Utah County Real Estate

CULTURE & HISTORY   

Demographics:

Source: Relocate Utah

Background
No reliable estimate exists of the number of Native Americans in Utah before the coming of white settlers. The Spanish added no permanent population to the area, nor did the mountain men in quest of furs in the early 19th century. It was the Mormon migration that gave Utah its basic population. The first groups to come were chiefly from New England and New York. Later migrations consisted mainly of emigrants from the British Isles and the Scandinavian countries, with lesser numbers from other countries of western Europe and the United States. Mormon emigration from Europe was greatly aided by the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company, established in 1849 to provide transportation to America for poor converts who were expected to return the money advanced for transportation. During its 40 years of operation, the company helped bring more than 85,000 emigrants from Europe to Utah.

The first significant non-Mormon residents of the territory were U.S. troops sent to Utah in 1858 and in 1862. During the 1860's, however, non-Mormons ("Gentiles") came in increasing numbers to engage in mining, business, religious, and educational work. With the coming of the railroad in 1869 the non-Mormon population grew more rapidly. Through the latter part of Utah's territorial period, its population was possibly 90 percent Mormon and 10 percent non-Mormon.

Population Characteristics
According to the 1990 census, the population of Utah in 1990 was 1,722,850, a gain of 17.9 percent over the 1980 census population of 1,461,037. The state ranked 35th in the nation in population in 1990, up from 36th in 1980. Of the people counted in 1990, about 1,615,800 identified themselves as whites, about 11,600 as blacks, about 24,300 as American Indians, about 33,400 as Asians or Pacific Islanders, and about 37,800 as belonging to other races. Some 84,600 people, of various races, claimed Hispanic origin. About 87 percent of the population was urban.

Utah's population is largely of northern European background. About 94 percent of the population is white. Three fourths of the people are church members, and of that number about 90 percent (65 percent of the total population) are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon). Other religious groups, in order of size, are Methodists, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Disciples of Christ, Baptists, and Congregationalists.

Economic Conditions
Source: NCCP.org

Income Distribution
• Median annual income for a family of 4 (2000): $57,043 (National: $62,228)
• Income inequality (1998-2000): The average income of families in the top one-fifth of earnings is 7.0 times higher than the average income of families in the lowest one-fifth (National: 10.0 times higher)

Wages and Employment
• Median hourly wage (1999): $11.08 (National: 11.87)
• Annual unemployment rate (2001): 4.4% (National: 4.8%)
• Female labor force participation rate (2000): 62.7% (National: 60.2%)
• The basic budget for a family of 4 in the largest metropolitan area (1999): $35,148 (Salt Lake City)

Housing Costs and Homeownership
• Median rent (2 BR) in largest metropolitan area (2002): $721 (Salt Lake City)
• Median value of home in state (2000): $144,036 (National: $120,496)
• Home ownership rate (2001): 72.4% (National: 67.8%)

In Utah, there are 334,014 families, with 720,524 children.

Low-Income Families: 30% (101,574) of families with children are low-income (National: 34%).

Families in Poverty: 10% (34,699) of families with children are poor (National: 14%).

Low-Income Children: 34% (246,270) of children live in low-income families (National: 37%).

Children in Poverty: 12% (84,902) of children live in poor families (National: 16%).

Many low-income parents in Utah families are employed
• 56% (57,009) of low-income families include at least one parent who is employed full-time/ year-round.
• 36% (36,405) of low-income families include only parent(s) who are employed either part-year or part-time.
• Just 8% (8,160) of low-income families have no employed parents.

In Utah, parents with limited education are more likely to be low-income
• 15% (15,358) of low-income families are headed by parent(s) who do not have a high school degree.
• Only 2% (5,355) of all other families are headed by parent(s) who do not have a high school degree.

Low-income families in Utah are more likely to be headed by a single parent
• 34% (34,388) of low-income families are headed by a single parent.
• 13% (29,653) of all other families are headed by a single parent.

In Utah, Latino children are more likely to live in low-income families
• 29% of white children live in low-income families.
• 68% of Latino children live in low-income families.

In Utah, young children are more likely to live in low-income families
• 41% of children under age 6 live in low-income families.
• 30% of children age 6 or older live in low-income families.

Definitions

Poverty: Income beSlow the federal poverty level (FPL), currently $18,400 per year for a family of four.
Near-poverty: Income between 100-200% of the federal poverty level (FPL).
Low-income: Income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL); curretnly $36,800 per year for a family of four.

These numbers are from the federal poverty guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The demographic findings on this page were calculated using a more complex version of the federal poverty measure—the thresholds issued by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more information about federal poverty measures, see The 2003 HHS Poverty Guidelines.

Alternate Source: http://governor.utah.gov/dea/People.html

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