Utah News

While not a purely scientific measure, the cost of a date isn’t a bad jumping-off point for a peek at the relative costs in different areas of the U.S.

A breakdown published earlier this year by The Black Tux shows, perhaps not surprisingly, that New York and San Francisco hold down the top two spots as most costly locales for a night out on the town. And, by comparison, Salt Lake City looks like an absolute bargain in its place, sitting in 40th among the top 50.

Turns out this discount date night data equates pretty well when it comes to a bigger, and more rigorous, assessment of Utah’s economy and particularly so for the state’s nation-leading status in household earnings and overall economic growth.

What’s behind the state’s high household income

A new report from the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute found Utah households are No. 1 in the nation when measured by median household incomes, adjusted for the state’s cost of living. That figure, $98,336 is not only tops in the U.S. but 27% higher than the average across the country. Even when evaluated at a nominal level, and ignoring cost of living advantages, Utah’s $93,421 comes eighth nationally.

“In recent years, Utah’s median household income ranks high relative to other states, meaning Utah’s middle-income households earn more on average than middle-income households in other states,” according to the report.

Maryland and Massachusetts came in just behind Utah, while West Virginia and Mississippi had the lowest median household incomes in the country.

One of the primary drivers behind the difference between Utah’s nominal ranking and the cost-of-living adjusted figure is that the state remains solidly affordable, even in the face of rising housing-related costs.

Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Gardner researchers found that Utah is tracking well below the rest of the country in most, but not all, expense categories. Those include an all items measure, the cost of goods, utilities costs and “other services.” Utah ranks above the national average in only the housing category.

Those higher-than-average housing costs, driven by Utah’s soaring real estate market over the last few years, is blunted somewhat by the high rate of home ownership across the state, according to Gardner analysts.

“While some readily consider home prices when assessing cost of living, most Utahns (about 70%) own their homes, meaning higher home prices in recent years do not heavily weigh on the typical household’s budget and therefore do not result in a regional price parity score indicating higher than national average cost of living,” wrote Natalie Roney, Gardner research economist and author of the new report.

Cost-of-living varies widely across the state

While Utah, overall, remains solidly in the affordable category compared to the rest of the U.S., the cost of living factor, even within the state’s boundaries, varies widely.

“Urban areas like the Wasatch Front generally rank higher on cost-of-living measures than rural areas, although tourist hot spots also tend to be among the most expensive,” the report reads. “Summit County, for example, experiences the highest cost of living in Utah largely due to its tourist-driven economy.”

While Summit County residents are navigating a cost-of-living score of 111, with 100 representing the U.S. average, some rural counties come in well below that mark.

Emery County came in as the most affordable in the state, with an 81.3 on the cost-of-living index with Wayne County not too far behind with an 81.9 score. Counties that make up the state’s Wasatch Front had rates ranging from the low to upper 90s.

Big households are a big deal

Utah’s big household factor is also a big deal when it comes to pushing the state to the top of the income rankings.

Looking at the five-year average that includes the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data up to 2023, Utah had the nation’s largest average household size at 2.99 persons. That helped drive the country’s highest level of income earners, or labor participants, for each household at 1.59.

“Utah’s demographic composition in part explains Utah’s high ranking — Utah has the largest average household size and among the highest labor force participation rate,” according to the report. “Larger households lend toward more workers, increasing income potential for a given household.”

Utah’s overall economy kinda rules, too

Utah’s nation-leading numbers also extend into measures of the state’s overall economy.

For the first time ever, Utah’s GDP, a measure of the total value of goods and services produced in the state, broke the $300 billion mark in 2024, hitting $301 billion last year. Utah’s GDP year-over-year growth rate in 2024 came in at 4.5%, the highest in the U.S. The state is also holding down the No. 1 spot in cumulative GDP growth over the last 10 years with a 64% rate.

Phil Dean, chief economist for the Gardner Policy Institute, along with Roney, co-presented the report findings on Thursday and noted numerous factors have helped drive, and support, Utah’s robust economic performance.

“We often get asked why is Utah experiencing this growth,” Dean said. “I would go back to Utah’s very strong fundamentals. That we have a young and well-educated population, we have very competitive fiscal and regulatory policies that businesses really like. Our location as the Crossroads of the West is definitely a major contributor. If you look at the strong growth over the last several decades in the U.S. it’s in the South and the West but particularly the Intermountain West and we’re right in the middle of that.”

Dean also mentioned Utah’s “secret sauce” as a contributor to the state’s ongoing fiscal successes.

“And what we call social capital, social cohesion, our ability to talk to each other,” Dean said. “Our ability to work together. Sometimes we call that the secret sauce of what we do. It’s a topic that consistently comes up when people are looking to locate here.”

Well Utah fans, there have been a lot of firsts for Utah this inaugural season: the first goal ever by Dylan Guenther, its first win, a 5-2 home win against the Chicago Blackhawks, and even its first ever fight between Utah’s Sean Durzi and Chicago’s Connor Murphy.

But at the end of the 2024-25 season, Utah will not go to its first-ever postseason appearance after the Minnesota Wild’s  8-7 win against the San Jose Sharks officially eliminated Utah Hockey Club from the playoffs.

While many predicted the Wild would win easily against the league’s worst team in San Jose, the Sharks came ready to play, delivering a surprisingly competitive, back-and-forth game that gave Utah hope its playoff chances might stay alive for another day.

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Even after the Wild went up 7–4 early in the third period—with center Joel Eriksson Ek remarkably scoring four of the goals —the scoring didn’t stop. The Sharks responded with three unanswered goals, including a game-tying goal in the final minute to force overtime.

But in the end, the return of Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov would prove triumphant as he would secure overtime winner not only sealed the Wild’s victory over the Sharks, it officially dashed any remaining hope Utah had of reaching the postseason.

The win moves Minnesota nine points ahead of Utah in the standings, making it statistically impossible for Utah to catch up, as it can earn a maximum of only eight points across its remaining four games.

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Missing the playoffs will certainly sting for Utah, especially after remaining competitive and in the playoff race this late into the season.

But with such a young core and much of the roster already re-signed for next season, Utah is in a position to build off the success of its inaugural campaign.

Plus, with a full season under its belt at the Delta Center and all six of its defensemen finally playing together consistently toward the end of the year, there’s plenty for Utah fans to look forward to next season.

Utah To Host Fan Appreciation Night On April 10th Today, the Utah Hockey Club announced that they will be hosting their first Fan Appreciation Night on April 10th.

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With key young pieces like Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, and Josh Doan likely to take another step forward, fans can feel confident in the team’s direction. The stability of the roster looks intact and poised to improve, making a playoff berth a realistic goal for the 2025–26 season.

Add in the unpredictability of free agency and the potential for trades, along with incoming talent from the NHL Draft, and Utah’s future looks bright for a team that came close to the postseason despite enduring one of the league’s worst home records in the first half of the season.

Along with Utah, the Vancouver Canucks also were officially eliminated from the playoffs because of the Wild’s win.

After pulling off one of the most improbable wins in NHL history—scoring three empty-net goals in the span of one minute to force overtime before defeating the Dallas Stars 6–5—Vancouver was ironically eliminated from playoff contention due to having fewer regulation wins than the St. Louis Blues.

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Still, becoming the first team in NHL history to mount a three-goal comeback in the final minute and go on to win is an incredible feat by the Canucks, even if it was a lack of regulation wins that ultimately ended their playoff hopes.

Though the offseason and draft await both Utah and Vancouver, each team still has a few games left in the season. Whether they’ll be playing for pride or slightly better draft positioning remains to be seen, but neither team is likely to go down without a fight.

Utah’s last home game of the season is against the Nashville Predators Thursday, April 10.

On Tuesday at a press conference, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his department’s handling of measles cases, including the outbreak in Texas should be a “model for the rest of the world.”

Kennedy said this is because cases have exploded more drastically in Europe — though he didn’t offer specifics on what he thinks has worked in the U.S. response.

“I would compare it to what’s happening in Europe,” he said. “They’ve had 127,000 cases and 37 deaths. And so what we’re doing here in the United States is a model for the rest of the world.”

While the numbers Kennedy cited are nearly accurate when looking at the vast European region in 2024, and much higher than the 285 cases in the U.S. last year, many factors make it difficult to compare that entire region to the U.S.

The U.S. currently has more than 600 cases so far this year, most of those linked to an ongoing outbreak in Texas, where two children have died from the virus.

“It’s misleading to compare the U.S. to the entire WHO European region, which spans 53 countries with wide disparities in health care access, vaccination coverage and surveillance systems,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, and an ABC News contributor.

“The outbreaks in places like Romania and Kazakhstan are driving the regional numbers, but when you narrow the view to countries more comparable to the U.S., like those in the EU, the picture is much closer — and in some cases, better — than what we’re seeing in Texas right now,” Brownstein said.

How does Europe really compare?

The World Health Organization reports the European region, which includes 53 countries in Europe and central Asia, had 127,350 measles cases and 38 deaths in 2024, based on preliminary data received as of March 6 this year. This is twice the number reported cases in 2023. Romania reported the highest number of cases in the region for 2024, with 30,692 cases, followed by Kazakhstan with 28,147 cases.

This was the highest case count seen in the region since 1997. Romania reported the highest number of cases in the region for 2024, with 30,692 cases, followed by Kazakhstan with 28,147 cases.

From the 30 countries in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EAA) that are more comparable to the U.S., there were 3,973 measles cases in 2023 but that number grew steeply to 28,791 cases of measles from March 1, 2024 to Feb. 28, 2025, according to the European Centre for Disease and Control.

During this timeframe, Romania had 24,215 measles cases, followed by 1,064 in Italy, 591 in Germany, 572 in France and 556 in Belgium.

About 86% of measles cases in EU/EAA countries in Europe were among unvaccinated people, 45% of cases were in children under five years old and about 30% of cases were in people aged 15 and older.

“When you compare the U.S. to countries with similar health systems — like Germany or France — the scale of the current outbreak in Texas is not meaningfully better,” Brownstein said.

Experts have also been concerned about the number of measles deaths in the United States and ABC News has reported several have said they believe case counts are significantly higher than what’s being reported, despite RFK Jr. claiming “the growth rates for new cases and hospitalizations have flattened,” in a post on X.

“We think these cases are undercounted,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease doctor and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security said at a Texas Department of State Health Services press conference on Tuesday. “When you’re hearing people on the ground say this is going to take a year to contain, that tells you that it’s doing the opposite of flattening.”

“We know that there’s really, on average, about one death for every around 1,000 cases,” Dr. Craig Spencer, an associate professor of the practice of health services, policy and practice at the Brown University School of Public Health, told ABC News. “We’ve already seen three deaths, which would make you suspect it’s probably more like 3,000 cases.”

“It feels very, very likely that the count is higher than 500,” he said, adding, “It’s not impossible for there to be three deaths among 500 cases, but statistically, one would expect more cases for that number of deaths.”

Now, more than 600 people in the U.S. have confirmed cases of measles this year and three people have died, which if accurate is about 0.5% of cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This would be much higher than what was seen in Romania last year, where 18 people died from measles out of more than 30,000 cases, or about 0.06%. When looking at the entire European region, only about 0.03% of people with measles died.

Brownstein said this shows “that even smaller outbreaks can be deadlier when vaccination rates are low.”

Drivers of low vaccination rates are going to be variable across different regions and populations. Researchers have studied specific factors in Romania’s high case counts where WHO estimates vaccine coverage with two MMR doses to only be 62% in 2023.

They identified migratory patterns, growing vaccine hesitancy among parents and loss of health care providers as significant drivers of vaccination rates plummeting after 2010 due to lack of interest, access, supply and staff.

WHO data shows in Europe, measles vaccine rates and policies are variable by country and only four countries have a 95% vaccination rate or higher with two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine: Hungary, Malta, Portugal and Slovakia.

On average across many European countries, rates for one dose of the MMR vaccine range from about 85% to 95% and 75% to 90% for two doses, but vary. In the U.S., about 91% of children have had one dose of the MMR vaccine by the time they turn two years old and 92% of teens have had the recommended two doses, according to the CDC.

Some countries in Europe including Germany, France and Italy have mandatory requirements for measles vaccination or immunity for school enrollment, but parents may be able to decline the vaccine in other countries where it is only recommended but not mandated such as Belgium, Romania and the Netherlands.

Jade A. Cobern, MD, MPH, is board-certified in pediatrics and general preventive medicine, and is a medical fellow of the ABC News Medical Unit. Cheyenne Haslett and Mary Kekatos also contributed to this report.

The Utah Attorney General’s office announced Monday that Utah will receive millions in settlement funds from Mylan Inc., a pharmaceutical company.

Utah and eight other states investigated the pharmaceutical company with the support of six other states for dishonestly marketing its opioid-related products as being not prone to abuse by users.

Some of the products distributed by Mylan Inc. included generic fentanyl patches, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and buprenorphine products. The states argued that the company sold these medications to doctors, aware of their addictive effects, which then led to overprescribing, and ultimately contributing to the opioid epidemic.

“I am pleased to announce a settlement of $335 million with Mylan Inc. for their role in the deadly opioid crisis. Mylan was aware that its opioid products, including fentanyl patches, were especially prone to abuse, and did not inform consumers of that issue,” Utah Attorney General Derek Brown said in a press release.

“I am grateful for the relentless work of the attorneys in the Office of the Utah Attorney General in holding Mylan accountable, and remain committed to saving Utah lives from the opioid crisis.”

Mylan Inc. will pay the involved states for the next nine years.

This settlement was negotiated by the attorneys general of Utah, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee and Virginia, with coordinating efforts by state attorneys in Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa and Vermont.

For Utah, the settlement will add to the funds already accumulated from opioid-related litigation. According to Brown’s press release, the state has received $81 million and is expected nearly a half-billion dollars more in the next 15 years.

The cherry blossom bloom at the nation’s capital ended last weekend, and a wonderful version of it will soon retire at Utah’s Capitol. But the politics in both locales continue to thrive.

Special election outcomes in Florida and Wisconsin still reverberate. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., broke a record for the longest speech on the U.S. Senate floor with his verbal attack on President Donald Trump. Do these reveal significant trends?

Cowley: Despite being significantly outspent, Susan Crawford (D) won Wisconsin’s circuit judge seat, and Sen. Randy Fine (R) won Florida’s congressional race. Despite Elon Musk spending $20+ million to put a Republican on the bench, money talks but can’t buy elections. If it did, we would be writing about President Kamala Harris right now.

Long-winded speeches that barely last one news cycle won’t save the Democrats’ sinking ship. They don’t have a plan, a viable presidential candidate or a message. They ignore overwhelming bipartisan support for Trump policies like banning men from women’s sports and securing elections, and ignore pleas from the middle class to rebuild the economy.

Pignanelli: “Follow the trend lines, not the headlines.” — Bill Clinton

Despite zero evidence of efficacy, physicians used bloodletting for centuries to remedy patients’ ills. Similarly, despite their unreliability, political commentators analyze special and off-season elections as predictors of future contests. However, politicos like us cannot help ourselves and will try to glean some nuggets that may prove worthwhile.

Wisconsin voters who placed a liberal into their Supreme Court also approved enshrinement into their state constitution of the requirement of a photo ID before a person can obtain a ballot. This is a lesson for Democrats across the country.

Booker performed a favor to U.S. history by ensuring the longest speech in the Senate is no longer a segregationist rant against voting rights. Despite the attention from national media, serious questions exist about how this 25-hour publicity tactic (only heard by a handful) helps in messaging for future Democratic candidates. Booker’s impressive bladder strength was noted, but few of his statements were covered or will be remembered.

Any additional prognostications for these activities would be akin to using leeches.

Trump is making waves, history and headlines, but not international friends, with his recent imposition of reciprocal tariffs. Utah imports and exports considerable amounts. What are the political ramifications?

Cowley: Millennials like me came of age during the 2008 Great Recession, then endured the 2020 global pandemic. We’ve barely seen a good economy, so another downturn doesn’t phase us — we’re used to a ramen noodle diet.

Tariffs aim to secure better global trade terms and restore domestic manufacturing. Trump said this will cause short-term pain but is necessary to right the economic wrongs of previous short-sighted administrations. You don’t snap your fingers and “voila,” instantaneous return of domestic manufacturing. This could take the entirety of Trump’s term or longer.

COVID-19 demonstrated America’s vulnerabilities in the supply chain. Our limited manufacturing heavily relies on foreign inputs and materials. We must bolster domestic production of energy, steel, microchips and rare earth minerals. Utah could play a part in this strategy with our troves of rare earth minerals and vast energy resources.

America remains the most important consumer market. Companies like Ford are making moves to serve American consumers, duty-free. The E.U. and others are already floating zero for zero tariffs. This is the highest-stakes game of economic chicken ever played. I’m betting on the guy who wrote “Art of the Deal” to win.

Pignanelli: Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., correctly emphasized that when Republicans imposed tariffs in 1890 and 1930, they were hammered in the next elections. A repeat could happen in 2026 if the stock market plunges and inflation explodes. This could significantly impact Utah’s swing districts and possibly a congressional seat.

But the tariffs of the 19th and 20th centuries were enacted by Congress, which means the modern story is unfinished. The president has greater flexibility to modify or Congress may feel forced to intervene, which would change the outcome.

Commentators (including me) have been opining that the political parties are undergoing realignment in multiple demographics, as was apparent in 2024. The eventual outcome of the recent actions by Trump may supercharge political transformations to the extent not seen since the 1850s.

Utah suffered in the 1890s and 1930s. Our diverse and sophisticated economy could again be negatively affected unless the trajectory changes. Thus, intra- and inter-party dynamics in the next several years may be even more extreme than the current environment.

How are other elected officials, including Utah’s delegation, reacting to Trump’s big swings? How might this change politics in perpetuity?

Cowley: Democrats can’t even denounce Tesla vandalism, let alone come up with a cogent counter to Trump’s bold and decisive agenda. Most Republicans are either complicit or silently acquiesce to Trump. Meanwhile, Utah legislators are decisively MAGA/MAHA, basking in praise from RFK Jr. and other Trump secretaries.

Pignanelli: Politicians love to be on the right side of history, but there is no crystal ball to decipher recent events. We may be amidst a massive economic upheaval that reorients political coalitions. So our officials express concern, combined with a desire to help the “hollowed out“ former industrial centers, while offering hope of eventual resolution.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called Monday for the end of community water fluoridation, praising Utah’s move to ban the addition of fluoride to the water supply.

“It makes no sense to have it in our water supply. And I’m very, very proud of this state for being the first state to ban it. And I hope many more will come,” Kennedy told reporters in Utah.

It comes as the Environmental Protection Agency says it has now launched a new review of fluoride’s health effects, working with Kennedy’s department as it weighs whether to tighten federal restrictions on its addition to drinking water. 

Kennedy will also be reconvening his department’s Community Preventive Services Task Force to make a new recommendation on water fluoridation, an HHS official said. The federal task force previously recommended water fluoridation after a review in 2013, citing “strong evidence” of its public health benefits to reduce cavities outweighing its costs.

“As soon as I was nominated by President Trump as administrator of the EPA, the secretary instantly reached out to start talking about issues that he is so passionate about. And number one on that list was fluoride,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said.

Fluoride has been incorporated into public water supplies in much of the country for decades to help protect against tooth decay. Dental organizations and public health experts say it’s a safe and low-cost intervention with proven benefits. 

Kennedy, however, cited a previous review by the federal government’s National Toxicology Program, which concluded that “higher levels” of fluoride was linked to lowered IQ in children. Those levels exceeded what’s recommended in water systems.

While the program’s report concluded more research was needed into whether fluoride was actually affecting IQ at levels found in most U.S. drinking water, a federal court ruled last year that the report’s findings were enough to warrant forcing the EPA to do more to address this potential risk. 

Speaking with reporters Monday, Kennedy went further than the report, warning of multiple other potential health risks ranging from hyperthyroidism to osteoarthritis. He said adding fluoride to water “clearly is doing harm” and was undermining freedom of choice. 

The EPA previously lowered its limits for fluoride in water in 2011, after a report from the National Academy of Sciences found some impacts on thyroid and arthritic symptoms might be possible under maximum limits at the time.

“They have not been completely well studied, but they are alarming enough that we shouldn’t be demanding that parents accept something for their children and in their homes, that is essentially a medication,” said Kennedy.

The American Dental Association has disputed claims that water fluoridation is unsafe, calling the report flawed. The organization cites continuing evidence that shows the policy substantially reduces cavity rates, especially for children in low-income communities.

Kennedy’s remarks come days after he gutted the CDC’s Division of Oral Health as part of the department’s widespread layoffs. 

Before it was eliminated, the division had been responsible for CDC’s work promoting the safety and benefits of community water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay.

The health secretary did not directly answer a question about the prospect of reinstating many of the laid-off workers at his department, after he suggested last week that some of the cuts he ordered were mistakes.

“No, the program — what I said was that there are programs that there are — the programs have been consolidated,” Kennedy told reporters. 

Kennedy has faced criticism for layoffs impacting a wide range of federal health agency services, including forcing Food and Drug Administration officials to cut back on food and drug safety inspections and eliminating the CDC’s only labs to investigate STD and viral hepatitis outbreaks.

“We didn’t cut any core programs or any critical care programs or any scientific programs. Those programs are being consolidated in a new agency that is going to make America healthy again,” he said.