Demographics
The Gardner Institute provides demographic decision support to the Utah State Legislature and Office of the Governor. We produce population estimates and projections, as well as applied demographic research focused on Utah. We represent the state in work with the Census Bureau, including the State Data Center Program and Federal-State Cooperatives for Population Estimates and Projections. We work with the Census Bureau in the production, distribution, and analysis of their product.
We are your demographic resource.
Opportunity Knocks: The Fiscal Impacts of Declining School-age Population in Utah
Utah’s changing demographics, marked by a projected decline in the school-age population, present unique fiscal impacts and opportunities for state and local leaders.
New Utah: Keepers of the Flame Summary Document
As keepers of the flame, Utahns entrust those in public service with the responsibility to keep Utah strong and flourishing. Utah leaders’ guidance of the New Utah will determine the state’s future success. This summary presents evidence for the New Utah. It also shares ideas on what leaders can do today to keep Utah’s flame burning bright long into the future.
The New Utah: Keepers of the Flame Monograph
As keepers of the flame, Utahns entrust those in public service with the responsibility to keep Utah strong and flourishing. Utah leaders’ guidance of the New Utah will determine the state’s future success. This summary presents evidence for the New Utah. It also shares ideas on what leaders can do today to keep Utah’s flame burning bright long into the future.
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.
Fact Sheet: Utah’s Home-Based Workers
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated growth in the number of Utahns working from home. In 2021, 1 in 5 (20%) Utahns worked from home, compared with fewer than one in thirteen (7.4%) in 2019.
Fact Sheet: Utah’s Changing Households
The Utah's Changing Households Fact Sheet shows that the state was the fastest-growing in the country between 2010 and 2020, not only in total population but also in housing units and households.
Utah’s Declining Fertility Rate
Fertility in the U.S. and Utah has steadily declined almost every year since the Great Recession in 2008. Final 2021 data revealed that the U.S. Total Fertility Rate (TFR) increased for the first time since 2014, along with 29 other states and Washington D.C. However, Utah’s TFR remained the same at 1.9.
Fact Sheet: Utah’s Older Population: 2020
In 2020, 381,797 residents age 65 or older lived in Utah. The majority (60%) of these older Utahns were 65 to 74 years old and represent the oldest members of the baby boom generation. The next oldest age group, Utahns 75 to 84, was less than half the size of the 65 to 74 population and made up 29% of the older population.
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.
U.S. Census Bureau Estimates for Race and Hispanic Origin, Vintage 2022
Each year, the Census Bureau produces population estimates at varying levels of geography. The age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin estimates at the nation, state, and county level is the final release of the 2022 vintage estimate package.
