ST. GEORGE – As Utah’s population growth rate continues to outpace that of the nation, Gov. Gary Herbert announced Monday that the State of Utah has now reached three million residents.
“It’s no secret that Utah is the best place to live, work and raise a family,” Gov. Herbert said in a statement Monday. “Not only are people migrating from other states to pursue opportunities here, but young Utahns are choosing to stay here to work and raise their families.”
A baby is born in the Beehive State every 10 minutes, according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, and Utah has the highest fertility rate in the nation.
While Utah is the youngest state in the nation with a median age of 30.5 years compared to the national average of 37.7 and young people representing a large portion of Utah’s growing population, it isn’t only because Utah maintains a high fertility rate.
Approximately two-thirds of Utah’s population growth since the two-million milestone can be attributed to natural increase.
“The state’s pro-business climate and high quality of life have attracted a net 37,000 people to relocate to Utah since 2010,” according to Gov. Herbert’s Office. “The population of Utah is expected to double by the year 2050 and the state is proactively working on a plan, with Utahns’ input, to manage that growth.”
As of Jan. 1, Utah’s population was projected at about 2,971,700, with a growth rate of 1.7 percent — more than twice the national average, according to the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget.
The U.S. population on Jan.1, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, was estimated at well over 320 million, with a child born every 8 seconds and a death every 12 seconds.
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Utah is the 10th best state in the country to make a living which makes Utah attractive for young families and for the hundreds of thousands who have moved to the state since the two million population mark. Southern Utah with its hospitality and service-oriented economy doesn’t pay as well as the Wasatch Front with its far greater number of high tech jobs and supporting economy. Our in-state regional disparity is repeated in states like California, New York, Texas and others.
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As a country, we are no longer balancing our aging population with the younger workers who will be needed to maintain our existing entitlement programs. Utah is doing its part but we must encourage legal immigration to do the rest. The alternative: major cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security along with a lower average standard of living within a decade.
yep, one giant pyramid scheme. always relying on an increasing population and cheap labor pool.