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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah continues to boast the youngest median age in the nation, but — along with the rest of the nation — it isn't getting any younger.
Utah's median age rose to 32.3 years old by July 2023, up from 32 in July 2022 and 31.4 at the time of the 2020 census, according to new demographics released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. That's not much of a surprise because the percentage of children living in Utah dropped from 27.6% to 27.3% over the past year.
The Beehive State's median age remains nearly four years younger than any other state and nearly seven years below the national average, which has also risen over the past three years, at a slightly slower clip.
The agency's bracket data offers somewhat of a window into how Utah is aging. It seems to suggest the children who helped Utah famously gain its title as the youngest state in the nation are becoming adults, all while the state's fertility rate continues to lag. That's on top of more adults moving into Utah, which has driven most of the state's growth in recent years.
It also replicates some of the recent trends observed by the University of Utah Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
"We know that young adults are more likely to move ... and new data that we have since 2020 shows that people moving here a little bit younger in that young adult stage," said Mallory Bateman, the institute's director of demographic research. "That looks like that aligns with the Census estimates."
A growing working-age population
Yet, with its age, it appears Utah is getting more people into the workforce.
The Census Bureau broke down some of its data into metro areas, reporting the St. George (14.3%) and Provo-Orem-Lehi (11.4%) metro areas were second and fourth among the fastest-growing working-age populations in U.S. metro areas between 2020 and 2023. That's based on a rising number of people living in Utah between the ages of 15 and 64.
Both areas surged past the national average of 0.2% during the same span. Wildwood-The Villages, Florida; Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida; and Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, were first, third and fifth in this category, respectively.
It's difficult to know why either Utah area attracted working-age adults, but Bateman points out both are near universities and growing tech sectors. This could also represent why people are moving to Utah altogether; and why Utah continues to grow jobs while its unemployment rate remains below the national average.
"I do think there are a lot of opportunities here that are attracting people," she said. "That low unemployment rate, I think, does reflect that we've got a lot of different opportunities for people — whether they're people living here already or move here to move those roles."
The growth of 65-plus populations
Federal demographers also found Utah's 65-and-older population grew in every Utah metro area over the past year. In fact, that population base grew in 386 of the 387 metro areas across the country, according to the Census Bureau.
Eagle Pass, Texas, was the lone exception.
"Increased longevity and the large baby boomer generation, born from 1946 to 1964, are contributing to the growth in the older adult population," said Lauren Bowers, who oversees the agency's population estimates branch.
In Utah, the number of residents 65 and older increased by more than 15,000 between 2022 and 2023. Those 65 and older now represent about 12.1% of the state's population, up slightly from 11.9% in 2022.
Bateman says there are no signs of this trend (or the overall median age increase trend) changing anytime soon.
However, there is one other benefit to the state's median age Utah demographers have mentioned before: it gives Utah leaders more time to learn from other states that now have median ages in the mid-40s.
Governments have time to learn the types of health care and infrastructure needs that would likely be required to reflect an aging population. This could mean more attention toward elderly care services while closing schools, or there could be tweaks to minor things like building fewer playgrounds and focusing more on trails or quiet parks.
"It's a little bit of an inflection point where we have some time to think about how we can keep adapting to an aging population in a bunch of different areas," Bateman said.
