Morgan County makes national growth list

Morgan County has been named the 34 fastest-growing county in the U.S. in a Dec. 12 Wall Street Journal special report.

Over the 10 years from 2012 to 2021 (the most recent years for which data is available) the county’s population has grown by 28.2 percent — 2,677, the report says. Morgan County grew from a population of 9,485 in 2012 to 12,162 in 2021.

Median home values increased by 70.4 percent (+$187,600) over that decade which means that a home that cost $266,300 in 2012 would have sold for $453,900 in 2021. On the plus side, employment increased by 39.3 percent, meaning 1,601 jobs were added during that time. Unemployment dropped from 4.3 percent in 2012 to 2.2 percent in 2021.

Three other Utah counties made the list: Wasatch at #6, Washington at #41, and Utah at #46. Wasatch County saw a 43.8 percent population increase and a 52.2 percent increase in employment over that decade. Unemployment dropped from 5.1 percent in 2012 to 2.9 percent in 2012.

By comparison, the fastest-growing county in the country, McKenzie County, North Dakota, saw a 105.6 percent (+7,070 people) population explosion, no doubt driven by the massive expansion of fracking operations in the state. Its median home value increased by 194.4 percent (to $309,400) while employment increased by 38.5 percent (+2,301 jobs).

“In most counties on this list, the job market expanded enough to accommodate the influx of new residents, as overall employment growth outpaced population growth. Only four counties on this list had a higher average unemployment rate in 2021 than in 2012, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics,” the report said.

“Increased demand for housing in these places had a meaningful impact on the real estate market,” it also said. “Among the counties on this list, median home values climbed by anywhere from about 15 percent to nearly 200 percent based on ACS estimates from 2012 to 2021. λ