Census figures reflect aging of rural Utah

By BETHANY RODGERS
The Salt Lake Tribune

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Newly released census figures show that adults in rural Wayne County grew more as a share of the population than anywhere else in Utah over the past decade. The Salt Lake Tribune reports the share of adults increased from 70% in 2010 to 78% in 2020. That’s consistent with an earlier finding from the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute that six mostly rural counties have populations where at least 1 in 5 residents is older than 64. Accounts of younger families exiting rural communities for lack of economic opportunity echo concerns that state officials have expressed in recent years.