SALT LAKE CITY — About 60% of the U.S.'s counties experienced growth over the past year, including three-fourths of Utah's counties.

However, according to new data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau, none of Utah's counties cracked any of the agency's top national growth categories between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023. The figures offer slightly more clarity into statewide population estimates the Census Bureau released in December, which estimated that Utah's population grew by almost 36,500 residents.

Meanwhile, Cedar City placed among the top in micro area growth also released on Thursday.

"Domestic migration patterns are changing, and the impact on counties is especially evident," said Lauren Bowers, chief of the bureau's population estimates branch, in a statement.

Utah's county trends

Utah County, to no surprise, remains where a large chunk of the state's growth is happening. It gained 16,482 residents between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023, the Census Bureau estimates. That's nearly half of the state's growth during the same period.

Washington (4,722), Davis (3,320), Weber (2,466) and Cache (2,248) rounded out the Top 5 in numeric growth, according to the Census Bureau.

Yet parts of southern and central Utah led the field in percentage growth. Piute County gained 57 residents, a 3.7% increase, to top Juab County's 3.4% increase after it gained 437 new residents. Iron (2.7%), Kane (2.6%) and Tooele (2.6%) counties also ended up near the top in this category.

Iron County's growth helped the Cedar City micro area crack the Top 10 in both numeric and percentage growth among U.S. metro areas. It gained 1,703 new residents, a 2.7% increase, to place eighth in both categories.

Only seven counties lost population during this period, led by Salt Lake County's estimated loss of 756 residents. Summit (-286), Beaver (-84), Grand (-65) and San Juan (-48) rounded out the bottom five on the list. Daggett County had the largest percentage drop, as its estimated population dropped by about 2.3%.

Salt Lake County remains the state's highest-populated county with almost 1.2 million residents followed by Utah County's almost 720,000 residents.

Related:

Utah's population grew by 1.1% in 2023. Here's how it compares with other states

Utah continues to be one of the fastest-growing states in the country; however, it and the West are certainly not growing as fast as states in another region of the country.

These estimates differ from figures already released by the Utah Population Committee and Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah, largely because of differences in how the two gather data.

The committee estimated that almost 56,000 people moved into Utah between mid-2022 and mid-2023, with Utah County gaining 22,063 residents and Salt Lake County gaining 13,836 residents. The report found that all but just two counties gained residents over the past year.

The Census Bureau's estimates are based on various national statistics, including Internal Revenue Service, Medicare enrollment and Social Security Administration information. The Utah Population Committee uses information like building permits and student enrollment information in addition to similar tax and health data.

And while the new Census Bureau information offers better insight into its statewide population, it doesn't explain why counties fare better than others or indicate trends within various towns and cities.

For instance, the Census Bureau found that cities like Lehi, Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs carried Utah County's growth in 2022, while Orem and Provo lost population. In Salt Lake County's case, it lost population in 2022 because more people left cities like Draper, Millcreek, Murray, Sandy, Taylorsville and West Valley City that it offset the growth occurring in South Jordan, Salt Lake City and Herriman.

This is a fairly common trend, says Natalie Gochnour, director of the Gardner Policy Institute.

"It's very difficult for urban cores to hold onto their population," she said, during an unrelated event Wednesday about the future of Salt Lake City. "It's expensive and it's more difficult to build in a populated urban space."

Nationwide county trends

Overall, the number of counties that experienced growth rose from 1,649 in 2022 to 1,876 in 2023. But what's perhaps more interesting is that growth in the West appears to be slowing down while some parts of the country that experienced years of decline suddenly experienced some growth, according to Bowers.

"Areas which experienced high levels of domestic out-migration during the pandemic, such as in the Midwest and Northeast, are now seeing more counties with population growth," she said. "Meanwhile, county population growth is slowing down out West, such as in Arizona and Idaho."

The South (0.56%) and West (0.34%) still experienced growth, while the Northeast (-0.07%) and Midwest (-0.02%) lost population; however, the Midwest had more counties with population gains than population losses for the first time in three years. The number of losses in the Northeast is also slowing down.

Counties in Texas dominated gains in 2023, continuing an ongoing trend over the past few years. Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston, experienced the largest growth, adding 53,788 residents in 2023. It topped the 36,364 residents gained in Collin County, Texas.

Montgomery County, Texas (31,800); Maricopa County, Arizona (30,038) and Polk County, Florida (29,948) rounded out the Top 5. But Polk County led the nation in net domestic migration, adding 26,029 residents from more people moving into the county than out of it.

Meanwhile, Harris County, Texas, led the nation in percentage growth, growing by 7.6%. Five other Texas counties placed in the Top 10 for growth in this category.

Los Angeles County, California, remains the country's largest county with more than 9.6 million residents; however, it also led the nation by losing 56,420 residents from 2022 to 2023. That may have to do with the same challenges that Gochnour explained.

The counties in and around New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia also had some of the largest declines in 2023. While Texas led in many growth categories, some of its counties also had high percentage losses.

The Census Bureau is expected to release additional information about towns and cities at a later time. Its information helps federal leaders divvy up representation, money and resources across the country.

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