As National Hispanic Heritage Month has begun in Utah and around the country, a look at the Latino and Hispanic population shows a young and vibrant group. And perhaps more diverse than meets the eye.
The University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute recently released a fact sheet, “ Exploring Utah’s Hispanic or Latino Groups: A Detailed Analysis .” This analysis looked into the size, growth, age and specific demographics of the Latino and Hispanic population of Utah, finding that this population is younger than the rest of Utah.
Heidi Prior, a public policy analyst at the policy institute, was the primary author on the fact sheet. The information in the analysis came from the 2020 U.S. Census.
“The largest purpose is just to provide a really thorough in-depth look at Utah’s Hispanic and Latino population,” Prior said. “We have half a million Hispanic and Latino residents in the state. That’s 15% of our population. So it’s a really huge group of people that merits some attention and some research.”