For nearly 174 years, Salt Lake County has served as the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and home for most of its presidents and apostles. • The counties with the highest percentage of Latter-day Saints are Morgan (82.68%), Rich (82.52%), Utah (80.43%) and Box Elder (74.92%). Population vs. Church Members. An Associated Press analysis of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership records used by state planning officials to develop population estimates shows that Mormons now make up 60.4 percent of the state's population. Early pioneers created it as a remote refuge from persecution. The Mormon population in Utah seems to be declining. Smaller gains were observed in counties including Summit, Davis, and Salt Lake. • Utah County now has 539,573 Latter-day Saints, which comes close to matching the 546,163 who live in much larger Salt Lake County. For example, he said at least eight new stakes, or regional clusters of congregations, were created in Utah in 2020 and no stakes discontinued. Assessing the erosion in Utah’s LDS head count requires identifying the ways members might be dropped from local rolls: They may resign membership, be excommunicated (or had their membership withdrawn), move to another area, die, or have records created when they were babies later removed if they were never baptized into the faith. (Chris Detrick | Tribune file photo) Sarah Epperson mails her letter of resignation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints near Temple Square in Salt Lake City Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015. 91.54% of Utah residents were born in the United States, with 61.75% having been born in Utah. Further sustained growth was to follow and by the end of the century, the population of Utah had grown to 276,749. Mormon portion of Utah population steadily shrinking. Family History Centers. State senators serve four-year terms and representatives two-year terms. Salt Lake City is the world headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church, and the spiritual home of adherents throughout the world. ... At least 236 pioneer companies of approximately 60,000 pioneers crossed the plains for Utah. Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants. Located in the central southern sector of the USA, the state of Utah is the 13th largest in terms of land mass, but it is very sparsely populated by comparison. In 1850, the Utah population was recorded at 11,380 but some significant increases were to follow. The population was 47,407 at the 2010 census, up from 19,028 in 2000. Utah is now home to more than 2 million Mormons, or about one-third of the total number of Mormons in the United States. Growing up a non Mormon in Utah, I experienced the same things you did, plus more. With time, they transformed the desert valley into the bustling and prosperous Salt Lake City. It is possible the church has a higher number of members, but they are not active enough to let local lay leaders request their records and attach a current address to them. “The No. The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 95.64%. (Rick Bowmer | AP file photo) A silhoutte of the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Jan. 3, 2018. This has a large influence on the culture and life in Utah. It may also lead to an increase in the number of people who formally resign their church membership. The Utah State Legislature consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. LDS dominance may be the most important factor in determining political outcomes in Utah's Legislature. sltrib.com. But it’s hard to get hard facts on that.”. The highest loss occurred in Emery, which had a drop of 5.66%. It's additionally worth noting that Salt Lake City, Utah, is the world headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and about 55% of Utahans are members of the church. “Feeling judged,” Riess noted, was the top reason Latter-day Saint women gave for leaving the fold. Construction materials and materials for making cement also abound—gravel, sand, and limestone. That makes sense to Pam Perlich, a demographer for the University of Utah, who says the state has become less Mormon over time because people of other persuasions have moved here for economic opportunities. The last census in the USA was carried out in 2010, and this revealed that the Utah population stood at 2,763,885. This comparison showed that Utah as a whole primarily had population gains across its counties. Perlich notes the average age in Utah has been climbing, meaning “deaths are going up because of the age of church members.”. It is named after Lehi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon. Utah, which has the highest Mormon population, has 5,229 congregations. Utah’s population is 57 percent Mormon — and 88 percent white.) SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is most charitable state in the country, thanks in part to generous members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to a new report. Mormon Population in Utah Mormons in Utah account for 67.70% of its … Statewide, Mormons account for nearly 62 percent of Utah’s 3.1 million residents. … the 17th growing metropolitan area in the country. Then I ended up marrying a man from a very large Mormon family. The researchers found Utah to be the most Mormon state with close to 70 percent identifying as Mormon adherents. Over the past five to 10 years, he said hard-to-quantify numbers of people have been leaving the church for a variety of reasons. Utah currently enjoys a growth rate of 1.64%, which ranks 4th in the country. Colorado and Nevada were separated in 1861, with further transfers from Utah to Nevada in 1862 and 1866. “People are coming and bringing their characteristics from the outside world here,” Perlich said. Mormons: World Population Numbers by Year How Many LDS Members (Mormons) Are There Worldwide? Statewide, Mormons account for nearly 62 percent of Utah’s 3.1 million residents. The 1870 population excludes Rio Virgin County, which was part of Nevada although enumerated as part of Utah. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Mormon population of Utah continues to get smaller. Other significant gains were recorded in Washington County (12.41%), Uintah County (16.9%), and Morgan County (16.13), among others. Among the possible reasons for these documented declines are Utahns leaving the faith and resigning their membership. Though the state has enjoyed a 29% increase in overall population from 1990 to 2000, the Mormon portion of the total population is slightly decreasing. You are correct that Utah lives in a bubble. Even these figures will not give a complete pictures since many of those that are still considered members of the Church have no active involvement in the Church or feel a need to maintain Church standards. San Juan includes part of the Navajo Nation. In Utah in 2016, nearly 28% of the total vote in 2016 went to candidates other than Trump or Clinton. And the percentage of Utah’s population that is LDS continues a six-year decrease, now down to 60.02% from 63.33% in 2014. The data reflects only those Latter-day Saints with a known address. 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