News Articles

Davis County company gets state tax break to expand, bring in new jobs

June 13, 2021 (Standard-Examiner) -

According to a 2019 report from the Utah Foundation, state and local tax incentives are often seen as controversial. Critics view them as public subsidies that distort true economic growth and cause local governments to (at least for a time) forgo tax revenue. Proponents see certain tax credits as a necessary tool to spur development when the private sector can’t. The nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy research firm says the post-performance tax incentives carry less risk … Continued

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Utah no longer last place in per-pupil education spending

June 01, 2021 (KUTV 2) -

…Utah education funding expert Shawn Teigen, with the non-partisan research organization Utah Foundation, says Utah does do a lot more with less. For example, Utah’s graduation rate of 87% is better than nearly half the states in the U.S., including education big spender New York. However, Teigen is quick to point out that during the past three decades, Utah lawmakers and voters have made significant changes to state law, the state constitution and taxes that … Continued

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Utah’s Not Last In The Country For Per-Pupil Spending Anymore, But Funding Still Isn’t Making The Grade

May 27, 2021 (KUER) -

Utah is no longer last in the country in per-student funding, according to the latest census data on public education funding. The state spent $8,014 per student for fiscal year 2019, barely nudging past its long-running rival Idaho. The national average was $13,197. Since the data lags two years behind, it does not account for the significant increase in education funding lawmakers passed earlier this year. That could have a further positive impact on the … Continued

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AM News Brief

May 27, 2021 (KUER) -

Utah is no longer last in the country in per-student spending, according to the latest census data on public education funding. But the state has gotten worse in it’s funding effort compared to previous years — that is, how much money the state spends on education relative to personal income. But rather than compare Utah to other states, Shawn Teigen with Utah Foundation said a better strategy is to look at the gaps between students … Continued

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Utah is no longer last in education spending per student; what does that mean?

May 25, 2021 (Deseret News) -

Put on your fancy clothes. Grab your top hat. It’s time to party. Maybe this should be declared a state holiday. For the first time in at least two decades, Utah no longer ranks dead last in per pupil spending for public education. The new last-place loser? Idaho. Sure, it’s a difference of only a few bucks per student (Utah spend $8,014, and Idaho $7,985), and yes, ranking 50th instead of 51st is kind of … Continued

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Utah is not last in the nation for per-pupil spending, for the first time in decades

May 19, 2021 (Salt Lake Tribune) -

For the first time in more than two decades, Utah is not ranked last in the nation for its per-pupil spending — edging out Idaho to claim the No. 50 spot. The state allocated $8,014 per student for fiscal year 2019, the most recent year of data compiled nationally and released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. That moved Utah up from its longtime place at No. 51, behind Idaho. Utah spent $29 per student … Continued

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We’re #2! Utah is no longer the lowest in per-pupil spending – Idaho took our spot. Now we are the second-lowest.

May 19, 2021 (UtahPolicy.com) -

As many people know, Utah has been last in the nation for decades in per pupil spending on education, trailing Arizona and Idaho. No longer. Utah Foundation staff had expected the state to pull ahead of Idaho at some point during the past four years. It has finally happened with the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau data released today. The Utah Foundation prefers the measure of education spending effort – or the amount spent on education … Continued

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Utah Is No Longer Last In Education Spending Per Student

May 19, 2021 (Utah Public Radio) -

Utah has been last in the nation for decades in per pupil spending on education, but no longer. According to 2019 U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday, Utah pulled ahead of Idaho and is now the second lowest state in per pupil education spending. The Utah Foundation measures this by looking at spending and, more important, outcomes. Utah students are currently somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of outcomes compared to other … Continued

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Salt Lake City houses selling in half the time they were last year

May 17, 2021 (KSL Radio) -

In KSL Newsradio’s recent series, Priced Out, Finding an Affordable Home in Utah, one thing became more clear. While it’s often said that those from other states, namely California, are moving to Utah and bringing their willingness to pay higher home prices with them, the Utah Foundation said the crunch is more about a unique trait belonging to Utahns: they don’t leave the state. “So people stopped leaving Salt Lake City and the Salt Lake … Continued

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Child Advocates Want Policy Change For Daycare Subsidies To Children Born In U.S.

May 14, 2021 (KCPW) -

Utah’s Childcare subsidy program administered through the Department of Workforce Services helps employed parents with childcare costs. Eligibility to receive federally funded subsidies do not apply for U.S. born children of immigrant parents. KPCW reports on the impacts the policy has on mixed status families in Utah. The federally funded subsidy is determined based on income and size of household and is paid directly to the approved childcare provider at the beginning of each month. Parents … Continued

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Shaming your neighbors is not a solution to the drought. But higher water rates might be

May 12, 2021 (Deseret News) -

The Utah Foundation, an independent research organization, published a comprehensive four-part series in 2019 on the issue. Among its findings was that water companies see a 6.5% reduction in usage for every 10% increase in rates — a clear indication that pricing is the best way to promote conservation. Saving water in a drought is more complicated than this, however. Raising rates would have an obvious impact on low-income Utahns who already struggle to pay … Continued

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Californians are not buying up all our real estate

May 11, 2021 (Utah Business) -

Utah real estate prices are rising―steeply. The rumor is that the Californians are moving in. With residents from San Francisco and Los Angeles now working remotely, they’ve opted to move places with a lower cost of living―like Idaho and Utah―and driven up real estate prices while they were at it. But the rumors are not completely true. An analysis of USPS change-of-address data indicates that Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico are the top contenders for … Continued

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Salt Lake City ranked among top cities for ‘digital nomads’

April 30, 2021 (ABC4) -

… Are people moving into Utah? The Utah Foundation, a nonprofit research organization, says a recent analysis of USPS change-of-address data indicates Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico are the top states seeing people moving in across the region. United, a moving company, reports Oregon, Idaho, and Arizona were the top moving-to states in the region. Another moving company, Atlas, includes Utah with Idaho and Nevada as the primary targets. An analysis of USPS data shows residents … Continued

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Utah Thrives Podcast: Is Utah leading a transportation funding revolution?

April 27, 2021 (UtahPolicy.com) -

Utah has joined about a dozen states in exploring a new kind of revenue for road maintenance that charges drivers for miles driven, rather than fuel consumed. While many states have conducted research and pilot projects on road usage charges, Utah and Oregon are the only two states with currently operating programs. The Utah Foundation’s recent report Measuring the Miles: Road Usage Charges in Utah examines the broader movement toward road usage charges among the states; how these charges … Continued

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Utah Foundation Video: What Worries Utahns?

April 22, 2021 (UtahPolicy.com) -

The Utah Foundation’s newest video examines Utahns’ top 12 priorities and how the top priorities have changed over time. The video draws on the Utah Priorities Project, which contains a wide array of reports, briefs and other products. Every four years, Utah Foundation conducts a series of surveys to discover which topics are most important to Utah voters. Surveying priorities in 2020 proved to be a unique challenge. The first series of surveys finished in … Continued

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Peter Reichard: Rising housing costs and rising concerns in Utah

April 22, 2021 (Salt Lake Tribune) -

Concerns about housing affordability in Utah have become acute, to say the least. In Utah Foundation surveys dating back to 2008, housing affordability had never been a top-10 issue. That changed in 2020. In an initial Utah Priorities survey before the economic shutdown, we found that housing affordability had surged to become the second most important issue. In a new survey several months later, it remained in the top 10, even after the pandemic crisis … Continued

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Why are so many Republicans looking to challenge Mike Lee?

April 15, 2021 (Deseret News) -

According to the Utah Foundation, the cost and accessibility of health care has been Utah’s top issue throughout the past two presidential election cycles. Other top issues for Utah voters include education, air quality, jobs and housing affordability. Notably, the biggest concern in March of 2020 by a substantial margin was politicians listening to voters. By summer, Utahns also showed great concern about public health and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as issues around the … Continued

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Priced Out Part 1: How did the Utah housing market get so expensive?

April 12, 2021 (KSL Radio) -

Prices in the Utah housing market have skyrocketed even during the pandemic – great for homeowners and landlords, but anyone trying to buy a home or rent an apartment is having a tough time. In the first part of KSL Newsradio’s series Priced Out, we look at what’s pushing Utah’s red-hot housing market. Has the Utah housing market been overtaken by Californians? Can we blame people moving here from California with buckets of cash for … Continued

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‘Don’t blame Californians for surge in Utah housing prices’ study says

April 11, 2021 (KSL Radio) -

If you’ve been wondering why Utah’s housing market is on fire right now, the Utah Foundation and local realtors have some answers. KSL TV reporter Ladd Eagan spoke with a senior analyst for the Utah Foundation, a nonprofit research organization, who said that Utah is not one of the top ten states where people are moving. “But most of our neighbors are,” said Christopher Collard. He told Eagan that one of the reasons for rising … Continued

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Are Californians to blame for Utah’s surging home prices?

April 09, 2021 (KSL) -

It’s a common story heard throughout Utah’s housing industry: Californians are arriving with plenty of cash in hand, outbidding local homebuyers and driving up the costs of housing; but an analysis by the Utah Foundation finds that does not seem to be the reason for steep increases in home and rental prices. “Why are we seeing these increases? The Utah Foundation has looked whether it might be due in part to any influx of Californians. … Continued

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Californians not responsible for soaring Utah housing prices, study claims

April 08, 2021 (Fox 13) -

SALT LAKE CITY — A new study says Californians are not the reason for Utah’s rising home prices. The Utah Foundation looked into whether the large number of California residents leaving their state is causing the spike. What they found was the complete opposite. Instead of people moving in, the organization says the reason behind skyrocketing prices is that people aren’t leaving the Utah, especially in the Salt Lake area. A New York Times report … Continued

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Tribune Editorial: Talking about drought without facing climate is a waste of time

April 02, 2021 (Salt Lake Tribune) -

Even before the current drought — or the one that inspired a similar declaration from then-Gov. Gary Herbert in 2018 — Utah has put far too much effort into pretending we’re not a desert. A 2014 report from the Utah Foundation notes that 82% of Utah’s water usage is for agriculture, and half of that goes to grow alfalfa, much of which is exported as animal feed, taking with it more water than is used … Continued

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2020 a standout year for home sale price escalation

March 26, 2021 (UtahPolicy.com) -

Utah Foundation’s 2020 Utah Priorities Project found that housing affordability is a top issue to Utah voters. This is due in part to increasing housing prices. Based on data collected by Redfin (a real estate brokerage that publishes national housing data), Utah’s housing prices skyrocketed in 2020. A study by bankrate.com found that over the course of 2020, Utah’s home home values increased by 15.4 percent, which was the third-highest increase among U.S. states. As … Continued

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Utah Foundation: Measuring the miles – road usage charges in Utah

March 24, 2021 (UtahPolicy.com) -

Utah has joined about a dozen states in exploring a new kind of revenue for road maintenance that charges drivers for miles driven, rather than fuel consumed. While many states have conducted research and pilot projects on road usage charges, Utah and Oregon are the only two states with currently operating programs. Measuring the Miles: Road Usage Charges in Utah examines the broader movement toward road usage charges among the states; how these charges can … Continued

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