This dataset evaluates geologic trends in and controls on rare earth element (REE)-enrichment of coal in eastern Utah. 1945 bituminous coal samples from 68 mine, core, and outcrop localities from the Blackhawk Formation (n = 378) and Ferron Sandstone (n = 1567) in eastern Utah were geochemically evaluated using portable X-ray fluorescence (n = 1945) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (n = 100) to quantify REE content. Using coal as a secondary REE source could bolster global REE production, leveraging existing coal infrastructure to alleviate CM supply chain bottlenecks and couple traditional coal geology with the innovative resource needs of the future.