Blog Posts
Insight: New BEA Data Uncover a Burgeoning Industry: Outdoor Recreation
By: Jennifer Leaver Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. I have long suspected—either while desperately searching for a parking spot in Big Cottonwood Canyon, waiting in long lines at REI, or watching another outdoor gear manufacturer set roots in Utah—that Utah’s outdoor recreation industry is growing. Well, now there’s proof! […]
Insight: Finally, Some Good News on Health Care Costs
By: Laura Summers Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. When you hear the term “health care costs,” it is typically never associated with good news. In an earlier blog post, I noted that surprise medical bills, the rising cost of prescription drugs, and a lack of price transparency in the health care market have long frustrated the public and have policymakers looking for solutions.[...]
Insight: Commuting Patterns in Utah, 2000 to 2010
By: Natalie Young Today we release “Moving Toward 2020: Utah Commuting Patterns, 2000 to 2010,” which reviews home-to-work commuting patterns across the state from a county-level perspective. Understanding the status of commuting in 2010 prepares us for future analysis of the recently completed decade as more commuting data become available. […]
Insight: Utah Leads the Nation in Population Growth, 2010 – 2019
By: Pamela Perlich Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. I moved to Utah in 1986 when the state population was 1.7 million, just over half the 3.2 million population of today. Having experienced and studied this growth for over three decades, I can tell you that present-day Utah is not simply a twice-as-large version of its former self. This growth dynamic has intensified since[...]
Insight: Time to celebrate! New data from the American Community Survey
By: Mallory Bateman Today marks the release of the 2014-2018 5-Year American Community Survey (ACS) Estimates. The ACS is an ongoing survey that provides information on social, demographic, and economic characteristics of communities. The ACS began in 2008 and replaced the Census Long Form in 2010. Each year, we receive a new update to both the 1 and 5-Year Estimates. This is the second release shared on the new data.census.gov platform. […]
Insight: The Pigou Club
By: Thomas Holst Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. I enjoy hiking and skiing in Millcreek and Little Cottonwood Canyons. These activities clear my mind of routine workaday concerns but, like everyone else, I notice big differences in air quality above and below the Salt Lake Valley’s inversion level. Poor air quality jeopardizes vulnerable sectors in society with health risks ranging from pneumonia to[...]
Insight: Utah’s fertility rate falls below replacement level for the first time — but there’s more to the story
By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News. Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. Last week the National Center for Health Statistics released final birth data for 2018. The verdict is in. Utah’s total fertility rate dropped for the eleventh consecutive year and, for the first time, dropped below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman. Utah’s fertility rate now stands at[...]
Insight: What a Decade! Reflections on the Newest Utah State and County Population Estimates
By: Emily Harris Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. The Gardner Institute has been involved in Utah’s locally produced population estimates since 2015. In that initial year, we created a series that went back to 2010 (the last decennial census) and have since created these estimates annually in collaboration with the Utah Population Committee (UPC). It’s been an eventful decade, and there were a[...]
Insight: The Supply of and Demand for Skills in Utah
By: John Downen Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. There’s been a lot of talk lately about labor shortages. After 10 years of recovery, firms are having difficulty filling jobs. Private-sector employment in Utah has grown 3.5% annually since 2010. Unemployment rates are at historic lows: 2.5% in October. However, wage growth has been sluggish at best, averaging just 1.1 percentage points above inflation[...]
Insight: Utah’s Travel and Tourism Industry: Holding Strong with Shifting Trends
By: Jennifer Leaver Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. Out this week, the Gardner Institute’s Travel and Tourism Industry report shows Utah’s eighth largest industry continues to hold strong, despite shifting trends. In 2018, Utah visitors directly spent a record $9.75 billion in the Utah economy—a 6.5% increase from the previous year. This spending supported 136,000 Utah jobs and generated $1.28 billion in total[...]