Gardner report: No. Utah mean centers of population & employment fall in SLC

The mean center of population and employment in Northern Utah both fall in Salt Lake City, according to a new analysis from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah. This reflects the strong influence Utah’s Greater Salt Lake economic region, namely Salt Lake City and County, plays as the state’s cultural, economic and political heart, the institute said. The region encompasses 86.7 percent of the state’s population and includes nearly 90 percent of the state’s employment.

“The mean center is a unique metric that shows the balancing point of population and employment,” said Gardner Institute analyst Eric Albers. “If each person and job are weighted equally, the mean center would be the point where you could balance a state, region or county on a Please log in to see the rest of this story.