Census bureau releases Utah demographic data

By Sun Advocate

The United States Census Bureau has released the federal agency’s first demographic data file for Utah.
According to the detailed 10-year census data, Utah’s population expanded by 29.6 percent during the last decade, jumping from 1,722,850 people in 1990 to 2,233,169 residents in 2000.
The census 2000 results ranks Utah as the fourth fastest growing state in the nation. Utah’s population expanded twice as fast as the U.S rate for the 10-year period.
Utah continues to report the youngest statewide population in the nation.
However, the median age of Utahns inched up from 26.3 years in 1990 to 27.1 in 2000.
Residents younger than age 18 accounted for 32.2 percent of the state’s total population in 2000, while people 65 years and older accounted for only 8.5 percent.
Males in Utah comprised 50.1 percent of the state’s population in 2000, climbing from 49.7 percent in 1990.
By comparison, female Utahns accounted for 49.9 percent of the population in 2000, declining slightly from 50.3 percent in 1990.
The majority or 97.9 percent of all Utahns selected only one race on the 2000 census survey.
The majority or 89.2 percent were white, while Utahns of Hispanic origin made up 9 percent of the state’s population last year.
Nationally, the proportion of traditional two-parent families has declined, with single-parent households rising from 5 percent in 1970 to 8 percent in 2000.
In spite of the nationwide trends, the 2000 rankings show that Utah places first in the nation for the per capita number of family households at 76 percent and in the number of married couple families at 63 percent.
In addition, Utah continues to lead the nation in average family size at 3.57 and average household size at 3.13.
During the last several decades, the composition characteristics of households in Utah has changed significantly.
Changes in the number and type depend on population growth, age shifts and individual living arrangement decisions.
Demographic trends in marriage, cohabitation, divorce, fertility and mortality also influence family and household composition.
The number of households in Utah reached 701,281 in 2000, representing a 31 percent increase from 1990.
The number of family households increased 30 percent, but remained constant at 76 percent proportionately across the state.
In 2000, only 35 percent of Utah households were composed of married couples with “own children” younger than 18, compared to 48 percent in 1970.
Population, job and income growth rates in Utah should continue to outpace the nation throughout 2001, according to the state’s latest data guide report.
After peaking at 6.2 percent in 1994, the state’s year-over job expansion rate fell to 2.4 percent in 1999, then edged up to 2.5 percent in 2000.
Economic analysts predict that Utah’s rate of job growth will hover at 2.1 percent in 2001, then drop to 1.7 percent for 2002.
Utah’s unemployment rate will climb from a 3.2 percent low in 2000 to 3.7 percent in 2001 and 3.9 percent in 2002, according to the analysts’ projections.
The 2002 Olympic Games continue to generate a significant amount of employment and earnings.
Between 1996 and 2002, analysts expect that the international event will create 35,000 job years of employment and $1.5 billion in earnings for Utah workers.
In 2001, the state will experience the largest economic effects from the Olympics, with an estimated $116 million net instate spending by visitors during the games.
Construction played an important role in Utah’s robust economic expansion during the last decade.
Construction grew as a percent of total employment from 3.7 percent statewide in 1989 to 6.9 percent in 1999.
Residential construction will finish 2001 with a growth of 2.8 percent in permit value, while non-residential permitted value will shrink by 9.3 percent, predict economic analysts.
Several government road projects and expansion in the state’s energy sector could come on line in the near future and help ease declines in construction employment in the coming years.
At the national level, the population of the United States increased 13.2 percent during the decade, climbing from 248,709,873 residents in 1990 to 281,421,906 in 2000.
The nation’s median age reached the highest point ever recorded, rising from 32.9 years in 1990 to 35.3 in 2000.
Although the nationwide median age increase reflects the aging of the baby boomers, it is the first time in the history of the census that the 65 and older sector actually climbed at a lower rate than the overall population.
Additional highlights from the national profile include the following data:
The number of male Americans at 138.1 million edged closer to the number of females, 143.4 million.
Nationwide, the sex ratio climbed from 95.1 in 1990 to 96.3 in 2000.
The average U.S. household size decreased slightly from 2.63 in 1990 to 2.59 in 2000.
The home ownership rate increased from 64 percent in 1990 to 66 percent nationwide in 2000.
The number of non-family households in the U.S. increased at twice the rate of family households, 23 percent versus 11 percent
Families in the U.S. maintained by women with no husband present increased three times as fast as married couple families, 21 percent versus 7 percent.
Married couple families dropped from 55 percent to 52 percent of all households nationwide.