Recent Research
Recently Published
The most recent research published by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
Utah’s Increasing Diversity: Population Projections by Race/Ethnicity
Utah will continue to be a place of economic and educational opportunity, bringing new residents from domestic and international regions. We project Utah’s population will continue to grow and become more diverse along many dimensions, including ethnicity and race. The trend toward increasingly diverse schools and workplaces will continue. This future is an outgrowth of Utah’s strong growth dynamic and increasing global economic and cultural interconnections. Along with the rest of the U.S., Utah’s population will continue to age. We project that this will be the case for all race and ethnic groups as death and birth rates decrease. Whites [...]
U.S. Census Bureau Estimates by County, Metropolitan, and Micropolitan Areas, 2018
The Census Bureau’s most recent release on April 18, 2019 provides population estimates with components of population change for counties, metropolitan areas, and micropolitan areas in the United States and Puerto Rico.
March 2019 Economic Summary
The Utah economy exceeded expectations in 2018, adding a total of 48,500 new jobs over the year. An annual employment growth rate of 3.3% is on par with the state’s long-term average and is among the strongest in the nation. A tightening labor market (3.1 percent unemployment) applied upward pressure on personal income. Annual income per capita increased to $45,174, a 3.9 percent increase from last year.
Washington County Temporary Resident Population Estimates, 2017
Washington County’s blend of outdoor recreation opportunities and retirement communities contribute to a large, but previously unknown number of temporary residents. We estimate there were 57,069 temporary residents in Washington County at the fall 2017 seasonal peak in addition to the already estimated 165,592 permanent residents. This research offers a more comprehensive measure of population that is particularly informative to planners in a high-visitation area such as Washington County.
Salt Lake and Utah County Subcounty Estimates, 2010-2018
As Census 2020 approaches and data from Census 2010 become more outdated, the need for current housing and population estimates becomes more urgent. This is especially crucial in Utah, the highest growth state this decade and third fastest-growing from 2017 to 2018. 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 2018. Salt Lake County grew 1.2 percent from 2017 to 2018, Utah County grew 2.6 percent, and both counties experienced their largest and most rapid growth in housing units of any year [...]
The Year in Charts: Utah’s Housing Market 2018
The Year in Charts summarizes the performance of Utah’s housing market in 2018. The following 25 charts provide a record of current conditions, show long-term trends, and highlight important changes underway in the both the home building and real estate markets. The charts are divided into two major groups: (1) Residential Construction and (2) Residential Real Estate Sales.
The Economic Impacts of Utah Retirement Systems Pension Payments in the State of Utah in 2018
Utah Retirement Systems (URS) administers defined contribution and defined benefit (pension) retirement plans for employees of 476 state and local government entities. This report examines the economic impacts of defined benefit pension payments made by URS to Utah residents in 2018, and compares these impacts with those estimated in 2015.
Ivory-Boyer Construction Report, Year End 2018
Utah’s construction activity in the fourth quarter of 2018 tapered off. However, due to a strong start in the beginning of the year, the statewide value of construction totaled nearly $8.5 billion, a 3.3 percent increase from 2017. Residential construction remained the driving force behind Utah’s construction industry, comprising 61 percent of the state’s total construction value in 2018. This year saw a 5.5 percent increase in the total number of residential units, with 24,241 units, the highest number of units in 12 years. Nonresidential construction remained above $2 billion for the year, for the fourth year in a row, [...]
February 2019 Economic Summary
The Utah economy exceeded expectations in 2018, adding a total of 48,500 new jobs over the year. An annual employment growth rate of 3.3% is on par with the state’s long-term average and is among the strongest in the nation. A tightening labor market (3.1 percent unemployment) applied upward pressure on personal income. Annual income per capita increased to $45,174, a 3.9 percent increase from last year.
