Blog

Op-ed: Ways we can make Utah safer for bicycles

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Bikes are the best. They are good for our physical and mental health, as well as for economic, environmental and practical reasons. OK, not everyone feels that way. Many drivers would prefer not to share the road with bicycles, or pedestrians, for that matter. Further, many who would like to bicycle are reluctant for one reason or another. A top reason for this reluctance is danger. That makes sense, particularly given a recent spike in … Continued

The Revenue Report: Utah’s Consensus Projections Approach

Written by: Christopher Collard

Utah estimates the state’s future tax revenues using a consensus approach. It is undertaken by the Utah’s Revenue Assumptions Working Group – a collection of economists and experts from the Governor’s and Legislature’s staff, the State Tax Commission, and state academic institutions and departments.1 This approach is not the way all states estimate revenue. In other states, such as New Jersey, the Governor’s staff creates one revenue estimate and the legislature’s staff creates a differing … Continued

Op-ed: Is our inflation too high? The math, explained

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Seeing inflation at nearly 5% for April was not great. But had it been 2%, that could have been even worse for some Utahns. It is all about the math. Speaking of math, if you dine out, you have probably felt the increase in restaurant prices. This is in part because overall food prices are up by 20% since the pandemic began. I have certainly felt it. My family went out for a congratulatory lunch … Continued

Significant Statistics | Utahns’ “Misery” Increases, but is Still Below the Nation

Written by: Staff

In addition, Utah consistently fares as well as or better on the Misery Index than its neighboring states. In 2021, Utah was second only to Wyoming in the Mountain States, due to that state’s rebounding growth, with Idaho and Montana very close behind. In 2022 however, Utah was outperformed by Colorado and Idaho, with the latter faring better than the entire country in Index terms. This is due to Idaho’s recently high (but declining) GDP … Continued

Significant Statistics | Utah College Enrollment Trails Nation Due to Gender Differences

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 5-year sample. Note: The Utah Foundation used the 5-year sample for comparison due to the margins of error for Utahns. When looking at the 1-year sample for the U.S., the decrease in enrollment over the period is much more pronounced: 42.3% to 40.9% – with a 2.0% drop for men compared to a 0.7% drop for women.

Significant Statistics | The Price of Prosperity – Rents and Construction

Written by: Staff

Growth and prosperity are likely to be serious issues facing Utahns over the coming decade. We can see this in the drivers of recent rent increases along the Wasatch Front. Further, there is a good chance that current financial market conditions will sharply push up rents again in the future. Rents on the Increase Rapid rent increases are neither entirely recent nor purely COVID-related – as illustrated by the rent increases seen between 2010 and … Continued

The Revenue Report: Utah’s Projections Process

Written by: Christopher Collard

In our upcoming Revenue Report we will examine recent projections for Utah and how they compare to eventual outcomes.       [1] Utah Constitution, Article XIII, Section 5, Use and amount of taxes and expenditures. [2] Utah Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, Utah’s Budget Process, https://gopb.utah.gov/budget-operations/utahs-budget-process/ [3] Utah Governor’s Office, News Release: Legislature and Governor’s Office Release Updated Budget Estimates, February. 21, 2023, https://governor.utah.gov/2023/02/21/news-release-legislature-and-governors-office-release-updated-budget-estimates/. And Executive Appropriations Committee, Revenue Estimates – February 2023 … Continued