Newsroom
For all media inquiries, please contact:
Nick Thiriot
Communications Director
nick.thiriot@utah.edu
801-587-3717
News Releases
Mean centers of population and employment in northern Utah both fall in Salt Lake City
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. […]
Utah and U.S. fertility rates continued multi-year decline in 2022
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. […]
Utah Consumer Sentiment Steady in May
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). […]
Utah exported $17.4 billion in goods in 2023, contributing over $8.0 billion to the state’s GDP
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. […]
Recent Media Mentions
Utah fertility rates still on the decline, mirroring nationwide trends
Salt Lake City — Utah’s fertility rate continues to decline, and it doesn’t look like there will be a turnaround anytime soon. “For a while, people just thought it was an effect of the Great Recession,” said Emily Harris, who authored the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute’s latest report on state fertility rates.
Utah homeless rates are increasing. How much are evictions to blame?
Salt Lake City – In 2022, Utah had a rate of nearly 11 people experiencing homelessness per 10,000, a 3.7% increase from 2021 and a 22.5% increase from 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That’s below the national average of 18, notes a new report from the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, but that doesn’t mean Utah’s homelessness problems aren’t sharpening.
Utah’s median home price rises to $500k despite high mortgage rates
Salt Lake City – Utah’s home prices are going up – again. After falling slightly due to spiking mortgage rates, the median housing price in the Beehive state reached $500,000 in April, according to the latest data from the Utah Association of Realtors. Prices are rising even though mortgage rates remain stubbornly high.
Foundational progress made in Utah homeless services but urgent crisis persists, report finds
Salt Lake City — Utah has made "significant and meaningful progress" in homeless services but still faces an "urgent and growing" crisis in chronic homelessness, according to a report released Wednesday by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
SLC gets best look yet at sports district that would transform downtown
Salt Lake City — In a Tuesday presentation to the Salt Lake City Council, Smith Entertainment Group executive Mike Maughan said a new arena entrance would open up to a new plaza, and if the proposal to build a sports district moves forward, renovations to the longtime home of the Jazz would begin next April.
How Utah plans to fund estimated 2034 Winter Olympics $2.83B operating budget
Salt Lake City — Leaders of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games believe they can cover the $2.83 billion 2034 Winter Olympics' operating budget without local, state or federal taxpayer dollars and still "break even" at the very least.