Migration and Commuting
Reports included in this section utilize data from the American Community Survey to highlight how Utahns move, whether for work or in moving to a new home.
Featured Research
Commuting in Utah: 2024 Travel Times
Utahns benefit from shorter commute times than the rest of the nation, with only 14 other states reporting faster average daily commutes. About 7 in 10 Utah commuters (70.5%) report traveling to work in under 30 minutes, with a statewide average travel time of 23.2 minutes. However, daily commutes are gradually growing longer, matching national increases since 2021.
Commuting in Utah: Commuter Flows Between Utah’s Counties, 2017-2021
Most Utahns live and work in the same county; however, between 2017 and 2021, 17.3% of the state’s working residents traveled to a different county for employment.
Demographic Characteristics of Salt Lake City In-Migrants
In 2022, Salt Lake City attracted approximately 44,000 in-migrants. These new residents represent 21% of the city’s total population (204,653).
Utah’s California In-Migrants
Utah’s largest source of domestic in-migrants comes from California, surpassed only by international migrants. One of every five Utah in-migrants moved from California in the most recent data.
Demographic Impacts of Zero Migration in Utah – A Projection Scenario
Net migration has become a more dependable contributor to population growth in Utah. A simulation of zero migration highlights what those contributions are—with Utah’s projected population being 1.4 million less, or 23% smaller, than the 2021 Vintage baseline projected population in 2060.
Characteristics of Utah’s Migrants: A 2021 Update
In 2021, the magnitude and characteristics of Utah’s migrants shifted from the 2014-2018 pre-pandemic period. Changing population dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as increasing telework, increasing uncertainty, and changing housing market conditions, helped drive these shifts.
Utah’s County-to-County Migration Profiles
Utah counties experience unique balances of in- and out-migration, flowing from both other states and neighboring counties.
The Geography of Utah’s Migration: A County Level Analysis
Utah counties experience unique balances of in- and out-migration, flowing from both other states and neighboring counties.
Moving Past Net Migration: Demographic Characteristics of Utah’s Recent Migrants
Migration is becoming a more reliable component of Utah’s population growth. Migrants are demographically different from the rest of Utah, contributing to the changing demographics of the state.
Moving Toward 2020: Utah Commuting Patterns, 2000 to 2010
As Utah’s population has grown and changed, housing developments, employment opportunities, and communities have expanded, and so have the commuting patterns of the employed workers who call Utah home. Analysis of recent county-to-county commuting data demonstrates that Salt Lake County remains the economic hub for the state, even as employment has expanded elsewhere in Utah. This finding is reinforced by an interchange score analysis which quantifies the strength of commuting relationships between partner counties across the state. The scores reveal that while Salt Lake County has several strong commuting partners, important commuting ties are also present in other parts of [...]
