News Release

Census 2020: Utah fastest growing state in U.S.

April 26, 2021 (Salt Lake City) – The. U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the 2020 Census shows the resident population of Utah on April 1, 2020, was 3,271,616. The growth represents an 18.4% increase since 2010, the fastest-rate in the nation.

The resident population of the United States on April 1, 2020 was 331,449,281, an increase of 22,703,743, or 7.4% from 2010. Utah’s growth rate outpaced the nation by a factor of 2.5.

“Today’s release is just the start of our important data insights from the 2020 Census,” said Mallory Bateman, senior research analyst and Utah State Data Center coordinator at the Gardner Institute. “We are excited to see Utah maintain its position as the fastest growing state in the nation at 18.4% growth this decade and to know Utah is now home to over 3.27 million people.”

Key takeaways for Utah include the following:

  • Reapportionment – Utah’s seat count in the U.S. House of Representatives will remain at four.
  • New residents – Utah gained 507,731 new residents between 2010 and 2020.
  • Components of change – Between 2010 and 2020, 35% of Utah’s growth was due to net migration (177,242) with natural increase contributing 65% (330,489)
  • Natural increase, or births minus deaths, has decreased from prior decades. Last decade, this number was over 380,000.  (498,875 births and 168,386 deaths)
  • Net migration this decade is higher than the net migration between 2000 and 2010, but slightly lower than between 1990 and 2000.
  • Decelerating growth – Despite being the fastest growing state in the nation, the 18.4% growth was lower than between 2000 and 2010 (23.8%) and 1990 and 2000 (29.6%).
  • Overseas military, federal civilian, and LDS missionaries – Utah’s apportionment number represents the 3,271,616 residents and 3,636 overseas population. The overseas population includes U.S. military and federal civilian employees living overseas (and their dependents living with them overseas)
  • Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not included in the overseas count.

The Gardner Institute has prepared a webpage that summarizes useful data links and more information from the Census Bureau release.

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