Utah continues to grow, but its population growth is slowing.

Growth is still high but is lower than the “intense start to the decade,” said Emily Harris, senior demographer at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.

Gardner’s demographers chair and staff the Utah Population Committee and released estimates on Wednesday for state and county populations as of July 1, 2023.

Those estimates show the state added nearly 56,000 residents, bringing Utah’s total population to almost 3.5 million.

The growth is a 1.65% increase. That’s slower than in recent years and closer to pre-pandemic rates.

Growth spiked in 2021

Utah’s population was booming in the mid-2010s, increasing nearly 2% for three years.

That growth slowed from 2018 to 2020 then spiked again in 2021.

It’s slowed again since, decreasing from 1.76% in 2021 to 1.65% between July 2022 and this summer.

Harris said the data released Wednesday shows the state starting to return to normal growth patterns as the economy and other things stabilize.

Greater Salt Lake, southwest Utah seeing biggest growth

Most of the state’s growth continues to happen in and around Salt Lake City and in southwestern Utah.

About 80% of new residents live in Salt Lake, Utah, Weber, Davis, Tooele and Wasatch counties. Another 12.7% live in Washington, Iron and Kane counties.

Harris said that follows trends demographers have seen for years now.

Utah County has been the largest driver of statewide growth for the last five years. Its increase of 22,063 people accounts for 39% of the state’s overall growth and is the highest raw population gain.

Iron County recorded the fastest growth among counties with at least 5,000 residents for the second year in a row with a 3.7% gain.

Some rural counties, including Daggett and Piute, grew at a faster rate, but their small populations inflated percentage gains.

Only two counties lost residents. The population in Carbon and Wayne counties decreased by 82 and 20, respectively.

People moving to, and within Utah are driving growth

Net migration has been the main driver of Utah’s population growth since 2021 and continued to be as of July 1, 2023.

More than 31,500 people moved to Utah in 2023 than moved out, accounting for 56% of the state’s growth.

Migration accounted for the entirety of the population increase in Daggett, Garfield, Kane and Piute counties and the majority in Davis, Emery, Grand, Iron, Juab, Rich, Salt Lake, Sanpete, Sevier, Tooele, Utah, Wasatch and Washington counties.

Natural increase was the majority driver of growth in Box Elder, Cache, Morgan, San Juan and Summit counties and the entirety of it in Beaver, Duchesne, Millard, Uintah and Weber counties.

Statewide, migration was down from 2022 when nearly 35,000 more people moved to the Beehive State than left.

And while the number of births has continued to decline, deaths also are decreasing.

The number of deaths came down from a pandemic spike, decreasing by 10% between July 2022 and 2023, Harris said.

Megan Banta is The Salt Lake Tribune’s data enterprise reporter, a philanthropically supported position. The Tribune retains control over all editorial decisions.