- Utah's population continues to grow but at a slower rate than in years past.
- Utah County is the largest contributor to statewide growth for the past six years.
- Tooele and Iron counties were the fastest-growing in the past year.
Utah continues to grow but not as quickly as it has in previous years.
The state added 44,351 residents since July 1, 2024, reflecting a continued moderation in growth, with the annual growth rate slowing to 1.3% from 1.5% last year, according to a report released Wednesday by the Utah Population Committee, chaired and staffed by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
Utah’s population reached an estimated 3,551,150 as of July 1, 2025.
“A significant shift occurred this year, with natural change contributing the majority of new Utahns, making it the primary driver of growth for the first time this decade. This represents a return to Utah’s historical growth patterns seen before the recent period of high levels of net migration,” said Emily Harris, senior demographer at the Gardner Institute and lead author of the report.
Natural change is the difference between the number of annual births and deaths. Net migration refers to more people moving in than moving out.
Natural change generated 57% of the state’s growth, while net migration contributed 43%, a notable reversal from the past four years when net migration was the major driver, per the report.
During the past year, births increased 2.8%, while deaths were up 2.1%, according to the report. Deaths have increased annually for more than a decade and are expected to increase as the population continues aging.
The report notes that net migration is more volatile than natural increase and sensitive to societal and economic situations.
“Positive net migration is often an indicator of favorable economic conditions, particularly in the western United States. Utah’s low, but increasing, unemployment rate and slowing employment growth in 2025 align with the slowing growth and net migration in the July 1, 2025, estimates,” per the report.
What are Utah’s fastest-growing counties?
Tooele and Iron counties had the fastest growth at 3%, similar to last year’s growth of 3.1% and 2.8%, respectively. Washington (2.3%), Utah (2.1%), Grand (2.1%), and Wasatch (2.0%) counties all experienced growth of 2% or more.
Utah County added the most residents — 15,914 — in the past year. In fact, it has been the largest contributor to statewide growth for the past six years and accounts for 36% of the population increase in 2025.
While significantly higher than Salt Lake County, the second largest population growth county, Utah County added substantially fewer new residents than in 2024. Both Utah and Salt Lake counties experienced large decreases in population growth this year, adding 4,000 to 5,000 fewer residents than last year due to declining net migration.
Five counties experienced population declines in 2025: Daggett, Piute, Garfield, Wayne and San Juan.
How many residents could Utah add in the next 40 years?
In November, the Gardner Institute reported that Utah is on pace to add 2 million more people over the next 40 years, but the state’s rate of growth may continue to slide over the next few decades.
The Beehive State’s population is projected to surpass 5.5 million by 2065, per that report.
Researchers project that Utah’s population growth may quintuple the U.S. average over the next 40 years, as its employment growth triples the national average. It signals that Utah’s economy should remain strong enough to add a population that researchers point out is the “approximate size of Idaho today.”
Utah County is anticipated to double its population over the next 40 years, with an estimated addition of more than 750,000 people. If the projections are realized, it will have over 1.5 million residents, just behind Salt Lake County and its estimated 1.6 million residents.