By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News
According to new population estimates from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, Utah’s population increased by 50,395 from 2023 to 2024. However, this growth did not reach the Castle Country, which saw a combined population decrease of 334.
The state’s growth was seen mainly along the Wasatch Front, with the Salt Lake Tribune reporting that the cities experiencing the most significant growth during the time frame were Salt Lake City, Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain.
To estimate population growth and shrinkage, the institute utilizes the housing method, which incorporates housing and demographic data to produce estimates of the total population. It also uses data such as school enrollment and tax information to develop the estimates.
The date provided by the Kem. C Gardner Policy Institute was measured on July 1 of each year starting in 2019. The data analyzed here is from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024.
Carbon County
Across Carbon County, the population decreased by 213 residents. This drop leaves the estimated population at 20,442 residents.
The only city not impacted by this drop was Scofield, whose population of 25 remained consistent from 2023 to 2024.
Price, by virtue of being the largest municipality in the county, also saw the biggest drop in population, losing an estimated 82 residents.
The following are the city-by-city estimates across Carbon County:
East Carbon
2023 estimate: 1,569
2024 estimate: 1,553
Total change: -16
Helper
2023 estimate: 2,133
2024 estimate: 2,108
Total change: -25
Price
2023 estimate: 8,291
2024 estimate: 8,209
Total change: -82
Scofield
2023 estimate: 25
2024 estimate: 25
Total change: 0
Wellington
2023 estimate: 1,621
2024 estimate: 1,604
Total change: -17
Unincorporated Carbon County
2023 estimate: 7,016
2024 estimate: 6,943
Total change: -73
Emery County
Despite having nearly double the number of counted areas of Carbon County, Emery County has less than half the population of its neighbor to the north, with an estimated 9,914 residents.
As was the case in Carbon County, the city with the largest population saw the biggest decrease – with Huntington losing an estimated 23 residents during the time frame.
Clawson saw the smallest change from 2023 to 2024, with an estimated loss of only two residents. This brings the current estimate for the town to 164 residents.
The following are the city-by-city estimates across Emery County:
Castle Dale
2023 estimate: 1,518
2024 estimate: 1,500
Total change: -18
Clawson
2023 estimate: 166
2024 estimate: 164
Total change: -2
Cleveland
2023 estimate: 508
2024 estimate: 503
Total change: -5
Elmo
2023 estimate: 418
2024 estimate: 413
Total change: -5
Emery
2023 estimate: 312
2024 estimate: 309
Total change: -3
Ferron
2023 estimate: 1,506
2024 estimate: 1,488
Total change: -18
Green River
2023 estimate: 877
2024 estimate: 865
Total change: -12
Huntington
2023 estimate: 1,959
2024 estimate: 1,936
Total change: 23
Orangeville
2023 estimate: 1,254
2024 estimate: 1,238
Total change: -16
Unincorporated Emery County
2023 estimate: 1,517
2024 estimate: 1,498
Total change: -19