Newsroom
For all media inquiries, please contact:
Nick Thiriot
Communications Director
nick.thiriot@utah.edu
801-587-3717
News Releases
Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute launches research series on Utah-Federal government nexus
March 3, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – As the federal government reinvents itself through significant policy changes and cost-cutting measures, the economic linkages between Utah and the federal government become more critical to understand. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute’s data summaries on the Utah/federal government nexus help Utah decision-makers better understand these linkages. The first data summary in the series presents the Utah nexus for federal employment. […]
Utah’s Higher Education System: A Catalyst for Individual and Societal Success
February 27, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – Utah’s investment in higher education pays significant dividends, according to a new policy brief from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. The report highlights the state’s exceptionally well-trained workforce, robust economic performance, and strong social fabric, all directly linked to a long-standing educational commitment. This emphasis on higher education extends far beyond the economic impacts, contributing to social well-being, civic engagement, and innovation. […]
Utah Consumer Sentiment Unchanged in January
February 18, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – Utah’s consumer sentiment was unchanged at 91.3 in January, 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 decline in sentiment among Americans as a whole during the same time (from 74.0 to 71.1, or 3.9% decline). […]
Utah’s population reached 3,506,838 on July 1, 2024
February 13, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – July 1, 2024 estimates produced by the Utah Population Committee indicate Utah’s population reached 3,506,838, an increase of 50,392 residents since July 1, 2023. These estimates reflect a post-COVID-19 era and moderately high growth from the last few years. […]
Recent Media Mentions
Utah population tops 3.5 million, but growth rate down slightly
Utah’s population growth slowed slightly in 2024, but the Beehive State still added 50,392 more residents last year, with much of the growth in Utah and Salt Lake counties. Natural growth, the balancing of births to deaths, and migration were about equally responsible for the population increase. Migration numbers take the number of people moving in and out of the state to determine if migration rose or fell. Net migration was responsible for 52% of the growth, while natural increase accounted for 48% of the new residents.
Utah House votes to bump up misdemeanor penalties, a key threshold for deportations
SALT LAKE CITY – Deporting an immigrant or refugee who’s convicted of certain misdemeanors could get easier in Utah. State lawmakers want to increase the maximum penalty for violent class A misdemeanors and charges of driving under the influence to one year. This would walk back a 2019 law that decreased the maximum penalty to 364 days.
Utah’s Fintech Sector Booms with Billion-Dollar Economic Impact and Vision for Growth
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah's fintech sector is making waves with economic impacts that are hard to ignore. A report by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and the Stena Center for Financial Technology highlighted the state's leading position in the fintech movement. Fintech wages in Utah are double the state's average wage and rank third highest among all industries, pumping over $1 billion in wages and more than $7 billion in economic impact into the local economy.
‘Exactly what Olene Walker would want’: Could liquor sales help Utahns buy affordable homes?
SALT LAKE CITY – State Rep. Carol Moss is trying — again — to get millions of dedicated dollars for the Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund. Moss, a Salt Lake City Democrat, is asking her colleagues to divert 25% of liquor sales profit to provide a constant stream of funding for the housing loan fund that, since 1995, has helped build nearly 25,000 units for people with low incomes, according to a report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
How Utah’s outdoors has become the secret to Silicon Slopes’ growth
SALT LAKE CITY — Nate Quigley and his wife, Vanessa, studied at BYU, but it was Utah's mountains, rivers, lakes and desert scenery that kept them coming back to the Beehive State after they started careers. A little over a decade ago, they were living in Florida and preparing to launch a company that would ultimately become Chatbooks — an app that essentially helps users turn digital photos into a scrapbook — when they decided to move back to Utah.
Utah GOP leaders defend Trump’s tariffs while bracing for economic ‘turbulence’
SALT LAKE CITY – As developments surrounding President Donald Trump’s tariffs threats unfolded Monday, Utah’s Republican leaders defended Trump’s actions as necessary to crack down on the U.S. fentanyl crisis — while also acknowledging potential trade wars could bring higher costs and negative economic impacts. Trump on Saturday had announced plans to implement tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. But by Monday afternoon, his threats against Mexico and Canada were delayed by at least 30 days after leaders of the two countries agreed to increase border security efforts.