Media Mentions

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is facing a potential housing crisis with more individuals and families looking for a place to live than is available statewide. The Salt Lake Chamber reported Thursday that for the first time in 40 years the Beehive State has more households than available housing units. The result is increasing prices for homeownership and rents, coupled with decreasing overall housing affordability.

If you want to live in a place where you get paid top-dollar, you may want to consider moving to Utah, where residents enjoy America's highest median annual income when taking into account cost of living, according to WalletHub. The financial website's 2018 Best & Worst States for Jobs rankings analyzed how the 50 U.S. states measure up. It looked at each state's job-market strength, opportunity and economic environment across 29 key metrics, including employment growth, median annual income and average commute time. Based on these findings, each state received a score out of 100.

Building a central shipping hub for international goods near the airport in Salt Lake City, known as the “inland port,” is an opportunity for this generation to contribute to the state’s legacy. That’s the view of Natalie Gochnour, the director of the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, who spoke on a panel hosted by Envision Utah on Wednesday.

ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — A study indicates the demand for Utah housing is exceeding the supply, resulting in rising prices that could affect some households more than others. The Spectrum reports the University of Utah study made public Tuesday has found that the increase of housing prices is outpacing wage growth, which could place a severe cost burden on households below the median income.

Utah’s booming housing market is outpacing workers’ wages, threatening the state with an affordable-housing crisis, according to new research out of the University of Utah. Since 2010, Utah has been among the nation’s fastest-growing populations and fastest-growing economies, resulting in more demand than the supply of adequate housing can meet.

Utah Jazz executive Steve Starks doesn’t want his daughters to grow up and find they can’t afford a decent place to live around here because housing prices are steadily escalating faster than incomes. […]

April 27, 2018 (Salt Lake City) - The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute today released a landmark report on the rapid appreciation of housing prices in Utah and the threat to affordability. This report greatly expands upon an earlier research brief released last month. Researchers found that Utah’s rapid employment and demographic growth has produced exceptionally strong demand for housing, which in turn has put upward pressure on housing prices. A housing shortage has ensued, with the supply of new homes and existing “for sale” homes falling short of demand.  While the impact of higher housing prices are widespread, affecting[...]

ST. GEORGE, Utah — St. George is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the U.S., according to new estimates from the Census Bureau. There were an estimated 165,662 people in 2017 in the designated metro area, which includes most of Washington County in southwestern Utah, up 4% from 2016, according to estimates released Thursday. The news may not surprise area residents used to coping with the constant road construction; looking up at new homes, new stores and other construction projects; and watching as housing developments expand away from the city centers and into the surrounding desert.

Utah's economy is booming; there's little doubt. But, there's a small but growing fear that we may be at the peak of that expansion. Juliette Tennert, Cheif Economist with the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, says Utah's economy has been expanding for 8 1/2 years, which is a remarkable run, but there is reason to believe that may be ending. "Are we starting to see some deceleration? Probably, but we are still way ahead of the rest of the nation," she said. In fact, according to figures presented at the Salt Lake Chamber's Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit shows[...]

SALT LAKE CITY — A consensus of Utah economic analysts is predicting a measure of continued strength in the state's economy in the New Year. However, they don't all agree on the level of vitality Utahns should expect in the coming year. A panel of renown local economists offered their views on the state's perspective economic fortunes for 2018 during the Salt Lake Chamber's annual Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit on Tuesday at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek.