Salt Lake County has about 10 full-time local reporters for every 100,000 people, according to data from Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News, a local journalism nonprofit.
The big picture: Many Utah neighborhoods lack adequate news coverage for everything from school board meetings and elections to local sports and cultural events.
By the numbers: About two-thirds of U.S. counties have a below-average number of local journalists, per an ambitious new project aiming to illustrate "the stunning collapse in local reporting" as old business models falter and newsrooms scramble for sustainability.
The U.S. now has 8.2 "local journalist equivalents" (LJEs) for every 100,000 people, down 75% from 2002 on average.
The intrigue: Counties like Grand (64.1), Summit (61.2) and Garfield (37.8) have smaller populations, but far more journalists per 100,000 people than Salt Lake County.
How it works: The findings are based on Muck Rack's data about journalists and media outlets nationwide as of Q1 2025, used to show reporters "most likely covering local communities."