Utah's Population Growth Pale Compared to AZ, NV

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) The population of Washington County is exploding - as is growth along Salt Lake County's West bench. But a closer look at Census Data shows Utah's growth pales in comparison to its neighbors:

"Relative to other states in the West, we're really just not that rapidly growing. Nevada and Arizona are off the charts compared to other states in the West," says Economist Pam Perlich, author of a new population study for the University of Utah's Bureau of Economic and Business Research.

She says Utah will add one million people to its population by 2030 and much of that growth will be Hispanic. But Arizona and Nevada will more than double their total populations and the only thing that could slow that down is Mother Nature herself:

"Where's the electricty going to come from? And the water? So it may be that some of these environmental resource issues will impose a moderating influence on the growth of these two states. But otherwise, they're just exploding."

Perlich's research shows California is no longer a population magnet, but more of a pass-through state for people - many immigrants from Mexico - who move on to other Western States. Furthermore, half of the labor force growth in the nation over the last ten years is from immigration - again mostly from Mexico.

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