Utah County, Utah

Utah County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 665,665, thus making it Utah’s second-most populous county. The county seat and largest city is Provo, which is the state’s third-largest city, and the largest outside of Salt Lake County.

Utah County is part of the Provo-Orem, UT Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT Combined Statistical Area.

In 2010, the center of population of Utah was in Utah County, in the city of Saratoga Springs.

Utah County is one of seven counties in the United States to have the same name as its state. The other six counties are Arkansas County, Hawaii County, Idaho County, Iowa County, Oklahoma County and New York County (commonly known as Manhattan).

History

The legislature of the State of Deseret created a county on January 31, 1850, to govern the civic affairs of Utah Valley, which by the 1850s was bustling with newly arrived settlers. The county name derived from the valley name, which derived from the Spanish name (Yuta) for the Ute Indians. The State of Deseret was dissolved soon after (April 5, 1851), but the counties it had set in place continued in existence. There is little record of any official activity conducted by the fledgling county until April 18, 1852, when a full slate of county officials was published and recordkeeping began. The first courthouse was built in central Provo in 1866–67. It was soon outgrown, and was replaced by a second courthouse (1872–73). By the 1920s this building was also cramped, and the decision was made to erect a combined city-county building, which was completed in 1926.

The county’s boundaries were adjusted in 1852, 1854, 1856, 1862, 1880, and 1884. It has retained its present boundary since 1884.

Geography

Utah County terrain ranges from stiff mountain ranges in the east (the Wasatch Range), dropping steeply to a large lake-filled valley. Most of the comparatively level ground is dedicated to agriculture or developed uses, while most of the steep terrain is covered with arid-climate forestation. The county generally slopes to the west and north, with its highest point (Mt. Nebo in the southern part of the county), at 11,928′ (3636m) ASL. The county has an area of 2,144 square miles (5,550 km²), of which 2,003 square miles (5,190 km²) is land and 141 square miles (370 km²) (6.6%) is water.

Utah Valley lies at the center of the county, lined by the mountains of the Wasatch Range on the east. Utah Lake occupies a large part of the valley. The elevation ranges from 4,487 feet (1,368 m) above sea level at the lake to 11,928 feet (3,636 m) at the peak of Mount Nebo.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

• Utah Lake
• Provo Bay (an extension of Utah Lake)
• Scofield Reservoir (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	2,026		—
1860	8,248		307.1%
1870	12,203		48.0%
1880	17,973		47.3%
1890	23,768		32.2%
1900	32,456		36.6%
1910	37,942		16.9%
1920	40,792		7.5%
1930	49,021		20.2%
1940	57,382		17.1%
1950	81,912		42.7%
1960	106,991		30.6%
1970	137,776		28.8%
1980	218,106		58.3%
1990	263,590		20.9%
2000	368,540		39.8%
2010	516,564		40.2%
2020	659,399		27.7%
US Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2019 2020

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 516,564 people, 140,602 households, and 114,350 families in the county. The population density was 258/sqmi (99.6/km²). There were 148,350 housing units, at an average density of 74.1/sqmi (28.6/km²). The county’s racial makeup was 89.4% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, 0.8% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 4.6% some other race, and 2.7% from two or more races. 10.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 140,602 households, out of which 47.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.9% were headed by married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.7% were non-families. 11.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.57, and the average family size was 3.88.

The county’s population was spread out, with 35.2% under the age of 18, 15.8% from 18 to 24, 28% from 25 to 44, 14.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.

At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $45,833, and the median income for a family was $50,196. Males had a median income of $37,878 versus $22,656 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,557. About 6.80% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.40% of those under age 18 and 4.80% of those age 65 or over.

The five most reported ancestries in Utah County are:

• English-30%
• German-10%
• Danish-7%
• Mexican-5%
• Scottish-4%

Religion

Government

The government is a three-member elected county commission elected at-large. Other elected officials include the county sheriff, the county clerk, county recorder, county assessor, county surveyor, county treasurer, and the county attorney.

In 2020, Utah County voters rejected Proposition 9, which would have changed the county’s government to a five-member elected county council with an elected county mayor.

The first sheriff of the county was John T. Willis, who was succeeded by William Madison Wall. Alexander Williams served during John Cradlebaugh’s court in 1859. He was succeeded by Eli Whipple, who resigned in 1861 and was replaced by Russell Kelly. In 2020, Sheriff Mike Smith publicly stated he would not enforce COVID-19 face mask mandates.

The Utah County Fire Department provides emergency response to all unincorporated areas within Utah County and works with all the incorporated cities within the county plus all Utah state and federal lands. The department is primarily a wildland fires response and urban interspace service with some structure fire and HAZMAT abatement capability.

Politics

Utah County has been referred to as “the most Republican county in the most Republican state in the United States”. It has only supported a Democrat for president nine times since statehood, and has not supported a Democrat for president since 1964. Indeed, 1964 is the last time a Democrat has even managed 35 percent of the county’s vote.

In the 1992 presidential election, George H. W. Bush received the most votes and Bill Clinton was third in votes received. In the 2004 presidential election, 85.99% voted for George W. Bush. In the 2008 U.S. presidential election, the county voted for John McCain by a 58.9% margin over Barack Obama, compared to McCain winning by 28.1% statewide. Eight other Utah counties voted more strongly in favor of McCain. In the 2012 election, Mitt Romney received 88.32% of the vote. In the 2016 election, it gave a slim majority of the vote to Donald Trump, and over 30% of the vote to independent candidate Evan McMullin, who outperformed Hillary Clinton in the county. This was McMullin’s largest share of the vote in any county in Utah and his second best nationwide after Madison County, Idaho. In 2020, Joe Biden received over 75,000 votes – the Democrats had never previously received more than 30,000 votes in the county. Indeed, he was the first Democrat to even win a quarter of the county’s vote since 1976.

State Elected Offices

Position		District	Name	Affiliation	First Elected
	Senate	7	Mike McKell	Republican	2020
	Senate	11	Daniel McCay	Republican	2018
	Senate	13	Jake Anderegg	Republican	2016
	Senate	14	Mike Kennedy	Republican	2020
	Senate	15	Keith Grover	Republican	2018
	Senate	16	Curt Bramble	Republican	2000
	Senate	24	Derrin Owens	Republican	2020
	Senate	27	David Hinkins	Republican	2008
	House of Representatives	2	Jefferson Moss	Republican	2016
	House of Representatives	6	Cory Maloy	Republican	2016
	House of Representatives	27	Brady Brammer	Republican	2018
	House of Representatives	48	Keven Stratton	Republican	2012
	House of Representatives	56	Kay Christofferson	Republican	2012
	House of Representatives	57	Jon Hawkins	Republican	2018
	House of Representatives	59	Val Peterson	Republican	2010
	House of Representatives	60	Nelson Abbott	Republican	2020
	House of Representatives	61	Marsha Judkins	Republican	2018
	House of Representatives	63	Adam Robertson	Republican	2018
	House of Representatives	64	Norm Thurston	Republican	2014
	House of Representatives	65	Stephen Whyte	Republican	2021
	House of Representatives	66	Jeff Burton	Republican	2020
	House of Representatives	67	Doug Welton	Republican	2020
	House of Representatives	68	Merrill Nelson	Republican	2012
	Board of Education	9	Cindy Davis	Nonpartisan	2018
	Board of Education	11	Natalie Cline	Republican	2020
	Board of Education	12	James Moss Jr.	Republican	2020
	Board of Education	13	Randy Boothe	Republican	2020
	Board of Education	14	Mark Huntsman	Nonpartisan	2014

Utah County is split between two congressional districts. Most of the county is in the 3rd District, represented by Republican John Curtis. The northern portion is in the 4th District, represented by Republican Burgess Owens.

The county’s Republican bent runs right through state and local politics. All five state senators representing the county, as well as all 14 state representatives, are Republicans.

Social issues

Utah County saw high rates of opioid and other prescription drug addiction from the mid-2000s onwards, foreshadowing the national opioid crisis. The 2008 documentary Happy Valley examined the problem.

Giving USA, which reports on charitable giving in the US, named Utah County as one of the three most generous counties in philanthropic donations, alongside San Juan County, Utah and Madison County, Idaho.

In 2019, one in eight people and one in six children in the county did not have sufficient food.

Infrastructure

The I-15 CORE project added multiple lanes on Interstate 15 through most of Utah County. This expanded 24 miles (39 km) of freeway and was completed in 2012. Other construction projects by UDOT have been done on I-15 since then, including the Technology Corridor project and the Point of the Mountain project.

Education

School districts

• Alpine School District
• Provo School District
• Nebo School District.

Universities

• Brigham Young University (private)
• Utah Valley University (Utah State owned)
• Mountainland Technical College (Utah State owned)

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Former communities