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.
Accuracy Analysis of Long-Term Planning Projections for Utah and its Counties
With over half a century of population projections in Utah, this analysis highlights the difficulty of accurately identifying the future population based on current trends.
Fact Sheet: U.S. Census Bureau Estimates for Cities and Housing Units, Vintage 2021
The Census Bureau’s most recent release on May 26, 2022, provides population estimates for incorporated places (cities and towns) and housing unit estimates at the state and county level for July 1, 2021. The city level estimates utilize locally submitted building permits to estimate the population. They are then controlled to the county estimate totals, which were published in March 2022.
U.S. Census Bureau Estimates by County, Metropolitan, and Micropolitan Areas, 2021
Each year, the Census Bureau produces population estimates at varying levels of geography. The Census Bureau's most recent release on March 24, 2022, provides population estimates with components of population change for counties, metropolitan areas, and micropolitan areas in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Presentation: Gardner Institute Long-Term Planning Projections
Utah's continued economic growth and diversification and declining natural increase will drive net migration to become a steadily increasing force as the population grows by over 2.2 million people (a 66% increase) in the next four decades.
Utah’s Long-Term Planning Projections: A Baseline Scenario of Population and Employment Change in Utah and its Counties
Utah's continued economic growth and diversification and declining natural increase will drive net migration to become a steadily increasing force as the population grows by over 2.2 million people (a 66% increase) in the next four decades.
State and County Population Estimates for Utah: 2021
Estimates for July 1, 2021 indicate that the state added approximately 71,936 people since the 2020 census, reaching an estimated 3,343,552 Utahns. From July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2021, the population grew by 58,729 people. This annual growth rate of 1.8% is the highest it has been since 2017. The 2021 estimates indicate a resurgence in high growth as the economy and society return to a new normal during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
