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
Household Income in Utah
After adjusting for localized cost-of-living differences between states, Utah’s median household income of over $98,000 ranks highest in the country.
Utah’s Regional Universities: Definition, Benefits, and Reach
Regional universities offer a wide range of open admissions programs, including academic, career, and technical education, undergraduate associate and baccalaureate programs, and select graduate programs.
March 2025 Utah Consumer Sentiment
Utah’s consumer sentiment fell 8.0% in March, from 88.1 in February to 81.1, according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute’s Survey of Utah Consumer Sentiment. A similar survey conducted by the University of Michigan measured an even larger decline (11.9%) in sentiment among Americans as a whole.
Utah’s Declining Fertility Rate, 2023
U.S. and Utah fertility rates continued a long-term decline in 2023. The U.S. total fertility rate (TFR) was 1.621 in 2023, a 2.1% decline from 1.656 in 2022.
Utah Economic Growth 2024: GDP and Personal Income
Utah’s real gross domestic product (GDP) growth led the nation in 2024, reaching 4.5%, compared to the nation’s robust 2.8% growth.
Gardner Business Review: A Retrospective of Utah’s Urban-Rural History
Ninety percent of Utah’s population qualifies as urban, making Utah one of the most urban states in the nation. This historical overview describes the process whereby a few counties became heavily urban while the majority of Utah’s counties remain rural today.
