comparable utilities, public safety, and economic development functions and is also a UTOPIA Fiber member, making service offerings and competitive dynamics highly aligned.
• City of Sandy: Salt Lake County suburb of similar mid-sized scale (~96,000 residents) with comparable full-service municipal structure including utilities, public safety, parks/recreation, and business licensing. Comparable to Orem in revenue base and operational scope.
• City of West Jordan: Mid-sized Salt Lake Valley city (~117,000 residents) offering a directly comparable portfolio of municipal services including water, sewer, garbage, public safety, parks, and business licensing. Operates within the same Utah regulatory environment as Orem.
• City of American Fork: Adjacent Utah County municipality (~33,000 residents, growing rapidly) with overlapping municipal service scope and shared Utah County labor/regulatory dynamics. UTOPIA Fiber member, providing direct fiber-service comparability with Orem.

Others

• Waste Management: Core service partner providing garbage and recycling collection for the City of Orem under a partnership arrangement. Not a peer of Orem directly, but a meaningful ecosystem counterpart that influences Orem's solid-waste service quality, pricing, and citizen experience.
• UTOPIA Fiber: Open-access fiber network jointly owned by 11 Utah cities including Orem, with 60,000+ subscribers across 20 cities. Not a comparable city government but a directly relevant partner/asset for Orem's broadband positioning; included as an ecosystem peer given the strategic importance to Orem's service offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheCityofOrem
• Facebookfacebook.com/oremcity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-of-orem
• Instagraminstagram.com/orem_city
• Xx.com/orem_city

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City of Orem