In the 1990s Utah's economy diversified, becoming increasingly integrated with the national economy and much less dependent on key industries such as federal government (defense), mining and agriculture.  Because of that, Utah's economy is mirroring the national recession.  Income, jobs, population, exports, construction and housing prices all had slower growth during 2002.  The rate of job growth for Utah has fallen gradually from 6.2% in 1994, the peak year of the current cycle, to -1.0% in 2002. 

The outlook for the future calls for moderate growth in 2003, accelerating into 2004.  During 2003, Utah should have higher job growth than the U.S. and a lower unemployment rate.  The unemployment rate in Utah for April 2003 is 5.3%, compared to the national rate of 6.0%.  Utah tends to perform better than the nation over the long run due to strong internal population growth, a young, well-educated workforce, low business costs, and a strong work ethic.

Links to current information on Utah's economy.

• The 2005 Economic Report to the Governor - A popular annual publication of the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget, this is a comprehensive analysis of Utah's economy and projections for the future. Lots of graphs and tables. Visit here first. From that report, you can view the informative excerpts page as a .pdf document.
  
  
• Utah Trendlines, latest information on Utah's economy, including new companies, expansions and closures, prepared by the Utah Department of Workforce Services.
  
  
• Governor's Office of Planning & Budget, offers various reports on Utah's economy and demographic information.
  
  
• Utah Foundation, nonprofit, non-advocacy research organization.