Population Estimates
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute administers and chairs the Utah Population Committee, which is responsible for annual updates of state and county-level population estimates. The Institute also produces annually updated subcounty population estimates for Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, and Weber counties.
Insight: Migration
By: Emily Harris When I look around at my coworkers and friends, it seems that I can only count a few that are actually born and raised in Utah. This is interesting because the data indicate that the majority of the population does not move. There is a small subset of the population that does move for a number of reasons: employment change, marriage, independence, college, cheaper or better housing, the list goes on and on. There may also be a few things that falsely inflate my personal perception of Utah’s highly mobile population: I am in my late 20s,[...]
Insight: New population estimates show state growth slowing for first time since 2013
By: Emily Harris The Utah Population Committee (UPC) convenes an annual meeting every fall to discuss, review, and vote on the newest state and county population estimates. These estimates include total population, births, deaths, natural increase (births minus deaths), and net migration for each county and the state. Utah’s growth accelerated between 2014 and 2017, even claiming the Census Bureau’s title as the fastest growing state in the nation in 2016. […]
Insight: Who are Utah’s Veterans?
By: Mallory Bateman Every November 11, we honor the sacrifices and contributions of those who have served in our Armed Forces. The original Veterans Day was Armistice Day in 1919 that commemorated first anniversary of the end of World War I, which officially ended one hundred years ago this Monday. As we look forward to honoring and remembering our veterans over the weekend, the Gardner Policy Institute wanted to share some insights into who they are. […]
Insight: Updated Subcounty Estimates Share City, Tract Population Changes
By: Natalie Young Our recently released subcounty report provides annual population and housing estimates from 2010 to 2017 for every city and census tract in Salt Lake and Utah counties. Though we released tract estimates with our previous 2010 to 2016 release, the addition of the city level estimates is new this year. In these counties, one particular region steals the show in terms of population growth. We’ve seen it before – it’s the growth core of southwestern Salt Lake County and northwestern Utah County. Herriman, Saratoga Springs, South Jordan, and Eagle Mountain are the top-growing cities, contributing nearly a[...]
Insight: Saratoga Springs — the belly button of Utah
By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News This week, the CEO of a large company headquartered in downtown Salt Lake City described the need to offer services and invest in infrastructure in Utah County. As he made his point, he looked across the table at me and asked if there was a single measure that captured the shift of Utah’s population southward. […]
Fertility in Utah since the Great Recession: The New Normal or a Pregnant Pause?
Utah is currently experiencing strong economic growth and has clearly recovered from the Great Recession; however, it appears the recession has left a lingering imprint on the state’s demographics. Starting in 2008, fertility rates in the state began to significantly decline and those declines continue. While Utah continues to have the highest fertility rate, youngest population, earliest age at first marriage, and largest household size in the nation, the shifts that began in 2008 may indicate a new trend in fertility rates for the state. We conclude Utah’s lower fertility rate is likely not a pregnant pause, but rather a[...]
Insight: ‘What to Expect When You’re not Expecting’
By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News In a very real way, June means weddings. The end of school and great weather motivate young couples to tie the knot and schedule summer weddings. Back in the old days, summer weddings meant an uptick in births 10 months later. This is less true today. Utah’s fertility rate is at a historic low, and state demographers are asking, “What to expect when no one’s expecting?” I didn’t come up with that clever turn of phrase. Journalist Jonathan Last wrote a book with that title, which is a twist of the[...]
Insight: Three Utah counties among fastest growing in the nation
By: Emily Harris, M.S. Utah made national headlines last December when the Census Bureau identified Utah as the fastest growing state in the nation. Today the Census Bureau released the county-level estimates for July 1, 2016, and Utah continues to make headlines. Three Utah counties, San Juan, Wasatch, and Juab, were in the top 10 fastest growing counties in the nation. […]
Insight: Utah Tops National Growth
By: Pamela S. Perlich Census Bureau estimates released today confirm that Utah’s population surpassed 3 million and also had the most rapid growth rate last year. The state population for July 1, 2016 of 3,051,217 is an increase of 60,585, the 11th highest population growth amount among all states. Utah’s highest in the nation annual growth rate of 2.03 percent, outpaces second-ranked Nevada (1.95 percent), and third ranked Idaho (1.83 percent). Utah also became the 31st most populous state, increasing from a ranking of 34 in 2010. In the process, it surpassed Mississippi, Arkansas, and Kansas. […]
Demographic Insight: Utah’s Hispanic Population Surpasses 400,000
By: Pamela S. Perlich New estimates released today by the Bureau of the Census indicate that Utah’s Hispanic population has reached 411,143 by July 1, 2015. This means that about 1 out of every 7 Utahns (13.7 percent) is Hispanic or Latino, and greater than 1 out of every 5 new Utahns (22.8 percent) since the 2010 Census count is Hispanic. This population is young, with an estimated median age of 24.4 years old, compared to 30.7 years old for the state as a whole. […]