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 production, distribution, and analysis of their product.
We are your demographic resource.
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.
Insight: New Detailed Race and Ethnic Group Insights from 2020 Census
By: Mallory Bateman and Heidi Prior Sep 21, 2023 – Today the Census Bureau released new data on racial and ethnic groups, providing insights into 300 detailed race and ethnic groups and over 1,100 American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages. This data was collected as part of the 2020 census and comes from the Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A (Detailed DHC-A). […]
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.
Insight: Explosive Growth in Utah’s 65 and Older Population
By: Heidi Prior Aug 15, 2023 – One of the banner narratives from the 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics file is the significant aging of the population in the United States. […]
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.
Insight: Utah’s Migrants Changed (a little) During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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™. Jun 29, 2023 – Researchers and journalists have been diving into the most recent ACS data (2021) to start answering the question people have been asking since 2020: how is the pandemic impacting our society’s trends and behaviors? Emily Badger from the New York Times has been highlighting migration-related insights at the national level, looking[...]
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.
Insight: Census Bureau Releases July 1, 2022 Age, Sex, and Race and Hispanic Origin 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™. Jun 22, 2023 – If you follow our demographic work at the Gardner Policy Institute lately, you may be overwhelmed with the sheer amount of Census Bureau data products being released. That’s ok, we are a bit overwhelmed, too. Between the typical population estimates release schedule and then the 2020 Demographic and Housing Characteristics release[...]
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.