SALT LAKE CITY — A new U.S. Census study proves out one of the perennial truths about Utah: the population is always growing largely thanks to a high birthrate.
Census numbers show Utah was the third fastest growing state in the country from 2017 to 2018 and was the fastest growing state in the country since 2010.
From 2010 to 2018, Utah grew from 2,763,891 residents, growing to 3,103,118 in 2018. That amounts to more than 14 percent growth over the course of eight years.
In the last year, Nevada and Idaho outpaced Utah's growth slightly. Each of those states grew 2.1 percent compared to 1.9 percent for Utah.
Utah does gain population from people choosing to move from other states and countries. The Beehive State ranked eleventh in terms of net migration over the last year.
But Utah is a dominant number one when it comes to what the census calls "natural increase." That means the number of births minus deaths.
Per 1,000 residents in the last year, Utah's added 10.5 people to it's population because of its high birthrate. That's far ahead of number two, Alaska, at 8.1 new residents per 1,000, and Alaska far outpaced number three Texas at 6.7.
