SALT LAKE CITY -- New census data shows Utah grew by 40,000 people last year.
To put that into perspective, that's the same number of people who make up the town of Bountiful. And Utah is expected to double its population by 2050, with 2.5 million more people.
“We've been growing that fast for decades, in fact at some points a little faster, we just need to think smartly about it,” said Robert Grow, president of Envision Utah. “Apply the best tools we can to understand the growth, and plan ahead, so we preserve the quality of our life.”
Ninety percent of the growth is natural increase, just people having babies, and about 10 percent is immigration from people looking for jobs.
“The growth is here because the economy is growing strongly,” Grow said.
The experts say Utah’s population is growing twice as fast as the national average, largely because of the emphasis on growing families and living near extended family.
Envison Utah was created to help Utahns look long-term at population issues. You can share your views of how you think Utah should grow by clicking here.
