Utah by the numbers
Live readings on the water, snow, air and weather Utahns live with, pulled straight from the agencies that measure them. Figures refresh every 15 to 60 minutes; most are provisional and subject to revision.
Great Salt Lake
4,189.7 ftdown 1.4 ft from a year ago
The south arm's surface elevation above sea level, compared with 4,191.1 feet on Oct. 14, 2025. That is 8.3 feet below the 4,198-foot minimum healthy level cited by the Grow the Flow lake tracker.
Why it matters: When the lake drops, more lakebed is exposed, and its dust carries heavy metals and chemicals into the air, according to the Utah Division of Water Resources. The lake also feeds lake-effect snow that makes up about 5% to 10% of the Wasatch snowpack. Its record low daily average, 4,188.5 feet, came in November 2022 at the state's south-arm causeway gauge.
Lake Powell
3,519.1 ftdown 26.0 ft from a year ago
Elevation at Glen Canyon Dam: 180.9 feet below full pool (3,700 feet) and 29.1 feet above minimum power pool (3,490 feet), the lowest level for generating hydropower.
Why it matters: Lake Powell, the Colorado River reservoir behind Glen Canyon Dam, straddles the Utah-Arizona line; if it falls below minimum power pool, the dam's hydropower stops. Reservoir thresholds from the Grand Canyon Trust and Reclamation.
Snowpack
The NRCS feed did not respond. See the latest at the source.
Why it matters: Utah gets about 95% of its water from snowpack, according to the Division of Water Resources. Winter snow becomes spring runoff that fills reservoirs, waters farms and raises Great Salt Lake.
Weather
Salt Lake City55°FCloudy · Oct. 14, 5:40 p.m.
St. George66°FClear · Oct. 14, 5:35 p.m.
Salt Lake City forecast
- This Afternoon: High 56°F
- Tonight: Low 43°F
- Thursday: High 64°F
- Thursday Night: Low 41°F
- Friday: High 66°F
- Friday Night: Low 45°F
Air quality
GoodSalt Lake County, driven by PM2.5
Fine particulate (PM2.5) averaged 4.7 micrograms per cubic meter over the past 24 hours (latest hour: 6.8). Ozone averaged 0.024 parts per million over the past eight hours. The category applies the EPA's Air Quality Index breakpoints to those averages; it is our calculation, not an official forecast.
Why it matters: The EPA's index turns fine-particle and ozone levels into plain health categories, and the agency says people with heart or lung disease, older adults and children are among the first to feel them.
Utah in figures
Population, jobs, income, housing, parks and more: the latest official figures, each linked to its source.
People
- Population (Census estimate)
- 3,538,904
- U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate; up 8.2% since the April 2020 estimates base.
- July 1, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts (V2025)
- Population (Utah Population Committee)
- 3,551,150
- Utah's official state estimate added 44,351 people in a year; it runs higher than Census because of different methods.
- July 1, 2025 · Utah Population Committee / Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
- One-year growth rate
- 1.0% (5th fastest)
- Utah ranked fifth among states for percent growth, its slowest pace since 2000.
- July 1, 2024 – July 1, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau V2025, via Utah Foundation
- One-year growth (state estimate)
- 1.3%
- Down from 1.5% the prior year; natural increase drove 57% of growth.
- July 1, 2024 – July 1, 2025 · Utah Population Committee / Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
- Growth since 2020
- 8.2% (5th fastest)
- From the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 3,271,601; fifth-fastest among states (Utah Foundation analysis).
- April 2020 – July 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts (V2025)
- Median age
- 32.5 (youngest state)
- Lowest median age of any state; next-youngest state is Texas at 35.9.
- 2024 · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year (B01002)
- Residents under 18
- 26.1%
- More than one in four Utahns is a child; 6.5% are under 5.
- July 1, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts (V2025)
- Average household size
- 2.91 (largest of any state)
- Utah households are the largest in the nation; Hawaii is next at 2.85.
- 2024 · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year (B25010)
- Births
- 46,869
- Up 2.8% from the prior year; deaths totaled 21,751, for a natural increase of 25,118.
- Year ending July 1, 2025 · Utah Population Committee / Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
- Total fertility rate
- 1.801
- Children per woman, down from 1.853 in 2022; Utah fell to 10th-highest among states.
- 2023 · CDC NCHS data, analyzed by Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
- Net migration
- 19,233
- 43% of growth, down from 26,086 the prior year; natural increase now leads.
- Year ending July 1, 2025 · Utah Population Committee / Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
- Salt Lake City population
- 218,428
- Utah's largest city.
- July 1, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts (V2025)
- West Valley City population
- 137,491
- Utah's second-largest city.
- July 1, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts (V2025)
- West Jordan population
- 116,812
- Utah's third-largest city.
- July 1, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts (V2025)
- Provo population
- 114,527
- Utah's fourth-largest city.
- July 1, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts (V2025)
- St. George population
- 108,713
- Utah's fifth-largest city, ahead of Orem (95,214).
- July 1, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts (V2025)
- Live in Salt Lake, Utah, Davis or Weber counties
- 74.9%
- 2,660,720 of 3,551,150 Utahns live in the four core Wasatch Front counties (computed from county estimates).
- July 1, 2025 · Utah Population Committee / Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
- Hispanic or Latino residents
- 17.6%
- Share of Utah's population.
- July 1, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts (V2025)
Economy & jobs
- Unemployment rate
- 3.5%
- Seasonally adjusted; about 64,100 Utahns unemployed vs. a 4.1% national rate.
- August 2026 · Utah Department of Workforce Services
- Nonfarm payroll jobs
- 1,788,800
- Utah's total job count.
- August 2026 · Utah Department of Workforce Services
- Year-over-year job growth
- +1.2% (20,600 jobs)
- Private sector up 1.6%; professional and business services added the most (8,500).
- August 2025 – August 2026 · Utah Department of Workforce Services
- Gross domestic product
- $319.2 billion
- Current-dollar state GDP ($319,178.6 million).
- 2025 · U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, via FRED (UTNGSP)
- Real GDP growth
- 2.7%
- Inflation-adjusted growth from 2024 to 2025 (chained 2017 dollars).
- 2025 · U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, via FRED (UTRGSP)
- Real GDP growth, latest quarter
- 3.4% annualized
- Q2 2026 vs. Q1 2026, computed from BEA's chained-dollar quarterly series.
- Q2 2026 · U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, via FRED (UTRQGSP)
- Per-capita personal income
- $70,323
- Up from $67,447 in 2024.
- 2025 · U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, via FRED (UTPCPI)
- Median household income
- $96,658
- 9th-highest among the 50 states.
- 2024 · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year (B19013)
- Poverty rate
- 8.3%
- 286,572 people; second-lowest among states, behind New Hampshire.
- 2024 · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year (B17001)
- State sales tax rate
- 4.85%
- Local add-ons vary by city; grocery food is taxed at a combined 3% statewide.
- 2026 · Utah State Tax Commission, Publication 25
- Income tax rate (flat)
- 4.45%
- Cut from 4.5% by S.B. 60 (2026), retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026 — the sixth straight cut.
- Tax year 2026 · Utah Legislature, S.B. 60 (2026) enrolled
Housing
- Median single-family sale price
- $559,900
- Utah is the nation's 10th-most-expensive single-family market.
- Q1 2026 · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, State of the State's Housing Market
- Median sale price, all homes
- $520,000
- Up from $500,000 a year earlier.
- Q1 2026 · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, State of the State's Housing Market
- Median gross rent
- $1,593/month
- Median monthly rent including utilities.
- 2024 · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year (B25064)
- Homeownership rate
- 68.3%
- Versus 65.3% nationally.
- 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau Housing Vacancies and Homeownership, via Gardner Policy Institute
- Renters priced out of a median home
- 91%
- Share of Utah renters who can't afford the payment on a median-priced home.
- 2026 · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, State of the State's Housing Market
- Residential building permits
- 26,775
- New housing units authorized.
- 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts (Building Permits Survey)
Land & outdoors
- National parks
- 5
- Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion — the "Mighty 5."
- 2026 · National Park Service
- National park visits
- 10,648,165
- Combined recreation visits to the Mighty 5, down 4.5% (Bryce changed its counting method).
- 2025 · National Park Service IRMA visitation statistics
- Zion visits
- 4,984,525
- Utah's busiest national park, about 15,000 short of 5 million.
- 2025 · National Park Service IRMA visitation statistics
- Bryce Canyon visits
- 1,967,367
- First year under a new method that counts unique shuttle riders.
- 2025 · National Park Service
- Capitol Reef visits
- 1,388,476
- Recreation visits.
- 2025 · National Park Service IRMA visitation statistics
- Glen Canyon NRA visits
- 3,729,502
- Recreation visits to the Lake Powell recreation area (Utah and Arizona).
- 2025 · National Park Service IRMA visitation statistics
- State parks
- 46
- State park visits totaled 12,223,328 in 2025, down 5.8%.
- 2025 · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, State of Utah's Travel and Tourism Industry
- Ski resorts
- 15
- Utah's 15 resorts.
- 2025-26 season · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, State of Utah's Travel and Tourism Industry
- Skier days
- 4.8 million
- Down 26.5% from 6.5 million in a near-record-low snow year; spending per skier visit hit a record $392.
- 2025-26 season · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, State of Utah's Travel and Tourism Industry
- Land owned by the federal government
- 64.4%
- Second-highest share of any state, after Nevada (80.1%); 21.1% is private.
- 2025 · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
- Great Salt Lake record low
- 4,188.5 ft
- Reached in November 2022, when the lake covered only about 800 square miles.
- November 2022 · Utah Division of Water Resources
- Great Salt Lake healthy range
- 4,198–4,205 ft
- Strike Team's recommended elevation range to maximize benefits across many factors.
- 2023 (preliminary) · Great Salt Lake Strike Team (University of Utah / Utah State University)
- Great Salt Lake end of water year
- 4,191.1 ft
- South arm level at the end of water year 2025, third-lowest since 1903.
- Sept. 30, 2025 · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute / Great Salt Lake Strike Team
- Great Salt Lake record high
- 4,211.65 ft
- Set in 1986, when the lake spread over about 3,300 square miles.
- 1986 · Utah Division of Water Resources
Government & civic life
- Registered voters
- 2,088,602
- 1,782,449 active and 306,129 inactive.
- Oct. 5, 2026 · Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, Elections
- Registered Republicans
- 1,028,435
- 49.2% of all registered voters (computed).
- Oct. 5, 2026 · Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, Elections
- Unaffiliated voters
- 630,164
- Utah's second-largest bloc of voters.
- Oct. 5, 2026 · Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, Elections
- Registered Democrats
- 297,853
- Independent American Party: 94,980; Libertarian: 24,316.
- Oct. 5, 2026 · Utah Lieutenant Governor's Office, Elections
- 2024 general election turnout
- 85.27%
- Share of registered voters; down from 90.09% in 2020.
- November 2024 · Utah official canvass, via The Salt Lake Tribune
- State budget
- $31.6 billion
- All sources; $12.4 billion of it from state General, Income Tax and Uniform School funds.
- FY2027 · Utah Governor's Office of Planning and Budget
- Public school (K-12) enrollment
- 656,311
- Down 11,478 students (1.7%), the third straight annual decline.
- Fall 2025 · Utah State Board of Education, via KSL.com
- Public college and university enrollment
- 216,116
- Headcount at USHE's eight degree-granting institutions, a record.
- Fall 2025 · Utah System of Higher Education, via Deseret News
- Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher
- 37.7%
- Ages 25 and older.
- 2020-2024 · U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts (ACS 5-year)
Tourism & travel
- Visitor spending
- $13.7 billion
- A record; up 4.6% nominal, 0.6% after inflation.
- 2025 · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, State of Utah's Travel and Tourism Industry
- Travel and tourism jobs
- 107,500
- Direct jobs, a record; 167,200 counting indirect and induced effects (about 1 in 10 Utah jobs).
- 2025 · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, State of Utah's Travel and Tourism Industry
- Tourism-generated state and local taxes
- $1.6 billion
- Direct revenue; $2.7 billion including indirect and induced effects.
- 2025 · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, State of Utah's Travel and Tourism Industry
- Salt Lake City International Airport passengers
- 28.2 million
- Down 0.7% from 28.4 million in 2024.
- 2025 · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, State of Utah's Travel and Tourism Industry
- Statewide hotel occupancy
- 64.0%
- Down from 65.1% in 2024.
- 2025 · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, State of Utah's Travel and Tourism Industry
- Skier spending
- $2.1 billion
- Down 17.8% in a low-snow season.
- 2025-26 season · Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, State of Utah's Travel and Tourism Industry