Demographic Research
Insight: National American Indian Heritage Month
By Mallory Bateman The Intermountain West has a long and rich heritage of indigenous people calling it home. From the pre-Columbian people who lived here roughly 700 to 2,000 years ago to the members of the eight tribal nations whose boundaries currently fall within the state border, these diverse cultures have impacted the statewide population. November is National American Indian Heritage Month, so we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight American Indian people living in Utah. […]
Insight: 2018 Hispanic Heritage
By: Mallory Bateman Hispanic Heritage month runs from September 15th to October 15th. To celebrate, here are a few data points about Utah’s Hispanic or Latino population from the latest release from the American Community Survey. The Census Bureau definition of Hispanic or Latino origin includes people whose origins are from Spanish-speaking regions. With over 434,000 individuals or 14 percent of the total state population in 2017, Utah’s Hispanic or Latino population is the largest minority group. […]
Insight: Updated Subcounty Estimates Share City, Tract Population Changes
By: Natalie Young Our recently released subcounty report provides annual population and housing estimates from 2010 to 2017 for every city and census tract in Salt Lake and Utah counties. Though we released tract estimates with our previous 2010 to 2016 release, the addition of the city level estimates is new this year. In these counties, one particular region steals the show in terms of population growth. We’ve seen it before – it’s the growth core of southwestern Salt Lake County and northwestern Utah County. Herriman, Saratoga Springs, South Jordan, and Eagle Mountain are the top-growing cities, contributing nearly a[...]
Insight: Saratoga Springs — the belly button of Utah
By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News This week, the CEO of a large company headquartered in downtown Salt Lake City described the need to offer services and invest in infrastructure in Utah County. As he made his point, he looked across the table at me and asked if there was a single measure that captured the shift of Utah’s population southward. […]
The Utah Demographic and Economic Model
Models certainly do not replace thinking, but rather inform thinking. We build models to organize thought processes, understand relationships, shed light on cause and effect, and, ultimately, help people make INFORMED DECISIONS. In a high-growth state like Utah, long-term demographic and economic projection models provide vital information that helps with education, transportation, water, and other policies. They count on the development, upkeep, and operation of these models to help them make smart decisions and, ultimately, help our state prosper.
Video: Utah’s Long-Term Demographic and Economic Projections
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute recently co-hosted the Utah Legislature at a policy summit focused on Utah’s future. The summit opened with this video, which highlights growth and change in Utah. The video presents the findings of the state’s long-term demographic and economic projections such as growth, urbanization, declining fertility, sustained in-migration and an aging population.
Fertility in Utah since the Great Recession: The New Normal or a Pregnant Pause?
Utah is currently experiencing strong economic growth and has clearly recovered from the Great Recession; however, it appears the recession has left a lingering imprint on the state’s demographics. Starting in 2008, fertility rates in the state began to significantly decline and those declines continue. While Utah continues to have the highest fertility rate, youngest population, earliest age at first marriage, and largest household size in the nation, the shifts that began in 2008 may indicate a new trend in fertility rates for the state. We conclude Utah’s lower fertility rate is likely not a pregnant pause, but rather a[...]
Utah’s Long-Term Demographic and Economic Projections Summary
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute prepares long-term demographic and economic projections to support informed decision making in the state. The Utah Legislature funds this research, which is done in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst, the Utah Association of Governments, and other research entities. These 50-year projections indicate continued population growth and illuminate a range of future dynamics and structural shifts for Utah. An initial set of products is available online at gardner.utah.edu. Additional research briefs, fact sheets, web-enabled visualizations, and other products will be produced in the coming[...]
Salt Lake City Data Book: 2017
This Salt Lake City Data Book has been sponsored by Salt Lake City Corporation. It presents the newest available data from various federal and state level entities regarding the demographics, socioeconomics, housing status, and general economic information about the city.
“Informed Discussions” Podcast Ep. 2: Utah Demographics with Dr. Pamela Perlich
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released the latest population estimates for Utah, showing continuing shifts in the demographic profile of the state. Dr. Pam Perlich, director of demographic research at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, breaks down the data in the latest "Informed Discussions" podcast.