Gov. Spencer J. Cox is a husband, father, farmer, recovering attorney, and Utah’s 18th governor. Since taking the oath of office on Jan. 4, 2021, Gov. Cox has secured funds for affordable housing, promoted suicide prevention and mental health resources and implemented water conservation and infrastructure planning. He also signed early education and workforce program funding, launched the new Utah Sustainable Health Collaborative, and expanded opportunity for women, diverse communities and those living in rural parts of the state.
“Utah is the best state in the nation for living, working, and raising a family. Our population is set to double by 2050. To accommodate this growth, I am working to provide our state with solid infrastructure, economic opportunity, and a healthy, sustainable environment for our rising generations to inherit and build upon.” - Governor Gary R. Herbert
Utah is the fastest growing state in the nation. People are flocking to Utah in search of employment opportunities, and our natural growth is more than two times the national average.
Utah is currently enduring the “growing pains” of such dramatic growth. It is imperative we prepare for population growth in a thoughtful, innovative, and thorough manner. Numerous issues are posed by population growth, including: water access, infrastructure, employment opportunities, teacher availability, and more.
Governor Herbert is committed to ensuring we maintain our unparalleled quality of life through this period of growth. This will require a greater investment in infrastructure than the state has ever seen. Our state will need to use water more carefully than ever before. We will also need to ensure businesses and residences have the necessary water to succeed and survive. As a desert state, we do not have the access to fresh water that other states may have and, therefore, we will need to be wiser in how we utilize our water. Additional infrastructure requirements include transit systems and roads that are capable of maintaining efficient standards for larger numbers of commuters and travelers.
In order to avoid high rates of job displacement from automation and global competition, Utah must prepare its workforce to be adaptable, innovative, and industrious. Utahns need to be trained, in various industries, to actively innovate and work themselves out of current positions and into more productive ones. The service industry and labor-oriented occupations will undergo significant challenges in the coming decades, and Utah is prepared to address this through thoughtful and collaborative public-private partnerships. Our industrious workforce will continue to distinguish Utah as the best state for business in the nation, and possibly the world.