Utah welcomes the world in less than a decade. The decisions made during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games prepared Utah to host again, but the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will be larger and present different challenges and opportunities.
Utah's leaders face challenging decisions when weighing tax reform options. They must keep laser focused on Utah’s changing economy and aging population.
Utah’s engineering and computer science jobs more than doubled from 2000 to 2022, significantly outpacing the nation and firmly establishing Utah as a technology capital.
As Utah’s population grows and becomes more diverse, Utahns must be prepared to invest in transportation choices to maintain the state’s mobility, health, economy, and life quality.
Medicaid and CHIP (the Children’s Health Insurance Program) fund health care services for about 353,000 Utahns with low income as of February 2025.
Salt Lake City’s population grew 4.5%, from 200,546 to 209,606 residents, between 2019 and 2023 (1.1% annually).
Utah Retirement Systems distributed $2.1 billion in defined benefit pension payments to 72,400 Utah residents in 2024, generating 7,200 jobs with $377.5 million in earnings and $828.8 million in state GDP.
In FY2024, over 1,200 federal employees worked in tourism-related jobs in Utah, including 658 in leisure and hospitality (includes national parks and recreation jobs) and 605 at the Federal Aviation Association (FAA).
Approximately 55,000 defense employees work in Utah, consisting of federal defense civilian employees (over 19,000), military personnel (almost 16,000), and employees of private defense contractors (roughly 20,200).
The federal government owns 64.4% of Utah’s total land area (35.0 million out of 54.3 million acres). The federal government holds in trust for tribal nations an additional 4.5% of the state’s land.
Thomas S. Monson Center
411 E South Temple
Salt Lake City, Ut 84111
Thomas S. Monson Center
411 E South Temple
Salt Lake City, Ut 84111
