The Gardner Policy Institute provides data-driven, context-specific insights about Utah’s economy. We prepare in-depth studies on key Utah issues in partnership with stakeholders in the private sector and state and local government. The institute employs a diverse group of economists and analysts with specialties that include healthcare, energy and natural resources, tourism, and real estate and construction. Our research provides vital information decision makers and the public use to help Utah prosper.
Housing, Construction, & Real Estate
State of the State’s Housing Market: 2024-2025
Utah housing prices and rents showed little to no growth in 2024. Home sales and listings increased, and residential construction declined as apartment developments tumbled.
June 2025 Utah Consumer Sentiment
Utah’s consumer sentiment rose 1.5% in June, according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute’s Survey of Utah Consumer Sentiment. A similar survey conducted by the University of Michigan found a significant change (16.3%) in sentiment during June among Americans as a whole.
Utah’s Land Ownership Legacy: A History and Inventory of Utah’s Lands
The federal government owns 64.4% of Utah’s land – the second highest share in the country behind Nevada. Understanding the history of federal public land policy lays the foundation for understanding private, federal, state and tribal land ownership in Utah.
U.S. Census Bureau Estimates for Age, Vintage 2024
Utah remains the youngest state in the nation, with a median age of 32.4. In Utah, children under 18 still outnumber retirement-age residents, but this is no longer true in six of the state’s counties: Daggett, Garfield, Grand, Kane, Piute, and Wayne.
U.S. Census Bureau Estimates for Race and Hispanic or Latino Origin, Vintage 2024
Utah’s population continues to become increasingly racially and ethnically diverse. In 2023, 24.8% of Utahns identified as a race or ethnicity other than non-Hispanic White.
