Gardner report: Bulk of state's life sciences industry in SL Co.
Brice Wallace
As is the case with many industries, Utah’s life sciences’ centerpiece is Salt Lake County.
A new research brief by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah reveals that the county in 2023 was responsible for 76.8 percent of the state’s total life sciences jobs, 80.8 percent of total industry earnings, and 68.1 percent of the state’s total life sciences GDP.
The report shows that of Utah’s 47,608 life sciences jobs, 41,455 were in Salt Lake County. The county’s total grew 4.5 percent from 2018 to 2023, compared with 0.8 percent in other Utah counties and 2.1 percent among other Salt Lake County industries.
Utah in 2023 had 1,873 companies in the industry, including 1,438 in Salt Lake County. The county number grew 41.6 percent between 2018 and 2023, or 7.2 percent annually.
The life sciences industry in the county generated an estimated $5.8 billion in GDP in 2023, representing 5.1 percent of the county’s total GDP and $9.3 billion in total output.
“Salt Lake County’s life sciences industry is a powerful engine of economic growth, generating high-paying jobs and significant economic value,” said Andrea Brandley, senior education analyst at the Gardner Institute. “With three-fourths of Utah’s life sciences jobs and over 80 percent of earnings, Salt Lake County plays a central role in this important industry.”
The industry accounted for 4.4 percent of overall Salt Lake County employment and 5.6 percent of county wages, exceeding other Utah counties. In Utah, the industry produced nearly $4.2 billion in wages, or 3.6 percent of the state’s total wages. Average annual earnings in the sector were $112,197 in Salt Lake County, or 27.2 percent higher than other industries in the county.
That $112,197 county average compares with an average of $88,198 in other industries and with $88,177 in life sciences jobs in other Utah counties.
The Gardner report shows that the life sciences sector added jobs at an average annual rate of 4.5 percent from 2018 to 2023 in Salt Lake County, exceeding the 2.1 percent growth rate of other industries in the county.
Total life sciences employment in Salt Lake County included 40.9 percent in biosciences-related distribution; 32.5 percent in research, testing and medical labs; 17.3 percent in medical devices; and 9.2 percent in therapeutics and pharmaceuticals.
The industry’s employment figures are likely to come up during BioUtah’s annual Utah Life Sciences Summit, set for Nov. 14, 8:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m., at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center. With the theme “Innovation for Life,” the event will feature awards presentations and discussions about the FDA, the University of Utah partnering to build life sciences in Utah, the emergence of women’s health in life sciences, women’s health as a $1 trillion market opportunity, workforce issues, health care compliance, intellectual property, cybersecurity, robotics and state development resources. Details are at https://utahlifesciencessummit.com/.