For much of the 1990s the year-end Census report has sounded much the same - Utah is one of the fastest growing states trailing neighboring Arizona and Nevada.
And so it was Wednesday when the Census Bureau's 1997 state population report confirmed Utah is still on top in the national growth derby, trailing Nevada, Arizona and, this time, Georgia.However, what sets Utah apart from the rest of the states on the fast track is that the bulk of the state's growth is home grown. For many Utahns it comes as no surprise that more and more kids, with a mix of in-migration, have been fueling Utah's growth. In all, the Census Bureau estimated that Utah had 41,000 new residents between July 1996 and July 1997.
"We show Utah as having a striking high natural increase. That's a big rate of natural increase and a big reason for its growth," said Gregory Harper, a Census Bureau demographer.
According to the Census Bureau, Utah was the fourth fastest growing state. It was the third fastest growing the year before.
Nevada, fueled by a decade of migration to Las Vegas, has been the hands-down growth winner. In another report released Wednesday charting growth of metropolitan areas, Las Vegas showed 40.9 percent growth over the past six years.
"When you factor in the births to these new residents (of Las Vegas), it adds up to an incredibly rapid increase in population," said Marc Perry, Census Bureau demographer.
Provo-Orem was the 9th fastest growing metro area over the six-year period - posting a 21.3 percent change in population. Utah County added 56,104 residents during the six-year span. Salt Lake-Ogden posted a 13.6 percent increase, with gains similar to Nashville and Albuquerque. The metro area, which includes Weber, Davis and Salt Lake counties, added 145,615 during the first six years of the decade.
Other Western states and cities showed top gains in both reports, including Idaho and its largest city, Boise, as well as Arizona and Phoenix-Mesa. Texas had four of the 10 fastest growing metro areas. Other top growing states included Colorado, Washington, Florida and North Carolina.
According to the yearly state growth report, a population increase of 1.6 percent made the West the fastest-growing region. California, whose growth had slowed earlier in the decade, grew by 1.3 percent. California added more than 410,000 from July 1996 to July 1997, by far the largest numerical increase of any state.
Utah, at 2 million residents, still remains the 34th most populous state, about 500,000 residents behind Arkansas' population. In 1992, the number of Utah residents passed up West Virginia's. That state continues to be on the bottom of the growth list along with Wyoming, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, North Dakota and the District of Columbia.
According to the metro area study, Salt Lake City-Ogden has moved up in the rankings in terms of total population. The three-county area is now 34th in size, just behind New Orleans and just ahead of Las Vegas. Provo-Orem has moved up to No. 117 among the 273 metro areas.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Fastest growing:
Percent growth 1996-97
State
1. Nevada 4.8 percent
2. Arizona 2.7 percent
3. Georgia 2.1 percent
4. Utah 2.1 percent
5. Colorado 2.0 percent
Metro Area
1. Las Vegas 40.9
2. Laredo, Texas 23.7
3. McAllen, Texas 29.2
4. Boise 25.9
5. Naples, Fla. 23.7
6. Fayetteville, Ark. 23.7
7. Austin, Texas 23.1
8. Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz. 22.7
9. Provo-Orem 21.3
10. Brownsville, Texas 21.1
Source: U.S. Census Bureau