Utah No. 1 in growth by whites

Excerpts of Utah No. 1 in growth by whites during past decade, census says by Lee Davidson, The Salt Lake Tribune

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Few states saw fast growth among non-Latino whites over the past decade. But Utah was different, leading the nation with 16.7 percent growth by that group, a new U.S. Census report says.

The 2010 Census shows that Utah's growth among non-Latino whites was a whopping 14 times higher than the national average growth of 1.2 percent, according to a Census Bureau report released this week on the population of whites.

"It's because of all the babies born here," said Pam Perlich, research economist with the University of Utah.

"It's another imprint of the Mormon culture region" and the importance that Mormons put on having children and families, she said. Utah has the lowest median age of any state because of all the children.

Perlich added that a mini-baby boom of women born in the 1980s hit their peak child-bearing years in the past decade, which may have contributed to Utah's high numbers.

...The states behind Utah were Idaho, up 15.5 percent; Arizona, 12.9 percent; and Nevada, 12.2 percent. ....