These were Utah's 10 fastest-growing cities in 2024

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's most populous city was also its fastest-growing city last year.

However, its growth, in terms of percentage increases, still pales in comparison to several towns and cities in Utah County, according to newly released federal data.

Salt Lake City gained close to 6,000 residents between July 1, 2023, and July 1 of last year — about a 2.8% increase in year-over-year growth, per city and town population data released by the Census Bureau on Thursday. The agency now estimates that 217,783 people live in the state's capital, nearly 80,000 more than any other city in the state.

It also leaped four spots from the previous year's numeric estimates, besting Saratoga Springs' addition of 4,474 residents in a list otherwise dominated by Utah County. Municipalities within the state's fastest-growing county claimed half of the top 10 list in numeric growth, including four of the top five spots. They also claimed seven of the 10 fastest-growing communities in terms of percentage growth, among towns and cities with at least 10,000 residents after the 2024 estimate.

As a result, the order of Utah's 10 most-populated cities underwent another small change in 2024.

The new data helps to understand exactly which municipalities gained or lost population over the past year, following previous statewide and countywide population data releases over the past few months.

Where people moved to in 2024

Municipality growth is often tied to having open land available or redevelopment, state experts have explained in previous reports. Salt Lake City has become the leader of the latter.

Although they use different datasets to calculate population, federal and local experts agree that Salt Lake City's growth topped many other cities last year — and its population could even be higher than what the Census Bureau estimates.

Its population could be closer to 227,967, according to provisional estimates that the University of Utah Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute is working to finalize. Natalie Gochnour, the institute's director, said that housing units in the city grew by 6.3% from 2023, as well, as she provided an economic report to city leaders on Tuesday.

"Salt Lake City is on the leaderboard for activity, for dynamism (and) for things happening," she said, pointing to several factors that help it out, such as the city holding about a quarter of all of the state's jobs, for the state with the top GDP growth last year.

While no Utah cities landed among the top 10 in the nation, Salt Lake City's growth seemed to mirror national trends, where cities rebounded from trends in 2023.

New York City led the nation in numeric growth, gaining 87,184 residents in 2024. It was followed by Houston, Los Angeles, San Antonio and Fort Worth, Texas.

"Cities of all sizes, in all regions, showed faster growth and larger gains than in 2023, except for small cities in the South, whose average population growth rate remained the same," said Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau's population division.

Most of Utah County's growth, on the other hand, continues to come from developing more open land, helping it dominate the rest of the top five.

Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Lehi and American Fork rounded out the list. It also dominated in population growth. Vineyard's population grew by almost 10%, leading all towns and cities in the state with a population of at least 10,000 residents. Saratoga Springs, Mapleton, American Fork, Eagle Mountain, Salem and Santaquin also landed in the Top 10.

Plymouth, Box Elder County, technically led Utah in growth increase last year, growing by about 12%, but it gained just 52 people and its population remained under 500 by July 1, 2024.

Although Lehi slipped from first in numeric growth and second in percentage growth in 2023 to fourth and outside of the top 10 in 2024, respectively, it still climbed another spot in Utah's list of 10 most-populated cities. With an estimated population of 93,446 people, it jumped past Sandy for seventh on the list after sneaking past Ogden for eighth in 2023.

Where populations declined

While most cities gained residents in 2024, several did lose residents. Sandy lost 189 people, which was the most of any Utah city, according to the Census Bureau. While the numbers are different, the Gardner Policy Institute also found population decline in what is now the state's eighth-most populated city.

Cottonwood Heights, North Logan, Holladay and Midway rounded out the bottom five in numeric growth. These declines are usually a mix of factors, especially vacant homes or children growing up and moving out of single-family homes, Gochnour explained.

The brunt of her presentation, however, focused on the "uncertainty" in the market and the possibility of a future recession based on that unclear economic outlook. That could impact future statewide growth trends, as can the state's growing housing costs — an issue she brought up earlier this year.

"We absolutely believe housing affordability is moderating our growth," she said in February. "That's just one of a few (factors), but that's certainly a significant one."

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