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ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Utahns need to earn more than $193,316 in order to move out of the middle class, according to a study by SmartAsset. That figure is ninth-highest in the U.S. Utahns need to make at least $64,439 to break into the middle class. Utah’s median household income is $96,658. San Jose, California, is the most expensive city in America, with households earning $296,000 still considered middle class. Details are at https://smartasset.com/data-studies/middle-class-2026.
• Utah is ranked No. 30 among states for OSHA violation data in which employers most often failed to warn workers about dangerous chemical exposures, according to a report from Trace One. Utah had a rate of 4.2 violations per 100,000 workers related to hazard communication failures (the national rate was 5.6). Utah had 305 “hazcom” violations the past five years (26,984 nationally), with hazcom violation penalties against Utah employers totaling $127,933 ($32.4 million nationally). The share of inspections with a hazcom violation was 4.4 percent (5.5 percent nationally). The most common violation was having no written safety plan (the same nationally). Details are at https://www.traceone.com/resources/plm-compliance-blog/where-us-employers-fail-to-warn-workers-about-chemical-dangers.
• Job-stayers in Utah saw their pay increase 4.8 percent from January 2025 to January 2026, according to new data from ADP Pay Insights. That was No. 16 among states for wage growth. ADP, a company focused on HR and payroll solutions, also found the median annual salary for job-stayers in Utah in January was $55,800. Nationally, median annual wage growth for job-stayers was unchanged from the previous month at 4.5 percent. Nationally, wage growth for job-changers slowed slightly to 6.3 percent year-over-year. Industries with the highest year-over-year pay growth in February were financial activities with 5.2 percent growth, manufacturing with 4.9 percent growth, and construction with 4.7 percent growth. Nationally, the industries that added the most jobs in January were education and health services (74,000 jobs) and financial activities (14,000).
• The Salt Lake City/Murray metro area is ranked No. 79 among major U.S. metros for female representation in the construction workforce, according to a study by Construction Coverage, a publication that covers construction labor and market trends, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The metro had 10.4 percent women among construction employees, compared with the national share of 11.7 percent. The metro had total female employment in the industry of 5,519, from a national total of 1.36 million. Metro male employment was 47,381, from a total of 10.2 million. Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry in the metro was $59,849, while the national figure was $60,419. Details are at https://constructioncoverage.com/research/cities-with-the-most-women-in-construction.
• Utahns support the idea of a billionaires’ tax as their most desired new duty for 2026, according to a survey by PDFExpert.com. It was followed by an employee turnover tax and vacant-property tax. Seventy-six percent of respondents said companies should be taxed for practices that hurt productivity or workers. If a new tax could fix one major issue in the state, what would it target? Nearly half (48 percent) chose rising prices, followed by housing shortages (20 percent) and income inequality (18 percent). Corporate misconduct (8 percent) and workplace burnout (6 percent) rounded out the list. Details are at https://pdfexpert.com/blog/desired-duties.
• The Salt Lake City/Murray metro area ranked No. 36 among large U.S. metros in 2025 with 6.3 new H-1B hires per 10,000 workers, according to a study by immigration law firm Manifest Law using data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ 2025 H-1B Employer Data Hub and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ current employment statistics. Nationally, the figure was 11.5. Employers in the metro added 529 new H-1B workers, from a national total of 182,973. Total visa approvals in the metro were 1,162, from a national total of 406,348. Overall, the metro saw 13.9 H-1B approvals per 10,000 workers, compared with 25.5 nationally. The industry employing the most H-1B workers locally was professional, scientific and technical services. California led in total visa new-hire volume, while New Jersey and Virginia had the highest concentrations of H-1B new hires. Details are at https://manifestlaw.com/blog/us-cities-and-industries-with-most-h1b-employees/.
• Utah is ranked No. 24 among states that waste the least food, according to a study by LawnStarter. The top-ranked state is Connecticut. The bottom-ranked state is Texas. Details are at https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/ranking-states-food-waste/#methodology.
EDUCATION
• More than 3,500 high school girls from across Utah recently gathered for SheTech Explorer Day 2026, a day designed to expand what is possible in technology and STEM careers. Organized by the Women Tech Council, this year’s event also brought together more than 1,000 industry mentors, more than 150 companies and partners, and universities and workforce leaders from across the state. Students explored hands-on experiences in AI, robotics, energy innovation, creative technology, health care, automation and emerging career pathways — connecting directly with the professionals shaping Utah’s innovation economy.
GOVERNMENT
• The Utah Department of Transportation and its partnership with SVN Auction Services have announced its first online auction of 2026 for state-owned surplus real property. Online bidding for 12 properties takes place March 24-31. The properties range in size from under an acre to over 36 acres and are located in Layton and West Point, among others. The auction site is www.UDOTauctions.Utah.gov. Among the properties up for auction is over 36 acres within the Gordon Avenue/Highway 89 Town Center Master Plan in Layton. Opening bid is $15.75 million. Other properties include a 1.22-acre vacant parcel in Syracuse and vacant parcels in Farmington and Kaysville.
RECOGNITIONS
• The RNA Society has awarded a Lifetime Achievement in Science Award to Dr. Brenda L. Bass, distinguished professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah School of Medicine and adjunct professor in the Department of Human Genetics. Bass is recognized for her groundbreaking discovery of A-to-I editing and outstanding contributions to the field. As a postdoctoral researcher with Dr. Harold Weintraub, Bass discovered an activity that covalently modified double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), the first member of an enzyme family now known as the Adenosine deaminases that act on RNA (ADARs). She also played a role in discovering that RNA editing plays a critical role in innate immunity and antiviral defense, with major implications for therapeutic development. Bass has served the RNA Society as president (2007), director (1998-99, 2004-05) and organizer for the Cold Spring Harbor RNA Processing meeting in 1995 (the precursor to today’s RNA Society meeting), and the RNA Society Annual Meeting in 2019.
• Dave Hallett, chief scientific officer at Recursion, a Salt Lake City-based techbio company, has been appointed as an “AI Champion” by the United Kingdom government. He is one of eight AI Champions and will be representing the life sciences industry, helping to inform, guide and accelerate AI adoption plans in that space. The group will meet twice a year to report on progress. The AI sector champions are responsible for setting a clear national vision for how AI should be adopted in their sector, building on the AI actions in their sector’s industrial strategy plan, and identifying practical steps to remove barriers and unlock investment.
• Brandon Truscott, Utah Valley University art and design faculty member, earned first place in the Objects & Items category at the 2025 AI Design Awards, an international competition recognizing excellence in artificial intelligence-driven design and creativity. Truscott was honored at an awards ceremony Feb. 6 in Barcelona, Spain. The AI Design Awards draw submissions from designers, artists and innovators around the world who are pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence in creative practice. Truscott’s award-winning work, “Spider Conch Chair,” stood out for its originality, craftsmanship and innovative use of AI as a design tool.
• Bank of Utah, based in Ogden, has been named a Monitor 2026 Best Company in the Community Impact category for its meaningful, statewide contributions to Utah communities throughout 2025. The bank earned the honor for its hands-on service, financial support and community partnerships, resulting in 2,000 employee volunteer hours, support for 76 nonprofit organizations statewide, $344 million in community development loans, and over 30 employees serving on nonprofit and community boards in 2025. The Monitor Best Companies Awards recognize lenders, service providers, associations, fintech enablers and other organizations within the equipment finance ecosystem that excel in community impact, culture, inclusion, leadership or innovation.
• Nightingale Education Group, based in Salt Lake City, has been named one of the 2026 Top Workplaces for Higher Education by The Princeton Review. The recognition is based solely on employee feedback gathered through an anonymous third-party survey. Only seven organizations with more than 150 employees nationwide earned the honor. The Top Workplaces survey measured drivers of organizational health organizational health drivers, including leadership, communication, alignment, engagement, well-being and inclusion. Nightingale Education Group received top scores across multiple areas, including prioritizing employee well-being, encouraging different points of view, operating with strong values, and motivating employees to do their best work. Nightingale Education Group employs more than 1,000 people and educates more than 10,000 learners at Nightingale College.
• Utah’s congressional delegation has recognized Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah for its service to Utah families, via a letter from U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, joined by others in the delegation. HCI is Utah’s only National Cancer Institute and the only such center serving the Mountain West. “We are proud of and grateful for the Institute’s commitment to excellence and innovation, and we recognize its indispensable role in improving outcomes for patients and families across Utah and the Mountain West,” the letter states.
SCHOLARSHIPS
• Applications are being accepted until April 1 for the America First Credit Union eighth annual Charitable Foundation scholarship program. It will award 10 scholarships worth $5,000 each. The foundation recognizes and awards scholarships each year to America First members who are graduating high school seniors or undergraduate students currently enrolled in a two-year, four-year technical college or university, and have a passion for serving and helping others. Details are at https://www.americafirst.com/about/foundation/education-first/scholarship-application/scholarship-application-form.html. America First has 115 locations across Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.