Utah Foundation Significant Statistics

Significant Statistics | Utah Last in Education Spending per Student, However…

Written by: Shawn Teigen

It is fairly common knowledge that Utah has, for decades, been near the bottom in per-pupil spending on K-12 education. The U.S. Census Bureau shows that Utah had pulled into the second-lowest, ahead of Idaho, from 2019 to 2021.1 However, the Department of Education disagrees. Its latest research shows that Utah has been and remains dead last.2 The Utah Foundation prefers the measure of education spending effort, or the amount spent on education per $1,000 … Continued

Significant Statistics | Successes and Shortcomings in Post-Secondary Education

Written by: Ella Sjoblom

Nearly 62% of Utahns between the ages of 25 and 64 possess a college degree or other quality post-secondary credential, surpassing Lumina Foundation’s nationwide attainment target of 60%.1 Utah does not currently have a statewide post-secondary educational attainment goal. However, in 2013, Governor Herbert adopted an ambitious 66% target by 2020.2 Between 2013 and 2020, Utah’s post-high school educational attainment increased by nearly five percentage points and three more by 2023.* This is a far … Continued

Significant Statistics | Utah’s 8th-grade reading slips on the Nation’s Report Card

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Bad news: Utah was one of eight states where 8th-grade students’ reading scores were lower in 2024 than in 2022. Worse news: No states saw any improvement on the 4th-grade reading or 8th-grade reading or math scores. Better news: Utah’s 4th-grade reading and math scores and Utah’s 8th-grade math scores remained unchanged (in terms of statistically significant differences).  Good news: 15 states improved in 4th-grade math. And Utah remains better than the nation on all four tests (though … Continued

Significant Statistics | Ozone in the Unita Basin

Written by: Staff

Ground-level ozone is of concern to policymakers because of public health risks. Breathing ground-level ozone can cause respiratory problems, especially for vulnerable groups including children, older people, people who work outdoors, and those with preexisting respiratory conditions such as asthma.1 One source of ground-level ozone is from methane gas. The difference in methane emissions across Utah counties helps explain why Uintah and Duchesne counties have ground-level ozone concentrations of about 40% and 30% higher, respectively, … Continued

Significant Statistics | Board Votes for Top 2024 Findings

Written by: Shawn Teigen

  The Utah Foundation’s Board of Trustees not only determines each year’s research agenda – it also determines the most important findings for the year. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of the board voters picked the number one choice.   Note: The percents above show the board members who voted for each issue. Each board member had three votes to select the top items from a final list of 10.   Three findings are from the Utah … Continued

Significant Statistics | Utah’s Taxes are Less Regressive than Most

Written by: Staff

On the three-legged stool of taxation – sales, income, and property taxes – Utah is less regressive than most other states. This is important because some Utahns believe that higher-income earners should pay a larger percentage of their income. In contrast, others believe that higher-income earners should pay less since they already contribute the lion’s share of the overall state and local tax receipts. Tax policy is perhaps one of the most widely and hotly … Continued

Significant Statistics | Inflation Stabilized

Written by: Christopher Collard

Inflation has stabilized over the last 12 months between 3% and 4%, though that rate is higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%. The higher rate is likely due to increasing housing costs. Energy inflation levels are near their long-term average while price increases on food and everything else have slowed below their long-term average. The Utah Foundation’s interactive dashboard allows residents is to: Explore current rates. Compare rates for Western and Mountain States … Continued

Utah Priorities Project | What Matters Most to Utahns?

Written by: Shawn Teigen

As Americans, what is our top policy priority? A Pew Research Center survey found that Americans think that President Biden and Congress should focus on “strengthening the economy” in 2024. But what about Utahns? During each gubernatorial election year since 2004, Utah Foundation has sought to understand what matters most to voters through its Utah Priorities Project. For the 2024 Utah Priorities Project, housing affordability topped the list of concerns. Earning enough to pay for … Continued

Significant Statistics | Utah Home Prices Cool

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Since 1991, Utah’s home prices have appreciated faster than any other state at 596%. Only Colorado and Montana were even close. The U.S. average has been 312% over the period. Also since 1991, Salt Lake City had the highest metro appreciation at 656%. Only Austin, Denver, and Miami were even close. That said, this past year has seen appreciation cool. In fact, Utah has had the fourth-slowest appreciation at 2%. The U.S. average over the … Continued

Significant Statistics | Inflation Updates

Written by: Staff

Utah is in a favorable position with inflation below 4% and unemployment below 3%. While this inflation rate is above Utah’s 15 year average of 2.4%, the state’s current unemployment rate of 2.9% is also well below the 15 year average of 4.1%. By the broadest measures, Utah’s economy is doing very well. That said, there are issues to consider. For example, shelter seems to be the primary driver of inflation, accounting for almost two-thirds … Continued