Utah population grows by more than 50,000 in year ending July 1

Utah’s population grew by more than 50,000 during the 12 months ending on July 1 to a total state population of 3,506,838 — a 1.5 percent growth rate, according to estimates produced by the Utah Population Committee. The committee, convened by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah, said the 50,392 new residents reflect the post-COVID-19 era and continue the moderately high growth rate of the past few years.

“In 2024, Utah experienced a slight deceleration in population growth for the second year in a row, with net migration and natural increase almost equally driving growth,” said Emily Harris, senior demographer at the Gardner Institute. “Utah’s recent shift from natural increase to net migration as the primary source of growth represents a continuation of COVID-19 trends, though this year’s data shows a slowing of that initial post-pandemic pattern.”

Key findings from the Gardner policy brief include the following:

• Growth Rate. Population growth remained strong but slowed to 1.5 percent in 2024, down from 1.6 percent in 2023.
• Components of Change. Net migration and natural increase contributed almost equally to growth, with net migration accounting for 52 percent of new residents and natural increase accounting for 48 percent of new residents.
• Natural Increase. Births and deaths remained nearly unchanged from last year. Natural increase did not meaningfully change for the first time in over 10 years, increasing by 48 percent to 24,374 in 2024.
• County Growth. Twenty-one counties grew in 2024, with half of those counties’ growth driven by net migration.
• Fastest Growing County. Tooele County experienced the fastest population growth (3.1 percent) for a population over 5,000, and Piute, Utah, Washington, Rich, Iron, and Wasatch counties grew by over 2 percent.

Most Growth. Utah County added the most population, totaling 21,853 new residents, accounting for over 43 percent of the state’s population growth between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024.

The Utah Population Committee, chaired and staffed by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, produced Utah’s state and county population estimates for July 1, 2024. The 2024 estimates incorporate the most recent 2020 decennial census data, released in August 2021. This postcensal series will extend from July 1, 2020, until the next decennial census in 2030.