Utah life sciences sector pays well above state average, backers say

Utah's life sciences industry has grown into one of the state's strongest economic engines, outpacing other sectors in job growth and wages, the Deseret News reported, citing a 2023 Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute report and leaders who gathered last week at BioHive Utah's Premieres conference in Salt Lake City. ^[1]

The Gardner report counted more than 1,600 life sciences companies supporting, directly and indirectly, over 180,000 jobs. Average pay in the sector was about $96,000 a year, roughly 48% above the $65,000 average across other industries, and the sector produced $21.6 billion of the state's gross domestic product in 2022. Its jobs grew an average of 5.1% a year from 2012 to 2022, compared with 3.4% for other industries. ^[1]

BioHive Utah executive director Andy Robertson said the industry, once driven largely by medical devices, now spans therapeutics, diagnostics and digital health. "Utah isn't arriving," he told the paper. "It's arrived." ^[1]

The report highlighted companies with University of Utah roots, including Blackrock Neurotech, maker of the brain-implant Utah Array, and BioFire Defense, whose French parent bioMérieux has made Salt Lake City its North American headquarters. Robertson said BioHive is working with student chapters, universities and K-12 partners to steer young Utahns toward the field. ^[1]