FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Nick Thiriot, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, nick.thiriot@utah.edu, 801-842-9150 July 2, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – Utah’s federal, state, tribal, and private land ownership impacts economic development, public finance, recreation, culture, and conservation in important ways. A new report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute shows that the state contains the second-highest percentage of federal land among all 50 states (64.4%). Just over one-fifth (21.1%) of land in Utah is privately owned, with the rest owned by the state (10.0%) or governed by tribal nations (4.5%). […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Nick Thiriot, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, nick.thiriot@utah.edu, 801-842-9150 June 30, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – Communities in the four Wasatch Front counties – Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, and Weber – added 36,730 new residents between 2023 and 2024, accounting for 72.9% of the state’s growth, according to the latest subcounty estimates released today by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and Utah Population Committee (UPC). The estimates detail both population and housing unit growth for the incorporated communities and census tracts in the state’s four most populous counties. […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Nick Thiriot, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, nick.thiriot@utah.edu, 801-842-9150 Brooke Heath, Southern Utah University, brookeheath1@suu.edu, 435-586-5400 June 25, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – Southern Utah University strengthens Utah and the Southwest Economic Region economies through high-quality education, institutional, student, and visitor spending, and broad societal benefits. A new report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, commissioned by the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE), details SUU’s significant regional and statewide economic contribution, which includes supporting more than 5,000 jobs, $202 million in earnings, $298 million in gross Domestic Product (GDP), and $513 million in output [...]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 11, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – Utah State University strengthens Utah’s economy through high-quality education; research and innovation; institutional, student, and visitor spending; and broad societal benefits. A new report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, commissioned by the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE), details USU’s significant statewide economic contribution, which includes supporting more than 17,000 jobs, $1.0 billion in earnings, $1.4 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and $2.2 billion in output (total sales) statewide in FY2023. […]

June 5, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – Utah’s consumer sentiment rose 1.4% in May, according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute’s Survey of Utah Consumer Sentiment. This modest monthly change (from 80.0 in April to 81.1 in May) falls well within the survey’s margin of error. A similar survey conducted by the University of Michigan found no change in sentiment during May among Americans as a whole. […]

June 3, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – States and the federal government share a vital economic relationship. This data summary, the twelfth in a series on state and federal economic linkages from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, presents the Utah-federal government nexus for federal student aid in Utah. […]

May 8, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – Each year, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute recognizes individuals and entities that work, often behind the scenes and with little fanfare, to help our community prosper. We call them “Informed Decision Makers” and select them based on criteria consistent with the Institute’s committable core values: Responsibility to the community, research integrity and relevance, accountability, collaboration, positivity, and passion. […]

May 8, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – Utah’s international trade sector continued to be a powerful driver of the state’s economy in 2024, with $18.2 billion in goods exports supporting 70,171 jobs, according to a new report released today by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. The report details the significant contributions of exports to Utah’s economy, including nearly $8.0 billion to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) and $15.9 billion to the state’s gross output. […]

May 7, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – Utah’s consumer sentiment fell slightly in April (down 1.4%), from 81.1 in March to 80.0, according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute’s Survey of Utah Consumer Sentiment. A similar survey conducted by the University of Michigan measured a significantly steeper decline (8.4%) in sentiment among Americans as a whole. While four of the five questions comprising the state index showed little movement this month, the question gauging expectations for business conditions in the near future declined 8.6%. U.S. consumer sentiment, as measured by the University of Michigan, has declined 29.5% since December, [...]

May 1, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – Utah’s energy sector continues to evolve as the forces of supply, demand, and technological change influence production and competition. The state benefits from abundant and diverse energy resources, including large reserves of conventional fossil fuels and several areas suitable for renewable resource development. A new research brief documents Utah’s record crude oil production in 2024, an exponential increase in utility-scale PV solar capacity, a return as a net energy exporter, and other details of Utah’s evolving energy landscape. […]