All Access

All-Access Weekly Digest

Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City Members

Salt Lake City Alerts

Get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in Salt Lake City

Axios Salt Lake City Thought Bubble

Axios Salt Lake City

San Antonio

Axios San Antonio

Utah's capital ranks as the seventh fastest-growing city in the U.S., according to a report released in October by a nonpartisan think tank affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Driving the news: The American Growth Project by the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise found that the top 10 fastest-growing cities in the U.S. are moving the "center of gravity" for economic activity away from the East Coast, executive director Gregory Brown tells Axios' Madalyn Mendoza.

Researchers built the list by weighing factors that included county-level employment rates and economic output for each city.

Other fast-growing cities include: San Francisco; Austin, Texas; Seattle; Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina.; Dallas; Denver; Charlotte, North Carolina.; New Orleans and Orlando, Florida.

Why it matters: These are America's next boomtowns — if local leaders find ways to capitalize on burgeoning industries, Brown says.

These cities will need to invest in infrastructure, such as housing, education and job training to fuel their growth potential.

Details: The report found Salt Lake City's scientific and technical services sector reported a 60% growth in the last decade. 

Health care, retail trade, manufacturing and educational services sectors also grew during the same time period.

The big picture: Utah's population is expected to grow by 2.2 million residents by 2060, according to projections from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.

The institute found an estimated 1.3 million more jobs would help drive Utah's population growth.

Yes, but: "[Salt Lake City] is not immune to problems affecting similar high-growth areas, such as sharp rises in rent and expenses that have led to many businesses being priced out," researchers wrote in the report.

Salt Lake City is among America's fastest-growing cities

This is one of America's next boomtowns — if local leaders find ways to capitalize on burgeoning industries.

Illustration of a luggage cart carrying apartments, a house, and high-rises.

Utah&#x27;s capital ranks as the seventh fastest-growing city in the U.S., according to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/05/fastest-growing-cities-us" data-vars-content-id="76b5a8e3-7afe-4d94-8cff-2eb3bfb65e2c" data-vars-headline="Salt Lake City is among America&#x27;s fastest-growing cities" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/05/fastest-growing-cities-us" target="_self">report</a> released in October by a nonpartisan think tank affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Driving the news: The American Growth Project by the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise found that the top 10 fastest-growing cities in the U.S. are moving the &quot;center of gravity&quot; for economic activity away from the East Coast, executive director Gregory Brown tells Axios&#x27; <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Madalyn Mendoza" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/05/fastest-growing-cities-us" data-vars-content-id="76b5a8e3-7afe-4d94-8cff-2eb3bfb65e2c" data-vars-headline="Salt Lake City is among America&#x27;s fastest-growing cities" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/05/fastest-growing-cities-us" target="_self">Madalyn Mendoza</a>.

Madalyn Mendoza

Featured stories

Salt Lake City is among America's fastest-growing cities