July 16, 2024 (Salt Lake City) – Utah’s botanical, cultural, recreational, and zoological tax (informally known as the zoo, arts, and parks tax, or ZAP tax in Salt Lake County) supports organizations that enrich Utahns’ lives. A new analysis from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute shows that Salt Lake County collected $36.7 million in ZAP tax revenue in fiscal year 2023, supporting organizations employing nearly 15,000 individuals and receiving over 11 million visitors to in-person events and services annually. […]

July 10, 2024 (Salt Lake City) – Hosting the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will bring $2.6 billion (in 2023 dollars) in net new direct expenditures to Utah from 2024 through 2034, according to a report released today by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. This will generate estimated cumulative total economic impacts of $6.6 billion in output, almost $3.9 billion in state gross domestic product (GDP), over 42,000 job-years of employment, and $2.5 billion in personal income. […]

July 3, 2024 (Salt Lake City) – Utah’s consumer sentiment decreased by 0.5% in June (from 77.7 in May to 77.3), according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute’s Survey of Utah Consumer Sentiment. This monthly change is not statistically significant. A similar survey by the University of Michigan found that sentiment fell 1.3% among Americans as a whole during the same time (from 69.1 to 68.2). […]

June 20, 2024 (Salt Lake City) – The mean center of population and employment in northern Utah both fall in Salt Lake City, according to a new analysis from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. This reflects the strong influence Utah’s Greater Salt Lake economic region, namely Salt Lake City and County, plays as the state’s cultural, economic, and political heart. The region encompasses 86.7% of the state’s population and includes nearly 90.0% of the state’s employment. […]

June 18, 2024 (Salt Lake City) – U.S. and Utah fertility rates continued a multi-year decline in 2022. A new fact sheet released today by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute shows that the U.S. Total Fertility Rate (TFR) declined from 1.664 in 2021 to 1.656 in 2022, a 0.5% decline. Utah’s rate, which has declined or stayed constant for 14 years, declined from 1.919 in 2021 to 1.853 in 2022. […]

June 4, 2024 (Salt Lake City) – Utah’s consumer sentiment increased by 1.8% in May (from 76.3 in April to 77.7), according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute’s Survey of Utah Consumer Sentiment. This monthly change is not statistically significant. A similar survey by the University of Michigan found that sentiment fell 10.5% among Americans as a whole during the same time (from 77.2 to 69.1). […]

May 30, 2024 (Salt Lake City) — Utah’s international goods exports in 2023 totaled $17.4 billion, generating over $4.0 billion in earnings and 71,891 jobs, according to a report released this week by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. These exports contributed over $8.0 billion to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) and $16.7 billion to the state’s gross output. The impact of these exports represented 2.6% of total earnings in the state, 3.0% of total employment, 2.9% of total GDP, and 3.6% of gross output. […]

May 21, 2024 (Salt Lake City) — Utah’s distinctive demographic profile features a youthful, aging, and predominantly urban state that is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. This update to the 2021 data book from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute on Utah’s demographic characteristics reveals significant variation and marked differences in the economic, education, health, and housing outcomes by age, disability, ethnicity, geographic location (urban/rural), race, and sex. […]

May 20, 2024 (Salt Lake City) — A new summary analysis from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute provides socioeconomic insights in urban and rural Utah. Nine of every ten Utahns live in an urban area, as defined by the Census Bureau. While all counties contain some rural residents, ranging from 1-82% of residents, 11 counties are considered completely rural. “Utah’s urban and rural residents share similar income levels, household types, and educational attainment but vary in age profile and racial and ethnic makeup,” said Mallory Bateman, director of demographic research at the Gardner Institute. “Health metrics and housing dynamics [...]

May 17, 2024 (Salt Lake City) —The Utah Economic Council this week honored retiring Utah Department of Workforce Services chief economist Mark Knold with its Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his 34 years of service to the state. […]