Population and Household Characteristics
These reports highlight changing characteristics of Utah’s population and households.
Data Book: Utah Demographic Characteristics
This data book presents selected characteristics by age, disability, race, ethnicity, sex, religion and geographic location. Together, these characteristics showcase a growing and changing state.
Utah Demographic Characteristics: Urban and Rural Populations
Nine of every ten Utahns live in an urban area, as defined by the Census Bureau. Utah’s urban residents live within Utah’s 25 urban areas, which make up 1.1% of the state’s land area.
Utah Demographic Characteristics: Religious Affiliation
Religious adherents and congregations by state provide an indication of religious affiliation in Utah. Utah has the largest share of religious adherents of any state with an estimated 76% of the population.
Utah Demographic Characteristics: Disability
National surveys estimate that between 12% and 25% of Utah adults have a disability. A new summary analysis from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute finds that data across different surveys show that Utahns with a disability are more likely to have less income, lower education attainment, higher housing cost burdens, lower access to health coverage, and poor health.
Utah Demographic Characteristics: Age
Despite Utah’s standing as the youngest state in the nation, its population also continues to age. In 1980, less than 8% of Utah residents were over 65, but by 2020, this share increased to nearly 12%. Projections indicate the state’s retirement-age population will likely be more than 20% of Utah’s population by 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.
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 Multiracial Population, 2020
Utah’s multiracial (two or more races) resident population added the most residents and was the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group regardless of Hispanic or Latino origin between 2010 and 2020. This report uses the 2020 census redistricting data to provide insights into Utah’s multiracial population, including ethnicity, youth and adult populations, and where people live.
Diversity in Utah: Race, Ethnicity, and Sex Data Book (Analysis in Brief)
Utah ranks as the 34th most racially and ethnically diverse state in the nation, with 22% of the state identifying as other than non-Hispanic White. This places Utah’s racial/ethnic diversity just below Pennsylvania and above several larger states like Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Utah’s minority share of the population is expected to increase to one in three Utahns by 2060.
Shifting Foundations: A Contemporary History of Utah Households
Utah’s signature demographics have long distinguished its households in the national context. Long-term social, economic, and demographic trends continue to shape Utah’s households over time.