Fastest-growing counties in Utah

Written by:
July 1, 2022
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Fastest-growing counties in Utah

Why do people move from one county or region to another? The usual suspects are jobs, family, significant others, and overall cost of living, but there are other elements at play. For those with children, moving within close proximity of a highly rated school district is a key contributing factor. For younger adults just starting out, living someplace with a vibrant social scene might be a top priority. And for those whose careers have wound down after a lifetime of work, finding retirement-friendly communities is the goal—communities deemed to be safe, offer accessibility to medical resources and leisure activities in equal measure, and be affordable for those on a limited income.

This is, of course, by no means an exhaustive list. People's reasons for choosing to live where they do are as diverse as people themselves.

As far as why certain counties across the U.S. have experienced growth, relocation is not the sole, or even primary, reason why. While more than 1,800 counties saw population gains in 2021, approximately 73% of all U.S. counties saw what the U.S. Census Bureau characterizes as a natural decrease. This was a significant jump from 2020, when 55.5% of countries experienced such a decrease. According to the Bureau, natural decrease is the simple result of "when there are more deaths than births in a population over a given time period." In 2021, the conflation of fewer births with an aging population that was also absorbing a higher-than-usual mortality rate due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic led to this "increased decrease."

Nonetheless, as stated 1,800 counties nationwide have grown larger over the last year, and a sizable percentage of them are in Utah. Stacker compiled a list of the fastest-growing counties in Utah using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest population growth from 2010 to 2020, based on the U.S. Decennial Census.

#29. Emery County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -1,151
--- #2,585 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -10.5%
--- #27 among counties in Utah, #2,895 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 9,825
--- #21 largest county in Utah, #2,424 largest county nationwide

#28. Carbon County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -991
--- #2,495 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -4.6%
--- #25 among counties in Utah, #2,265 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 20,412
--- #15 largest county in Utah, #1,797 largest county nationwide

#27. Wayne County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -292
--- #1,908 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -10.5%
--- #28 among counties in Utah, #2,897 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 2,486
--- #27 largest county in Utah, #2,998 largest county nationwide

#26. San Juan County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -228
--- #1,816 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -1.5%
--- #23 among counties in Utah, #1,751 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 14,518
--- #17 largest county in Utah, #2,117 largest county nationwide

#25. Daggett County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -124
--- #1,658 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -11.7%
--- #29 among counties in Utah, #2,951 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 935
--- #29 largest county in Utah, #3,108 largest county nationwide

#24. Piute County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -118
--- #1,651 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -7.6%
--- #26 among counties in Utah, #2,678 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 1,438
--- #28 largest county in Utah, #3,082 largest county nationwide

#23. Garfield County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: -89
--- #1,615 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: -1.7%
--- #24 among counties in Utah, #1,794 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 5,083
--- #25 largest county in Utah, #2,819 largest county nationwide

#22. Rich County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +246
--- #1,300 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +10.9%
--- #14 among counties in Utah, #378 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 2,510
--- #26 largest county in Utah, #2,995 largest county nationwide

#21. Beaver County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +443
--- #1,178 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +6.7%
--- #17 among counties in Utah, #655 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 7,072
--- #24 largest county in Utah, #2,653 largest county nationwide

#20. Grand County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +444
--- #1,176 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +4.8%
--- #19 among counties in Utah, #846 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 9,669
--- #22 largest county in Utah, #2,441 largest county nationwide

#19. Millard County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +472
--- #1,158 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +3.8%
--- #20 among counties in Utah, #955 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 12,975
--- #18 largest county in Utah, #2,218 largest county nationwide

#18. Kane County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +542
--- #1,138 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +7.6%
--- #16 among counties in Utah, #590 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 7,667
--- #23 largest county in Utah, #2,603 largest county nationwide

#17. Sanpete County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +615
--- #1,114 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +2.2%
--- #22 among counties in Utah, #1,152 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 28,437
--- #13 largest county in Utah, #1,474 largest county nationwide

#16. Sevier County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +720
--- #1,082 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +3.5%
--- #21 among counties in Utah, #995 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 21,522
--- #14 largest county in Utah, #1,739 largest county nationwide

#15. Duchesne County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +989
--- #1,001 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +5.3%
--- #18 among counties in Utah, #790 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 19,596
--- #16 largest county in Utah, #1,839 largest county nationwide

#14. Juab County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +1,540
--- #894 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +15.0%
--- #12 among counties in Utah, #226 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 11,786
--- #20 largest county in Utah, #2,294 largest county nationwide

#13. Morgan County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +2,826
--- #731 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +29.8%
--- #3 among counties in Utah, #39 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 12,295
--- #19 largest county in Utah, #2,257 largest county nationwide

#12. Uintah County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +3,032
--- #701 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +9.3%
--- #15 among counties in Utah, #461 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 35,620
--- #11 largest county in Utah, #1,291 largest county nationwide

#11. Summit County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +6,033
--- #536 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +16.6%
--- #9 among counties in Utah, #177 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 42,357
--- #10 largest county in Utah, #1,137 largest county nationwide

#10. Box Elder County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +7,691
--- #495 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +15.4%
--- #10 among counties in Utah, #211 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 57,666
--- #8 largest county in Utah, #904 largest county nationwide

#9. Iron County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +11,126
--- #405 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +24.1%
--- #6 among counties in Utah, #77 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 57,289
--- #9 largest county in Utah, #909 largest county nationwide

#8. Wasatch County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +11,258
--- #402 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +47.8%
--- #1 among counties in Utah, #7 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 34,788
--- #12 largest county in Utah, #1,304 largest county nationwide

#7. Tooele County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +14,480
--- #353 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +24.9%
--- #5 among counties in Utah, #67 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 72,698
--- #7 largest county in Utah, #759 largest county nationwide

#6. Cache County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +20,498
--- #286 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +18.2%
--- #8 among counties in Utah, #145 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 133,154
--- #6 largest county in Utah, #486 largest county nationwide

#5. Weber County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +30,987
--- #209 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +13.4%
--- #13 among counties in Utah, #267 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 262,223
--- #4 largest county in Utah, #268 largest county nationwide

#4. Washington County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +42,164
--- #154 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +30.5%
--- #2 among counties in Utah, #35 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 180,279
--- #5 largest county in Utah, #371 largest county nationwide

#3. Davis County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +56,200
--- #115 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +18.3%
--- #7 among counties in Utah, #140 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 362,679
--- #3 largest county in Utah, #201 largest county nationwide

#2. Utah County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +142,835
--- #35 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +27.7%
--- #4 among counties in Utah, #49 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 659,399
--- #2 largest county in Utah, #104 largest county nationwide

#1. Salt Lake County

- 2010 to 2020 population change: +155,583
--- #30 among all counties nationwide
- 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +15.1%
--- #11 among counties in Utah, #223 among all counties nationwide
- 2020 population: 1,185,238
--- #1 largest county in Utah, #37 largest county nationwide

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