Utah Keeps Coming Out on Top
– By Howard Sierer –
Utah came out #1 again in U.S. News’ annual ranking of the best states for 2024, repeating its #1 ranking from 2023. As was the case last year, Utah’s consistency in categories across the board helped make it the king. The state landed in the top 10 in five of the eight categories measured by U.S. News, peaking at second in education, followed by #3 finishes in both economy and infrastructure. The state has risen to national prominence after over a century when it was perceived as a backwater.
While generally taken for granted by those of us living here, Utah is also known for another admirable quality. Ben Blau, head of the Department of Economics and Finance at Utah State University, says “the people are extremely nice. You’ll hear that periodically of folks that go and visit Utah. In fact, sometimes they’re almost too nice – people get a little weirded out.”
I’ve written a number of columns describing what all that those nice folks have accomplished in recent years and I thought it is time for a recap:
Utah was ranked #1 for economic outlook 10 years in a row.
Forbes magazine rated Utah as the best state for business three years in a row and for five out of six years.
The website “24/7 Wall Street” analyzed 50 measures of doing business and ranked Utah first.
Chief Executive Magazine rated Utah’s workforce quality best in the country.
WalletHub ranked five Utah cities near the top of its “Best Small Cities for Starting a Business.” Our own St. George is #2 on the list.
The Wasatch Front’s “Silicon Slopes” received national recognition as #1 on Forbes magazine’s “Tomorrow’s Tech Meccas”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce ranked Utah No. 1 in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Pew Research found that “the middle-class is still thriving in Utah.”
CNBC ranks our state as best in the country for families with middle class incomes.
Utah has one of the lowest percentages of children in poverty.
Bloomberg ran an article titled “How Utah Keeps the American Dream Alive.”
Utah is the only state in country to rate an A+ for teaching financial literacy in its public schools.
Utah was one of America’s five healthiest states due in no small part to our fourth lowest obesity rate and the lowest percentage of smokers. The payoff: Utah is ranked first in states to grow old in.
Utah was best in the country in navigating its economy through the pandemic according to 24/7 Wall St. growing our economy at a 4.3% rate during 2020 while the nation as whole dropped 1.3%.
Utah was the fastest growing state in the union over the 10 years leading up to the 2020 census.
Utah was ranked as having the best state economic outlook for the 15th constitutive year by the ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index.
Provo-Orem demonstrated the best economic performance among larger cities for the second year in a row, according to the 2022 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index with Logan and St. George first and second among small cities.
Morningstar, the highly respected financial rating firm, says, “Utah’s my529 plan is the only 529 plan that’s consistently received a ‘Gold’ rating since we debuted our ratings in 2012,
Wallet Hub ranked Utah as the best state in the union to start a business in 2023.
Utah had the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 2.2% in December2022.
The Volunteering and Civic Life in America website once again ranks Utah as the national leader in volunteer service.
Last month, I reported that Utah’s Salt Lake City tech hub was the country’s hottest job market in 2023.
These accolades won’t go on forever but I’m pretty safe in predicting that Utah will stay near the top in a wide variety of measures. Those “nice people” will see to that.
