Blog Posts
Insight: Utah’s Declining Fertility is Both the Exception and the Rule
By: Emily Harris, Senior Demographer Utah is known for many things: soda shops that put creamer and coconut in their sodas, world-class skiing, a strong and stable economy, and high fertility rates. But over the last few years, Utah has dropped its title of the highest fertility rate in the nation, going from highest in 2015 to 4th highest in 2020. This trend has sparked conversations in Utah among residents, lawmakers, economists, and community leaders about why fertility is declining rapidly and whether it is a problem. This latest report doesn’t attempt to answer any of those kinds of fertility[...]
Insight: Strong Tourism Recovery Prompts Sustainable Travel Advocacy
By: Jennifer Leaver The homepage of the Utah Office of Tourism’s website (travel.utah.gov) introduces visitors to its Red Emerald Strategic Plan. This unique-to-Utah gemstone—the red emerald—symbolizes the quality of a Utah visitor experience: rare, distinct, and highly coveted. But how does a state tourism office and its regional partners balance a quality visitor experience with increasing visitation? One strategy is to advocate for sustainable travel through visitor education. […]
Insight: Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity estimates release from the Census Bureau
By Mallory Bateman At the end of June, the Census Bureau released the last piece of their population estimate suite for the 2021 vintage. The age, sex, race, and ethnicity estimates are available at the national, state, and county levels. […]
Insight: New Product: Experimental Age, Sex, Race and Ethnicity Projections for Every State for 2030, with Scenarios
By: Mike Hollingshaus and Emily Harris The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute is happy to release a new experimental product: population projections for every state in 2030. These are available by age, sex, race, and ethnicity. High, middle, and low scenarios are also available. We provide datasets, a user guide, and some useful dynamic visuals for exploration (an example for the Mountain states is pictured below). These projections combine other publicly available datasets using transparent statistical methods, as detailed in the User Guide. […]
Insight: UTAXI Conference 2022
By: Enas Farag 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™. […]
Insight: Where Does Utah’s Housing Market go from Here?
By: Dejan Eskic 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™. […]
Insight: U.S. Census Bureau Releases 2021 City and Town Population Estimates
By Eric Albers On May 26, 2022, the Census Bureau released population estimates for incorporated places (cities and towns) and housing estimates at the state and county level for July 1, 2021. This data release provides additional context about the changing demographics in Utah. There were several noteworthy items from this most recent release. For a more detailed look at the data, see our latest fact sheet. […]
Demographic Insight: The Rise and Stall of Utah Life Expectancy
Utah life expectancy is a key indicator of health and equality. It rose considerably over the last century but faces new challenges. While the Covid-19 pandemic clearly influenced it, U.S. life expectancy had already stalled over the previous decade. Additionally, even though Utah has historically had a higher life expectancy than the nation, that advantage is disappearing. Female life expectancy is nearly identical for Utah and the U.S.
Insight: Congrats to the Grads: The Benefits of Higher Education
By: Andrea Thomas Brandley Over the past few weeks, thousands of Utah families have been celebrating college graduates, my family included. The class of 2022 includes six of my family members (two siblings, three siblings-in-law, and my husband), graduating with various degrees from four different Utah institutions. No matter how many graduation ceremonies I attend, I always end up with tears in my eyes, in awe of the accomplishments and hard work of so many reaching this important milestone. However, graduating college does much more than bring proud tears to family members’ eyes. Increasing educational attainment is associated with many[...]
Insight: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Addressing Utah’s Short Term Rental Market Growth
By: Jennifer Leaver Short term rentals, available on platforms like Airbnb and VRBO, have drawn both positive and negative attention over the past few years. Initially, short term rentals were lauded as income-generators that allowed local residents to rent out their personal spaces and properties to visitors. In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, short term rentals were perceived by travelers as “safer” accommodation alternatives to hotels. However, short term rentals have generated controversy as neighborhood disruptors and key contributors to local and employee housing shortages. […]