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
The Root of the Issue: Utah’s Social Determinants of Health Symposium Proceedings
On August 17, 2018, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and the Hatch Center for Civility & Solutions jointly hosted the annual Kem C. Gardner Policy Symposium “The Root of the Issue: Utah’s Social Determinants of Health.” The symposium focused on strategies and innovations for addressing social determinants of health, which are the conditions in which people are born, live, work, and play that [...]
Informed Decisions 2018 Election Brief
Voters have much to consider this year as they fill out their ballots. The Gardner Policy Institute and the Hinckley Institute of Politics of the University of Utah present Informed Decisions 2018, an election brief offering expert analysis on important issues Utahns face this election season. The Gardner Policy Institute also conducted a focus group of Utah voters and two roundtable discussions with policy [...]
Defining Utah’s Middle Class
At the request of the President’s Office at the University of Utah and in support of the Alliance for the American Dream, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute reviewed leading definitions of the middle class, with an emphasis on income-based measures. We estimated middle class income levels and populations for Utah and the U.S. for selected years since 1980. We expect these definitions and [...]
Salt Lake and Utah County Subcounty Estimates, 2010-2017
As more years pass since the decennial census, the need for current housing and population estimates intensifies. This is crucial in Utah, the third fastest-growing state in the nation (2016 to 2017). This report presents annual subcounty population, household, and housing unit estimates for cities and census tract areas in Salt Lake and Utah county from 2010 to 2017. For both counties, 2016 to [...]
September 2018 Economic Summary
The Utah economy remains healthy. Every major industrial sector expanded in 2017, contributing a total of 43,500 new jobs over the year. An annual employment growth rate of 3.1% is on par with the state’s long-term average and is among the strongest in the nation. In 2017, Utah’s construction sector posted the highest job growth with 5.4%.
