Yep - I've been telling you all along that we are one of the fastest growing areas in the country and here you go...Utah - fastest growing state in the union.  A study by Forbes based on the US Census shows this year the leader was Utah, with a 2008 population of 2.6 million and a year-over-year increase of 2.53% from 2007. Following Utah were Arizona and Texas, with increases of 2.31% and 2%, respectively.

The Utah population increase is mostly attributed to a baby boom: 43,200 were born here over the past year giving it 64% of the growth. With an increase of about 67,500 people in the area, that means in-migration--or people moving into the state from somewhere else--accounts for 36% of the overall population boost.

An article in the Salt Lake Tribune: "We're pleased," said State Planning Coordinator Mike Mower, "because it shows that Utah continues to remain a vibrant and great place to live."

It also points to the need to carefully plan land uses, water development, education and transportation in coming years, he said. The Governor's Office of Planning and Budget recently issued an annual growth report in which it predicted that at the current development rate, Davis County would run out of farmland by 2020.

Utah's economy remained relatively strong since the nation's number of jobs peaked last December, helping to keep people moving in from elsewhere right through the summer, state economist Juliette Tennert said. "Utah is unique," Tennert said, "in that its population growth is being fueled both by strong natural increase and net migration."

Six of the top 10 growth states are in the West, including Wyoming at No. 7. In years past, Wyoming was left out of the Mountain West's boom, but recently its numbers have surged on the strength of natural-gas development.

The four other top-10 states were in the South.

For more information about the state of Utah and Salt Lake City real estate specifically just fill out the form below or go to the Salt Lake City Utah Real Estate Resource Center.

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