Photograph by Steve Greenwood, courtesy of Utah Travel Council
POPULATION HIGHLIGHTS Median Age
27.1 years
Youngest in U.S.
Birth Rate
21.5 births/1,000 population
Highest in U.S.
Death Rate
5.6 deaths/1,000 population
Second lowest in U.S.
Household Size
3.13 persons/household
Largest in U.S.
% of population living in Salt Lake, Utah, Davis and Weber Counties
76%
Utah’s population demographics, unique in the United States, are anticipated to create a young and growing workforce for the state’s foreseeable future. At 21.5 births for each 1,000 in Utah’s population, the state has the highest birth rate in the nation, while the state’s death rate of 5.6 per thousand people is the second lowest among the states (2002 U.S. Census figures). It is perhaps not surprising that Utah has the youngest population (a median age of 27.1 years) and the largest average household size (3.13 persons per household) of any state. By the year 2030, the state’s median age is expected to grow from 27 to 32, while the national average is expected to increase from 36 to 39. RAPID GROWTH
These characteristics combine to reinforce Utah’s ongoing trend of rapid population growth. During the 1990s, Utah’s population grew from 1.73 million to 2.25 million, an average annual rate of 2.4 percent. From 2001 to 2003, the state’s population grew from 2.25 million 2.39 million—an increase of 139,000, or 2 percent annually. Utah’s population is projected to grow to 2.79 million in 2010, 3.37 million in 2020 and 3.77 million in 2030. Despite the fact that the state’s annual growth rate is expected to slow to 1.1 percent in the 2020s, Utah’s projected growth for the next three decades is still more than twice the national average, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
4 UTAHFACTS 2004
