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
Utah’s Strategic Clusters: Performance, Benefits, Workforce Needs, and Rural Utah
Utah’s six strategic clusters were designated in June 2005 and November 2006 and became the focus of economic development efforts. This report evaluates their performance before and since inception relative to the rest of the state’s economy and relative to their performance nationwide. It analyzes the clusters’ resilience during the Great Recession and its recovery, and assesses prospects for future growth. We also examine [...]
Ivory-Boyer Second Quarter 2018 Construction Report
The value of all permit authorized construction in Utah during the first half of 2018 was $4.3 billion. Residential construction has been the principle driver at $2.7 billion, a 15.9 percent increase from mid-year 2017. Similarly, the number of building permits for new residential permits is up 13.7 percent from 2017, with 12,772 permits issued statewide (Figure 1). Condominium, townhome, and duplex permits led [...]
August 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%.
Social Determinants of Health: Data Points
What are social determinants of health? The majority of a person's health is impacted by factors outside of the health care system: genetics, social, environmental, and behavioral. Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, live, learn, work, and play that affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes. (HealthyPeople.gov)
Economic Impacts of Utah’s Life Sciences Industry
The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) and BioUtah, the trade association for life sciences companies in the state, commissioned the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute to analyze the role of the life sciences industry in Utah’s economy.
