Jun 28, 2023 - News
People of color fueled Utah's population growth
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Utah's population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, according to a fact sheet analyzing Census data that the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute released this month.
Why it matters: In the last few years, Utah's population growth has spurred new policies to address the state's transforming demographics.
- A law allowing Utahns to take their driver's license exams in languages other than English that went into effect this year has been met with high demand.
- In 2021, Gov. Spencer Cox signed a law striking the state's "English-only" provision.
By the numbers: The state's minority population rose by 3.3%, or 25,455 people, between 2021 and 2022.
- People identifying as two or more races and Black Americans saw the fastest year-over-year growth, increasing by 3.8% and 3.6%, respectively.
- Asian American, Latino and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander populations grew by 3.4% each.
- American Indian/Alaska Native and non-Hispanic white populations each increased by less than 1%.
Zoom in: Salt Lake County was home to nearly half of the state's minority population.
The big picture: Overall, people of color fueled about 61% of total statewide growth during that period.
- Latinos accounted for about 40% of that total population increase.