News Release
Gardner Institute marks Hispanic Heritage Month
September 16, 2024 (Salt Lake City) – National Hispanic Heritage Month is annually celebrated from September 15 to October 15 to recognize the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute recently released a detailed analysis of Utah’s Hispanic population in the fact sheet “Exploring Utah’s Hispanic or Latino Groups: A Detailed Analysis.”
Key highlights from the fact sheet include the following:
Overview
- Hispanic or Latino residents account for over 15% of Utah’s population.
- 1 in 10 Utahns identify as Mexican.
- Hispanic Utahns most commonly identify as Mexican (326,430), Spaniard (14,489), Salvadoran (14,426), Peruvian (12,488), or Spanish (11,981).
- Utah includes the largest share of Chilean residents in the nation, 0.2%.
- Utah includes the nation’s second-largest shares of Argentinian and Venezuelan residents, 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively.
Age
- Utah’s Hispanic population is younger than the state population overall, with a median age of 25.4 compared to 31.3 for all Utahns.
- Fewer than 1 in 20 Hispanic Utahns (4.8%) are 65 or older, while more than 1 in 8 non-Hispanic Utahns (12.9%) fall into this older age group.
Population growth
- Hispanic population growth drove 26.5% of Utah’s population growth last decade. That means 1 in 4 new Utah residents between 2010 and 2020 identified as Hispanic or Latino.
- The three Utah cities that gained the most Hispanic residents between 2010 and 2020 were West Valley City (12,386), West Jordan (7,684), and Herriman (5,797).
- In eight Utah cities, the Hispanic population increased last decade while the non-Hispanic population decreased: Kearns, Cottonwood Heights, Taylorsville, Provo, Magna, Millcreek, Cedar Hills, and West Valley City. Without their growing Hispanic populations, these communities would have experienced population declines between 2010 and 2020.
- Utah’s Venezuelan population almost quadrupled last decade (increasing 284.4%), growing faster than any other Hispanic group. Utah’s Dominican population was the second fastest, which increased by 146.4%.