Author: Jesse

Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and Gov. Spencer Cox were discussing disruption — in the economy, in the tech sector, in politics — at a Salt Lake City policy summit Friday when disruption broke out in the audience.

Natalie Gochnour, director of the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, had noted that all three of the state’s research universities were represented on stage: through herself as a University of Utah Ute, through Cox, as a Utah State University Aggie, and by Sinema, who represented Arizona and is a Brigham Young University cougar.

“I get called that a lot,” Sinema joked, eliciting a chuckle from the audience.

Then a man wearing a suit stood up, declaring: “Ladies and gentlemen, I have a confession to make.”

“I am actually having an affair with Kyrsten Sinema,” he continued.

It wasn’t immediately clear to the audience if it was a planned bit. He continued yelling as staff escorted him out of the room.

The panelists tried to get back on track. Then another man stood up, yelling nearly the same thing as the first, but he was much closer to the stage.

He was quickly grabbed and escorted out.

The outburst Friday morning came after the ex-wife of a member of Sinema’s former Senate security team sued her this week, alleging Sinema had seduced her former husband and broken up their marriage. Sinema served one term before leaving office last year.

Utah Highway Patrol troopers on Cox’s security team wrangled both of the men out of the room. Salt Lake City police then responded, and hotel management said they did not want the men on the property, according to a police department spokesperson.

Neither of the men were cited or arrested, although they could be if they return to the hotel, the spokesperson said.

After the first interruption, Sinema and Cox had started talking about policy and today’s strange political and economic moment. Sinema, a former Democrat turned independent, said the word she’d use to describe these times was “disruption” — meaning the usual rules don’t apply anymore, and that can be a good or bad thing.

“I promise I didn’t plan that,” she joked about the incident moments earlier.

After the second interruption, the panel continued for about 30 more minutes without further disruptions.

The discussion, moderated by Gochnour, was the opening keynote of the annual Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit, hosted by the policy institute, as well as the Utah Chamber, Salt Lake Chamber.

This year’s theme was “Investing in Utah,” and speakers discussed a swath of concerning economic indicators, like slowing job growth, homeownership and birth rates, and a general sense of financial uncertainty and unease.

Still, Phil Dean, the policy institute’s chief economist, said he expected Utah’s economy to continue to outperform the U.S. economy in 2026.

During the panel, Gochnour asked how the business community gathered in the hotel’s ballroom could do more to contribute to the state’s future prosperity.

“I need you to get more involved. I’m going to be very blunt with you all,” Cox said. “You have abandoned us. You have. We do not see the business community on Capitol Hill.”

The governor said it wasn’t that way when he was first elected, more than a decade ago. If these leaders wanted change, or were unhappy with their current representation, Cox said, they need to find people to run for these positions.

“Some of you need to run for the Legislature. We need you. We desperately need you,” Cox said, followed by a round of brief applause.

Near the end of the panel discussion, Sinema was asked how Utah is different from other states and what advice she has for Utah going forward. She said Utahns should continue to rely on their “core set of values,” and what she described as their innate tolerance for others.

Utahns should hold on to that, she said, and stay engaged to elect leaders with collaborative mindsets.

Utah is a ”very, very special place,” with values that she thinks sets the state and its people apart, despite “two just notable exceptions today,” Sinema joked.

“We’re pretty sure,” Cox quipped, “they came from somewhere else.”

Morgan Scalley emphasized during his introductory press conference the importance of retaining as much of the talent Utah had on its 2025 roster once the transfer portal opened in early January.

The ensuing two weeks determined how much Scalley and his first-year staff were determined to stick to their word.

The Utes didn’t by any means go unscathed through the first round of player movement, though as the dust settled and the window to enter the portal closed, they had brought back several key pieces of last season’s 11-2 squad for Scalley’s first go-around at the helm.

Here’s a look at some of the key returners Utah brought back for 2026.

1. Devon Dampier (QB)

Yes, Devon Dampier is entering his final season of college and yes, Utah was able to retain its younger quarterback as well (more on him later). But given Dampier’s importance to the Utes offense last season and the value continuity has in this era of college sports, what he brings to the table on and off the field outweighs the negatives that come with having him under center for just one more season.

Dampier concluded the 2025 campaign with 2,490 passing yards and 24 touchdowns to five interceptions while completing 63.5% of his pass attempts. He finished as Utah’s second-leading rusher with 835 yards and 10 scores on 146 carries, becoming the first Utes quarterback to throw for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 600 in a single season since Alex Smith accomplished the feat in 2004.

With Kevin McGiven taking over play-calling duties as the Utes’ offensive coordinator, it’ll be interesting to see how Dampier adjusts to a new scheme not organized by Jason Beck, now in Michigan with Kyle Whittingham. If McGiven’s system is anything like the one Utah ran in 2025, don’t expect Dampier to endure many growing pains.

2. Jackson Bennee (DB)

Anyone making the case for Jackson Bennee to be No. 1 on this list has plenty of fair points to lean on in their argument; Bennee’s potential and upside as a sophomore in 2026 being the main two reasons why it was crucial for Utah to bring him back for another season.

Bennee snagged four interceptions and defended five passes for a unit that allowed the lowest completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks (49.4%) and the second-fewest pass yards per game (177.8) among Big 12 teams. He also finished second on the team in total tackles with 64 across his 13 games played, earning All-Big 12 honorable mention honors at the end of the regular season.

The 6-foot-2 Holladay, Utah, native’s versatility and budding skillset make him a viable option at either nickel corner or safety in 2026. If he decides to stick around Salt Lake City beyond that, he’d have a shot at becoming the next great defensive back to come through Utah’s doors.

3. Byrd Ficklin (QB)

Keeping Byrd Ficklin in the building could very well prove to be the most important retention move the Utes did for the offensive side of the ball this offseason. Especially if the dynamic signal-caller hangs around after his sophomore year and develops into the Utes’ full-time starter in 2027.

For now, it appears Ficklin is set to share quarterback run plays with Dampier once again, providing Utah with a unique one-two punch from under center and a roadmap for what the future of the team’s quarterback position could look like.

The glimpse Ficklin provided in year one was actually crucial to the Utes offense: he was third on the team in rushing, racking up 513 yards and 10 touchdowns on 61 carries, and was a crisp 21-of-35 through the air for 301 yards and three more scores.

Given Ficklin’s skillset, interest from power conference programs was expected to come his way once the portal opened. Utah’s ability to fend off suitors in the final hours to keep Ficklin says a lot about how much the coaching staff values him and his potential.

4. Daniel Bray (RB)

Daniel Bray has a promising future ahead of him if his freshman season indicated anything about the former three-star recruit’s trajectory. Whether it’s in a career as a running back, wide receiver or some sort of hybrid, he has the traits to be special down the line.

It’ll bode really well for the Utes if they’re able to keep Bray for more than just his sophomore year. Especially if he’s utilized in a similar manner to his freshman self — just more frequently — in McGiven’s offense.

Bray’s speed and elusiveness often provided the Utes with the spark they needed last season, giving them a reliable option to go-to in critical third downs. He was especially effective coming off the edge on jet sweeps, allowing him to get a head of steam before cutting up field if the defense was caught off balance by his pre-snap motion. He finished the season with 272 rushing yards and one touchdown on 40 carries, and had eight receptions for another 67 yards.

Wayshawn Parker is in line to be the No. 1 tailback for the Utes next season, but Bray’s versatility will likely ensure that he sees the field plenty too.

5. Kash Dillon (DE)

Kash Dillon’s re-signing might’ve flown under the radar for some due to all the attention John Henry Daley and Logan Fano rightfully received throughout last season, but the soon-to-be redshirt sophomore’s name will become more familiar to fans as his Utah career progresses.

With Daley off to Michigan via the portal and Fano entering the NFL draft, bringing Dillon back to Salt Lake City felt like a necessary move for the Utes. He appeared in all 13 contests as a redshirt freshman and was productive, recording 35 total tackles while finishing third on the team with 3.5 sacks. He started the final two games of the season against Kansas and Nebraska, gaining valuable experience as he totaled nine tackles in those appearances.

MORE UTAH NEWS & ANALYSIS

On the latest Kevin O’Connor show, O’Connor mentioned that the Utah Jazz “are going to be a team with big interest” in Austin Reaves.

Reaves will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and will draw significant interest leaguewide. So, regardless of whether this is actual intel on the Jazz or just an assumption from O’Connor, it makes sense. For O’Connor to call out the Utah Jazz specifically is interesting. Perhaps this was why the Utah Jazz unfollowed O’Connor on Twitter recently?

Regardless, this is definitely interesting. It also makes sense with Utah’s trajectory. Utah has filled its books with expiring contracts this season, so it has room to make deals this upcoming offseason. Austin Reaves would be a great target with that money. Then, if they are able to bring him over, they can also sign Walker Kessler afterwards and go over the cap. It’s a plan that makes a ton of sense and could lead the Jazz to be major players next season.

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On top of this is whether Utah wins this upcoming lottery. If Utah can add a top-tier prospect and a high-level prospect like Austin Reaves, it could be a massive run for the team.

Also, would there be anything better than getting a player from the Lakers to join the Utah Jazz? This would become maybe the best offseason in team history if this all played out.

Just a few days after entering the transfer portal, former Utah athlete signee Salesi Moa has committed to Michigan.

Moa is a huge pickup for the Wolverins and is currently rated the No. 54 player nationally in the Rivals Industry Ranking.

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“I’m very excited about my decision,” Moa said. “Michigan is a great fit for me and it’s where I feel God was leading me.

“Big 10 football is one of the biggest stages there is and it doesn’t get bigger than playing at the Big House. That’s not a knock at Utah at all, that’s a big stage too but I feel this is the biggest stage there is.”

Moa said he has a strong connection with the Wolverine staff, including new head coach and former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.

“It’s not just coach Whitt but coach (Jason) Beck (OC) and coach (Micah) Simon (WR coach) too,” Moa said. “I have great relationships with all of those guys and I’m really comfortable with them.

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“Coach Simon is a great receiver coach and I was excited to play for him when I was committed to Utah. Now I’ll have that chance at Michigan so I really feel everything worked out the way it was supposed to.”

Moa said having a chance to play with his older brother Aisea Moa is a big deal for him as well.

“It’s going to be very cool for me,” Moa said. “I’ve never had a chance to play with either of my big brothers so for us to have one year together is going to be great.

“Aisea and Sione played together and now I’ll have that chance too. Our family is very close so this is something we’re all excited about.”

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Moa is a two-way player who said he will start out at receiver but will also play some safety.

“I still plan to play both ways at Michigan,” Moa said. “I’m going to start out at receiver and that’s my favorite position but there is going to be some packages for me at safety too so I’m really excited about that.”

The Michigan football family has landed a new addition.

Salesi Moa, a recruit previously committed to Utah who entered the transfer portal on Monday, Jan. 12, has committed to the Wolverines, he announced at the Polynesian Bowl in Honolulu on Friday, Jan. 16.

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The 6-foot-1, 190-pound athlete from Ogden, Utah, was one of the premiere recruits in the class of 2026. The four-star recruit is the No. 1 player in Utah, No. 3 athlete in the nation and No. 45 player overall, according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings.

Moa is the fifth former Utah player or recruit to come to Michigan since the program hired Kyle Whittingham on Dec. 26.

MORE FROM THE BEEHIVE STATE: Max Alford, ex-BYU LB, headed to Ann Arbor

Moa was aggressively recruited by the previous Wolverines staff. He had U-M in his final handful of schools and visited Ann Arbor during U-M’s 27-9 loss to Ohio State on the final weekend of November. He then committed to Tennessee, then flipped to Whittingham in his home state.

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That was before Whittingham stepped down as the Utes‘ head coach. Since than, he has been hired in Ann Arbor, and brought with him EDGE coach Lewis Powell – Moa’s uncle.

There could be more family connections to come: Moa’s brother, Aisea, a linebacker who previously played for Michigan State, has also been targeted by the Wolverines this cycle.

Whittingham also brought former Utah wide receivers coach Micah Simon with him. Listed as an athlete, Salesi Moa projects to play wide receiver – the position he was going to play for Simon in Provo. U-M’s previous staff originally recruited him as a defensive back.

Moa starred at both Weber and Fremont high schools, amassing 226 career catches for 3,757 yards and 44 touchdowns. That included a 2025 senior campaign in which he had 63 catches for 1,272 yards (20.2 yards per catch) and 16 touchdowns. He also played defense as a senior and recorded 57 tackles and three interceptions.

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“Productive two-way athlete with slick athleticism that could play on either side of the ball in college, but might make the most sense at wide receiver,” wrote 247 Sports’ Andrew Ivins. “Finds ways to slip behind defenders and race into the deeper third as he’s a technically advanced route runner that can mix gears and create separation.

“Might not profile as a true WR1, but can emerge as a trusted option at the Power Four level with his skill set.”

Michigan has loaded up on wide receivers this cycle, first landing former Texas wideout Jaime Ffrench Jr. and more recently receiving a commitment from former Utah tight end JJ Buchanan, who will also join Simon’s unit.

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The Wolverines have made a concerted effort to surround quarterback Bryce Underwood with talent – they brought back five of their top offensive line recruits plus running back Jordan Marshall, then added five-star incoming freshman Savion Hiter into the backfield with him.

Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Salesi Moa, Utah four-star athlete, picks Michigan football

Salt Lake City’s skyline has a striking new focal point—the Astra Tower, a 451‑foot residential skyscraper, the illuminated crown of which serves not just as an architectural flourish but as a real‑time air quality monitor for the entire city.

Designed by global architecture firm HKS, the tower overtakes the 422‑foot Wells Fargo Center—also by HKS—as the tallest building in Utah.

Offering 372 residential units and over 40,000 square feet of amenities, including a rooftop pool, the building also boasts a color‑changing LED lighting display at its crown, which is rooted in the valley’s unique environmental conditions.

Architect Emir Tursic, a partner and office director for HKS Salt Lake City, told Newsweek: “Ironically, the same mountain range that makes the Salt Lake Valley so striking also contributes to one of its greatest environmental challenges. Winter inversions trap pollution and off-gassing in the valley, making air quality the region’s most significant environmental threat.”

A LED Crown That Communicates With the City

According to Tursic, the air quality‑responsive crown was born from a challenge issued by developer KIC (Kensington Investment Company). “KIC challenged HKS to address this issue not only within the building itself, but beyond the project boundary—using design as a platform for awareness and engagement,” the architect said.  

He explained that Astra’s illuminated façade draws on the long tradition of Salt Lake City buildings that broadcast weather conditions through exterior lighting. Now, instead of weather, Astra signals air quality. Leveraging its prominence on the skyline as a civic signal, “Astra’s façade lighting changes color in accordance with the air quality index, making environmental conditions visible and fostering broader public awareness,” Tursic said.

Sensors at the top of the tower, where there is an open terrace illuminated by LED lights, measure the air and shift the lighting tone from white to purple, based on data from the Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to show the level of outdoor pollution.

Sustainability Systems Embedded Throughout the Tower

Beyond its LED crown, Astra incorporates a wide suite of engineering and sustainability strategies.

Tursic notes that the building “pairs its headline LED air-quality crown with a broader set of sustainability and resilience moves that support wellness-oriented, high-density living.”

The tower’s underlying structure reflects this philosophy. Made with an “efficient vertical organization and performance-based design,” Tursic said the building’s layout and major systems were approached with carbon, energy, and resource reduction in mind from the very beginning.

That structural framework was also engineered for long‑term resilience. According to Tursic, “the structural system was engineered to industry-leading performance standards, beyond prescriptive code, and designed to withstand significant seismic events, supporting long-term durability and climate resilience.”

A Building That Cleans the Air

One of Astra’s most notable innovations is its city‑scale air filtration concept. “A central air intake with filtration supplies ducted, filtered air to all units, and the building is designed to filter polluted outdoor air and improve it before releasing it back into the atmosphere—effectively acting as an air purifier for the city,” Tursic said.

Inside, residents also benefit from “smart air-quality awareness beyond the crown,” he explained. “Air-quality sensors are connected to elevator and lobby screens, so residents get real-time information inside the building, in addition to the exterior lighting signals.”

Engineering for Energy Efficiency

The skyscraper’s environmental strategy extends into its mechanical systems. It features a “high-performance ventilation and heat recovery” approach, including “demand control ventilation, an air-side heat recovery system, and a water-side heat recovery system to reduce energy use while maintaining indoor comfort and air quality,” Tursic said.

He notes that the Astra Tower was envisioned as more than a vertical neighborhood. “As a vertical community centered on wellness and healthy living, Astra strives to be a responsible steward of the environment at multiple scales,” the architect said.

Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

For the fourth consecutive year, Utah was ranked first in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report’s Best States rankings. Based on 71 metrics across eight categories, this composite ranking has become one of the most widely cited, common reference points in comparing state performance in key domains.

But no single ranking captures everything a state does well — or poorly — so Deseret News also reviewed other data sets that track family life, health, community and economic conditions. We used federal data when available, along with other third-party indexes to fill in more of the picture.

Since we first reviewed this in 2024, several new data sets have been released, allowing an updated look at how the Beehive State compares with the rest of the nation. Here, then, is a fresh look at 15 patterns that continue to show up in national data sets illustrating Utah’s comparative strengths as a state.

1. Higher marriage rates and less divorce

Marriage rates are dropping everywhere, including Utah. But Utahns continue to show above-average marriage levels across several common measures. For instance:

• 55% of Utah women in the most recent census report have been married at some point in their life (vs. 46.5% nationally).

• There were 11.2 Utah marriages per 1,000 people in 2023 CDC data (vs. a 6.2 national average).

• There were also 52 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women in a 2024 Bowling Green analysis (vs. 31 marriages as a national average — ranging from the next highest state of 44 in Idaho, to 20 in the lowest state of Delaware).

Utah also falls in the lower-divorce tier in some state comparisons, such as the latest Wallethub report where Utah ranks lowest in its combined “separation and divorce rate.”

Yet the exact ranking depends heavily on how divorce is measured. For instance, divorce rates per 1,000 residents can look higher in states with a larger share of married adults, because more people are at risk of divorcing each year. In 2023, a Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute analysis of census survey data reported 13.3 out of every 1,000 married Utah women divorced, compared with 14.4 nationally.

2. Prioritizing children

According to the CDC’s most recent National Vital Statistics Reports in 2023, Utah continues to have the highest “general fertility rate” at 64-65 births per 1,000 women, compared with a national average of 56 births per 1,000 women.

By this measure, Utahns are about 15-20% above the national average, with Utah’s birthrate more than 5-8 points above the next states of North and South Dakota and Nebraska.

Utah led the nation in population growth from 2010 to 2020 (18.4% in the latest census) — followed by Idaho, Texas and North Dakota. This continues its pace as one of the fastest-growing states since 2000.

When measuring lifetime childbearing (the “total fertility rate”), Utah no longer ranks first. After leading the nation until 2016, Utah has fallen out of the top tier, ranking fourth in 2022 and 10th in 2023 behind states such as South Dakota, Nebraska and North Dakota.

The state still has the highest share of families with young kids — consistently ranking the youngest state in the nation. That contributes to Utah’s humorous ranking as the No. 1 best state for trick-or-treating by looking at walkability, pedestrian safety, weather and search trends.

These young children in Utah are also more likely to be supervised by two committed parents. Last year, University of Virginia professor Brad Wilcox wrote in the Deseret News that “no state in America has more families headed by married parents than the Beehive State” — citing 2021 data that “82% of its children were living in married-couple families” compared with 75% of children nationally.

3. Strong social capital and community cohesion

The Social Capital Index is a 2018 measure of how closely tied people are to their communities. Noting that “nearly 60% of Americans reside in the bottom two-fifths of states for social capital,” the congressional authors of this index identified Utah as having the highest social capital score, followed by Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Utah’s community fabric has also been recognized as open to newcomers, especially compared with other red states — welcoming an estimated 304,918 immigrants (almost 9% of the population), most hailing from Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, India and China, in that order.

The state has a reputation for civic cooperation, reflected in the 2010 Utah Compact on immigration (reaffirmed in 2019) and the 2015 “Utah compromise” on religious liberty and gay rights. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s focus as chairman of the National Governors Association in 2023 was “disagree better.”

Utah’s major universities also appear unusually politically mixed by one measure — faculty political-donation patterns — which can shape how often students encounter viewpoints across the spectrum. Utah State and the University of Utah show unique balance, with Brigham Young University the most politically balanced in the analysis.

Utah ranked first in one 2025 “kindness index” that blends volunteering, charitable giving, trust and crime. The authors report: “Utah leads the nation in kindness, powered by the country’s strongest combination of volunteering, charitable giving, and neighbor trust,” noting that “6 in 10 Utah residents report helping neighbors monthly.”

“We can’t guarantee someone will return your lost wallet, but in Utah, the odds are better than anywhere else.”

4. Higher levels of faith and religious involvement

According to congregation data compiled by the 2020 U.S. Religion Census, Utah has the largest share of religious adherents across the United States. The report found 76% of Utah residents adhering to a religious affiliation, with the next highest states being Alabama at 64% and Louisiana at 63%.

(These behavioral findings in reported participation contrast with other surveys asking people to self-report how highly religious they are; in that case, Utah ranks 12th in people identifying as religious, after many of the Southern, Bible-belt states.)

Across all faiths, Utah also has the eighth-highest concentration of congregations per 100,000 people of any state (184), a number that increased from 2010 to 2020. There are currently at least 19 religions with 10 or more congregations in the state, with notable growth rates for Traditional Temples Hindus, Muslims and the National Baptist Convention.

According to the census, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the highest number of adherents in the state at 2,126,216 in 2020 — with a growth rate of 8.4% between 2010 and 2020.

5. High charitable giving and voluntarism

Connected with community and religious trends, Utah has been No. 1 in both charitable giving and voluntarism most years, as reflected in many past reports like this from Gallup in 2014: “Utahans Most Likely to Donate Money and Time.”

The latest WalletHub report on “Most Charitable States” analyzed 19 key metrics ranging from overall volunteer rate, donated hours per capita, the share of population donating time or money, and percentage of income donated — as well as public charities and food banks per capita, percentage of sheltered homeless, and the share of population collecting food and clothing, fundraising or selling items to raise money.

Based on this in-depth report, Utah was labeled as the second most charitable state in 2025 after Wyoming — with the highest volunteer rate of 47% (2.5 times the lowest state) and the most volunteer hours per capita at 46 hours (4.7 times the lowest state).

Utah families are second highest in donating their adjusted gross income (3.5% of their earnings, on average), with the state also reflecting the third-highest percentage of taxpayers who donate money to charity.

6. Educational excellence and affordability

According to the latest U.S. News & World Report analysis of state educational metrics, Utah ranks fourth in education, after New Jersey, Florida and Colorado (the state ranked second in 2024).

This ranking derives from Utah’s fifth-best K-12 student performance, including the nation’s fourth-best math scores, eighth-best reading scores and 13th-best high school graduation rates. Utah also performs among the top 15 states nationally for youth engagement in education, training or employment.

In a 2025 WalletHub report on “Best and Worst States for Teachers,” Utah ranked second-best nationally. This was based on a review of 24 key metrics, including teachers’ income growth potential, pupil-teacher ratios and public-school spending per student.

Utah students are also 10th best nationally in college readiness, with the state ranking seventh overall in higher education. A 2025 report highlights Utah as being in “the top third of states when it comes to educational attainment” — with only Colorado outperforming Utah in the percentage of population with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

In line with data suggesting that Latter-day Saints have measurably fewer student loans, Utah college students have the nation’s lowest (or second-lowest) average student debt at graduation and fifth lowest tuition and fees. The state leads the nation in educational affordability overall.

Ben Blau, head of the Department of Economics and Finance at Utah State University’s Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, told U.S. News & World Report in 2024 that Utah taxpayers are “extremely generous” in funding public higher education in the state.

7. Positive lifestyles and physical health

Utah consistently scores high on measures of physical activity:

• A 2021 analysis of health data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded Utah was the seventh “fittest state in the nation,” with over 80% of the Utah population participating in some form of physical activity per month (the highest scoring state for this statistic).

• More recently, Utah has been ranked as the second most physically active state by America’s Health Rankings of CDC data, which currently lists the state as third best after Colorado and Vermont — with 16.8% percent of adults reporting “no physical activity or exercise other than their regular job in the past 30 days.”

• A December 2023 review of gym data by a fitness organization concluded Utah had more residents who exercise outside their regular jobs than anywhere else (83%) — grading the state as the fourth most physically active state once other variables were taken into account.

Wallethub likewise lists Utah as having the “highest sports participation rate” generally. More specifically, a new report calls Utah “the fastest-growing hotbed for pickleball nationwide,” ranking the state No. 2 in the U.S. for pickleball obsession, based on 737,000 Google searches about the sport in the state in 2025 and 4.5 pickleball venues per 100K people.

In line with a relatively high level of physical activity, Utah was rated fourth in a 2022 Forbes analysis of state populations with the “healthiest hearts.” The state ranks 11th lowest for obesity and is among the group of states with the lowest incidence of cancer.

Other recent analyses rank Utah sixth nationally in “health outcomes and healthy behaviors” and ninth among states that “take the best care of their health.”

According to the latest U.S. census, Utah also tied North Dakota for states ranking first in having the highest percentage of residents covered by employer-sponsored insurance at 78.4%. More broadly, U.S. News & World Report ranks health care in Utah 14th in the nation, due to the nation’s 10th-best health care quality and 13th-best public health.

Another 2025 analysis by the Commonwealth Fund identified Utah as third after the District of Columbia and Massachusetts for “health care quality,” which it defined as “receiving the right care at the right time.”

Utah is currently listed as ninth in terms of the longest life expectancy among states. One deeper 2023 analysis of federal longevity data combined lifestyle indicators such as exercise, diet, weight, sleep, stress, isolation, natural spaces and time outdoors — ranking Utah as fifth on the list of the “Top 10 best states in the U.S. for a long, healthy life.”

8. Lower alcohol and drug abuse

WalletHub released a 2026 analysis of which states have the biggest drug problems — assessing 20 different measures across three overall categories: 1) drug use and addiction, 2) law enforcement and 3) drug health issues and rehab. Crunching all the numbers, including state-by-state overdose trends, Utah was the second-lowest state in terms of overall drug use and percentage of teenage drug users.

According to a 2022 Forbes analysis, Utah also had the lowest percentage of people who smoke daily and the highest percentage of people who had never smoked.

The state also demonstrates the lowest percentage of adults who are binge-drinkers and the lowest alcohol consumption per capita by large margins, with the state’s estimated 17.7 gallons per resident per year about half the national average of 34 gallons — and 8 gallons below the next state, Maryland. (Idaho came in third, at 26.5 gallons per person.)

Utah is the state with the lowest percentage of fatal accidents caused by drunk driving (22%), according to 2022 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.

9. High public safety and lower crime

Utah is the fifth-safest state for driving overall, according to a 2024 Forbes analysis across key metrics from the NHTSA, including the number of fatal car accidents and people killed in car accidents per capita, as well as percent of fatalities from speeding and impaired driving.

Utah’s crime rate is consistently well below national levels. For instance, compared to the U.S. average, the violent crime rate in 2024 in Utah was approximately 36% lower, and its rate of property crime was 20% lower.

The 2025 U.S. News & World Report ranks the state as seventh overall in “crime and corrections,” based on the state being No. 7 in corrections outcomes, with an incarceration rate of 176 per 100,000 residents, compared with a national average of 311 — and a juvenile incarceration rate of 23 per 100,000 compared with 39 nationally.

A WalletHub 2025 report on the “Safest States in America” examined 52 key metrics, including assaults, bullying, theft and rape per capita and number of mass shootings. Utah was ranked as the fifth-safest state in the nation, after a set of smaller New England states, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

Compared with analyses that limit themselves to FBI data to assess state-by-state comparisons of sexual violence, more comprehensive analyses reveal more nuance. For instance, higher or lower rates of reporting child abuse or sexual assault may reflect more or less willingness of a community to hold perpetrators accountable and take abuse seriously enough to report it to authorities.

Other methodological differences also play a significant role in measuring abuse. For instance, in both 2012 and 2016-2017, the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey found that Utah had some of the lowest sexual violence rates across states. Yet the latest 2023-2024 report from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey positions the state into a higher tier of sexual violence.

Due to substantial methodological changes in sampling and measurement approaches, the CDC cautions against comparing these figures directly with prior NIPSV surveys.

10. Overall happiness and life satisfaction

Compared to investigations more narrowly focused on a small set of variables related to well-being, at least three different analyses across 50 states have examined an extensive list of happiness-related variables. In 2009, Gallup assessed emotional health, how much someone is thriving, healthy behaviors, physical health and work environments across the nation, ranking Utah No. 1 in overall well-being.

The Sharecare Community Well-Being Index similarly compiles into a single health score more than 600 data points spread across five categories of personal well-being (physical, social, community, purpose and financial) and five types of social health (health care access, food access, resource access, housing and transportation, and economic security). Utah has consistently ranked in the first quintile of well-being, including fifth in 2018, 10th in 2022 and ninth in 2025.

And a 2025 WalletHub report on the “Happiest States in America” examined 30 relevant metrics across three key dimensions: 1) emotional and physical well-being, 2) work environment and 3) community and environment.

Utah ranked as the No. 1 happiest state in 2023 based on this more comprehensive examination, followed by Hawaii and Maryland. In 2026, the state was ranked sixth.

After examining a wide range of factors that impact mental health, Soliant Health has listed Utah as No. 9 and No. 10 on its 2023 and 2024 reports on “Best States for Mental Health.” In addition to the frequency of “bad mental health days” reported by the population, and access to mental health providers and suicide rates, the report assessed unemployment and violent crime rates, how many teens and young adults are disconnected (neither working nor in school), access to exercise opportunities and air pollution.

According to one travel magazine’s list of “Most Beautiful States in the U.S.,” Utah was ranked fourth in the list of 50 states — topped only by Hawaii, California and Alaska.

“To rank this high with exactly zero miles of coastline, you’ve gotta have some superlative sights,” the authors remark, “and Utah brings it like no other landlocked state in the nation.”

Thanks to high elevation and good visibility (low light pollution), Utah also ranks fourth in the top states for spotting an asteroid in the U.S. (after California, Colorado and Oregon).

11. Lower poverty and higher upward mobility

According to multiple analyses, Utah has the lowest childhood poverty rate in the nation, the second lowest for women, and the second or third lowest poverty rate for families overall (depending on the study). The state’s homeless level, which has increased in recent years to 13 per 10,000, is still significantly below the national rate of 23 per 10,000.

The state is also the No. 1-ranked state for social mobility, according to a 2023 analysis led by Justin T. Callais at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. This data aligns with an earlier 2018 finding from Harvard economist Raj Chetty and colleagues that Utah has one of the highest rates of upward economic mobility of any state in America (defined as the odds that a child will earn more than his or her parents did at the same age).

In their 2014 study, Chetty and colleagues identified Salt Lake City and San Jose, California, as having the highest rates of “absolute mobility” in the nation. Specifically, the likelihood of moving from the poorest income threshold to the richest was 10.8% in Salt Lake City, compared with 4% elsewhere in the country.

Places like Salt Lake City and San Jose, they concluded, “have rates of mobility comparable to countries with the highest rates of relative mobility, such as Denmark.” In a 2017 Bloomberg article titled, “How Utah Keeps the American Dream Alive,” columnist Megan McArdle quipped that Utah is “a bit like Sweden might be if it were run by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.”

A separate 2015 analysis by the American Enterprise Institute likewise identified Utah as the No. 1 state in terms of economic mobility for poor children. As Natalie Gochnour summarized, “children born in low-income families in the Salt Lake metro area are more likely to achieve the American dream than anywhere else in the country.”

While Utah’s social mobility has continued increasing since 2013, a 2025 report from the Utah Foundation shows the gap with the rest of the country has decreased with Utah now ranking as 12th in social mobility.

A 2023 Census Bureau analysis examined income inequality across the nation by combining various financial measures into a single statistic — concluding that Utah had the lowest inequality score of any state in the nation.

Among the 51 metropolitan areas with more than one million in population, Salt Lake City scored the lowest in income inequality — with West Jordan City the lowest in income inequality among the 267 cities over 100,000 in population, as Gochnour likewise points out.

Digging deeper on the same data, Deseret News contributor Stephen Cranney notes that “the lower the percentage of (Latter-day Saint) church members in the county, the higher likelihood of economic inequality — a finding that is highly statistically significant.”

Like other fast-growing states, housing affordability is a concern (36th compared to other states), along with affordability overall (31st). This has been increasingly emphasized as arguably Utah’s most significant structural challenge, especially for younger families.

More positively, according to a 2025 report, Utah ranks 13th nationally for homeownership and is one of the top-performing mountain states, ranking just behind Idaho and tying with Wyoming for second place.

Provo, home to Brigham Young University, leads the nation in cities where young adults make up the largest percentage of homeowners — with people under 25 making up roughly 39% of homeowners in the city and young adults owning more homes than older cohorts.

And Utah ranked first in 2023 and fourth in 2025 in new home construction nationally. At an average of 42 people per square mile, the state ranks 30th nationally in population density, suggesting comparatively more physical capacity for growth, though water constraints continue to be real.

12. Economic strength and growth

A 2025 independent analysis of 15 policy variables by the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Center for State Fiscal Reform concluded Utah has the nation’s best economic outlook among U.S. states and the third best current economic performance.

According to the last two 2024 and 2025 U.S. News & World Report analyses of state economic variables, Utah likewise has ranked third overall among states for its economy, after Florida and Idaho. This is based on the state’s third-best employment, fourth-best GDP growth, fifth-best growth of young population and the sixth-best overall economic growth.

A separate 2025 analysis by WalletHub compares states on 28 key indicators of economic performance and strength, including GDP growth, unemployment rate, startup activity and the share of jobs in high-tech industries. Across these factors, they rank Utah as the state with the second-best overall economy.

The analysts note that “at over $88,500, the median annual household income in the state is the second-highest in the country after adjusting for the cost of living.” (The state elsewhere ranks as the eighth highest for median household income). In addition, “the average income in the state also grew by 6.1% between 2023 and 2024” (similar to growth the previous year).

“The labor market in Utah is also very healthy,” WalletHub also notes. “Utah has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, at 3.2%, along with the eighth-most growth in the civilian labor force between 2023 and 2024.”

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics confirm a rate of nearly 68% labor force participation in Utah — also the highest in the country. In terms of overall job satisfaction, Provo, Salt Lake City and Ogden all rate highly (No. 1, No. 9 and No. 11, respectively) in Glassdoor’s 2023 analysis of “cities with the most satisfied workers.”

WalletHub lists Utah as having the “lowest work hours,” perhaps reflecting the state’s priority on family and faith.

WalletHub also underscores the state’s “great potential for the future of business,” based on the third-highest growth rate in the number of businesses and the sixth-highest share of jobs in high-tech industries. The state has been called the first (2024) and third-best (2025) state to start a business, with three of the top five “best cities to start a business” all in Utah: St. George, Cedar City and Washington.

13. Fiscal responsibility, government stability and public trust

U.S. News & World Report concluded that Utah’s financial stability was first in the nation in 2025, after being sixth in 2024. That was based on a fourth-rated long-term fiscal stability, due to a nation-best Government Credit Rating and a seventh-best Pension Fund Liability.

The state also has been ranked the sixth best in short-term fiscal stability, based on the nation-leading ranking in budget balancing. Utah also has an AAA Government Credit Rating — which is the highest value possible, denoting the “lowest expectation of default risk” and “assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments,” which is “highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.”

Alongside these measures of trustworthy governance, data from 2013 to 2021 also shows Utah residents with as many 20 to 30 percentage points above the national average in terms of trust in law enforcement.

WalletHub appraised Utah in 2025 as the most independent state in the nation based on Utah consumer finances, the government, the job market, international trade and personal vices. That includes the fact that Utah has the second highest number of households with rainy-day and emergency funds.

Utah has also been rated as the third least federally dependent state (after New Jersey and Washington), and the second lowest state in terms of households receiving public assistance and SNAP/food stamps (after Wyoming).

A separate WalletHub analysis across 17 metrics rated Utah as second highest in “financial knowledge and education,” and the seventh highest in “financial literacy” overall.

Utah ranks after Hawaii as the state with the least amount of student debt, the lowest in credit score decreases and eighth best in terms of where credit card delinquency is increasing the least. That being said, Utah is also among the states with a largest increase in both average household debt and auto loan debt.

14. Robust infrastructure and long-term planning

According to a U.S. News & World Report analysis of key infrastructure metrics — including commute time, road quality, bridge quality and broadband internet access — Utah ranks third nationally in overall infrastructure, behind North Dakota and Oregon.

That’s partly due to the state’s No. 1 ranking in internet access nationally. Access to high-speed internet has specifically expanded: Nearly 60% of Utahns now have access to gigabit service, and BroadbandNow ranks the state 16th among states in 2025 for internet.

The state also ranks second in transportation overall, again based on data in commute and road quality, along with public transit. Commute times in Utah average 21.6 minutes, about 5 minutes less than the national average.

Utah is also one of the only states with a unified cross-agency 30-year transportation plan coordinating road, transit and bike/pedestrian plan, as well as a 50-year water plan accompanying the new Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan — all of which are cited nationally as examples of a forward-thinking planning culture.

While sustained growth continues to strain infrastructure and public services, U.S. News and World Report notes that these growing pains may propel Utah to grow stronger in its infrastructure as it prepares to host the Winter Olympics in 2034. That includes plans to expand passenger rail in Salt Lake City, which Gov. Cox has identified as a priority. (Utah currently ranks 14th in the nation for public transit use.)

Work along the Wasatch Front to alleviate traffic on Interstate 15 includes improvements to the Mountain View Corridor in a phased approach providing quicker north-south access for commuters.

15. Environmental stewardship and resource management

Utah ranked third in the U.S. for geothermal generation in 2023 and has advanced in solar energy use, ranking 13th in installed capacity by early 2024 — enough to power an estimated 586,000 homes. In 2023, 15.5% of Utah’s electricity came from renewable sources, up from 13% the prior year, with 45,893 clean-energy jobs reported that same year.

The federal government controls 64.4% of Utah’s land area — the second-highest share of any state after Nevada — which places substantial stewardship responsibilities on agencies in Utah. In a state with elevated wildfire risk, crews treated more than 18,000 acres of hazardous fuels in fiscal year 2024 through thinning, mulching and other efforts to reduce fire spread.

These indicators show a state proactively involved in the stewardship of its natural resources. Even so, episodic air pollution remains a challenge (ranked 28th nationally for air and water quality), due in part to seasonal inversion patterns.

And longer-term water scarcity, highlighted by the decline of the Great Salt Lake, poses environmental and public-health risks. A 2025 UCLA analysis also found Utah recycled less than 1% of its treated wastewater in 2022 (the lowest rate among Colorado River Basin states).

None of this above is to idealize Utah or suggest there aren’t serious challenges in the state, much like other places in the country. For instance, in addition to challenges noted above (housing affordability pressures, household debt, winter air quality), the state continues to show higher-than-average mental health strain, especially among adolescents and women.

An interconnected social ecosystem

It would be a mistake to appraise these variables as independent and standalone. None of them operate in a vacuum — representing different elements of an interdependent and self-reinforcing ecosystem.

For instance, comprehensive analyses of happiness often take into account economic and family measures. And higher levels of faith have long correlated with people’s willingness to make charitable donations.

Faith is associated with many variables on the list — from strong prioritization of children, family, education and economic self-reliance, to unique levels of health, happiness and freedom from addiction.

Regarding economic equality, Chetty and colleagues found that areas like Utah with greater mobility also tended to have “less segregation, less income inequality, better schools, greater social capital and more stable families.”

As reflected here, faith and family really do appear to pay tangible, practical dividends. Indeed, one of the top predictors of economic performance across U.S. states is the share of married parents, according to experts.

“The percentage of parents who are married in a given state,” two researchers note, “is typically a stronger predictor of the state’s economic mobility, child poverty and median family income than are the education level, racial makeup and age composition of its population.”

The Dallas Mavericks hosted the Utah Jazz on Thursday night for the second night of a back-to-back for both teams. Both teams were coming off losses, and with only a half-game separating them in the standings, someone was going have to tank control of the tank battle.

Both teams were without key players, as the Mavericks were missing Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford, while the Jazz were without Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler.

And if you thought the Mavericks could out-tank the Jazz, boy, would you be wrong.

The Mavericks ran away with this game at the end of the first quarter and into the second quarter. When Dwight Powell is Euro-stepping in transition to finish a layup, and Klay Thompson turns back the clock while passing Damian Lillard for the fourth-most made threes in NBA history, things could get weird.

And things continued to get weird in the third quarter. The Mavericks outscored Utah 42-29, but those Jazz points came padded on near the end. Dallas ended up leading by 38 in the frame. Mind you, the Mavericks rolled out a starting lineup of Brandon Williams, Jaden Hardy, Caleb Martin, Naji Marshall, and Dwight Powell. And they still absolutely smoked the Jazz.

By the end, the Mavericks had themselves a _ win, but these two will be right back at it on Saturday in Dallas. Will the Mavericks tie the season series? Or can they give themselves an additional possible tiebreaker in the draft lottery odds?

Here are three overreactions from this win.

READ MORE: Mavericks’ Klay Thompson passes Damian Lillard in NBA history for huge accomplishment

1. Jason Kidd’s Disdain for D’Angelo Russell is Actually Hilarious

Due to the injuries the Mavericks entered the game with, here is everyone they had available for this game: Brandon Williams, Jaden Hardy, Caleb Martin, Naji Marshall, Dwight Powell, Klay Thompson, D’Angelo Russell, Ryan Nembhard (two-way contract), Moussa Cisse (two-way contract), Miles Kelly (two-way contract), and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (was literally just signed today on a 10-day hardship contract). D’Angelo Russell is the only one of that group who didn’t play. You have to think that he’s going to be on the first trade out of town is there’s an offer available.

2. Klay Thompson Vintage Games are Still Elite

Klay Thompson is out of his prime at this point in his career, but he’s still more than capable of big games. And he had it ROLLING in this game. It was one thing to see him pass Damian Lillard on the three-point leaderboard, but it’s good to see him have fun again. He ended up finishing with 25 points on 10/18 shooting, including 6/13 from three. He even had 6 assists. It’s great to see him have these kinds of performances.

3. Caleb Martin Has Put Up Back-to-Back Good Games. He’s Tradeable!

Caleb Martin easily had his best game as a Maverick on Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets, and then followed it up with 14 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals in this game. He’s still not a good contract, but he’s at least showing that he can be a rotation player.

READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks could trade for former lottery pick

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