Rankings
How Does Utah Stack Up?
Utah has captured national attention and accolades on both a private and public sector level. Our individual cities and State government continue to excel in their ability to manage and encourage entrepreneurship and business growth. The state continually ranks high amongst national leaders in job growth, fastest growing companies, new startups and creating a pro-business environment. Utah’s rankings and awards are an indication of the growing momentum in the Utah business community to draw the best and brightest minds to the state.
State
A for Governance—Utah was one of only two states to receive an A for governance in a major study conducted by World Magazine.
World Magazine, 2007
Innovative and Growing—Utah ranks first in the nation for Economic Dynamism, second for Inventor Patents, fourth for Fastest Growing Firms and fifth for Venture Capital.
The Kaufmann Foundation, 2007
Best-Managed—According to the USA Today Utah is the Best-Managed State in the nation.
Healthy State—Utah ranked fifth by the United Health Foundation for its low smoking rates, cancer deaths, violent crimes, and child poverty
Best of Web Awards—Utah’s official website, Utah.gov, is ranked the best government website in the U.S.
Center for Digital Government, 2007
Cities
Best City For Commuters
“Best City For Commuters”—Salt Lake city was ranked number 1 on Forbes.com Best Cities for Commutters publication in February of 2010.
Forbes.com, 2010
“Best City For Jobs”—Salt Lake city was ranked number 1 in Forbes Magazine's Best Cities for Jobs publication for the second consecutive year. SLC's "technology abundance", 2nd ranked employment rate, and job growth rate were cited as reasons for the cities flourishing job market”.
Forbes Magazine, 2008
“Boomtown List of Hottest Midsize Cities”—Provo was ranked the number 9 Hottest Midsize City as an “entrepreneurial hotbed”.
Inc. Magazine, 2006
Fiscally Fit—Salt Lake City is the nations most fiscally fit metropolitan area.
State Farm Insurance Company
Best Places for Business and Career—Provo, Utah ranked sixth by Forbes magazine for reasonable cost of conducting business, workforce qualification, number of college graduates and PhDs, job and income growth, migration patterns, and low crime rate.
Forbes Magazine, 2003
Urban Innovation—Fast Company name Salt Lake City one of the 30 fastest cities in the world because of its urban innovation.
Fast Company, 2007
Relocating Information Technology Companies—Salt Lake City made the “short list” of cities west of the Mississippi that act as a refugee for information technology companies fleeing California.
The Boyd Co.
Buisiness
Top State for Business—CNBC ranked Utah third in the U.S. for the second consecutive year in its 2008 list of the Top States fo Business
CNBC, 2008
Entrepreneurial State—Utah ranks third in North America for best states for entrepreneurs and business start-ups.
The Fraser Institute, 2007
“Best States for Business”—Utah is the 2nd ranked state for business, taking into account business costs, labor, regulatory environment, economic climate, growth prospects, and quality of life.
Forbes Magazine, 2008
Fostering Entrepreneurs—The highest number of companies per capita found on the Inc. 500 list were from Utah in 2003 and 2004.
Inc. 500, 2004
“Top 10 Pro-Business States”—In a comprehensive study examining twenty-nine factors relative to state’s efforts to be pro business, Utah ranked in the top 10.
Pollina Corporate, 2007
Explosive Job Growth—In 2006, Utah ranked second in the nation for job growth.
Utah Facts 2008
Population
“High Birth, Low Death”—Among the fifty states, Utah ranked number one for the highest birth rate and number two for the lowest death rate.
National Center for Health Statistics
Young and Vibrant—Utah has the youngest population in the nation with a median age of 28.5 years.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2004
Education
Literate Society—Utah boasts a 94 percent literacy rate—the highest in the nation.
Utah Facts 2008
Focus on Education—Utah ranks second in the nation with ninety-three percent of twenty-five year olds having graduated high school. Utah also ranks sixteenth in the percentage of residents who hold a 4 year degree.
Utah Facts 2008
Technologically Advanced Population—Utah has the highest percentage of computers per household in the nation.
Utah Facts 2008






