Provo Demographic Profile :: Provo City

Provo Demographic Profile

Origin

Under the direction of Brigham Young, Provo City was settled by Mormon pioneers in the Spring of 1849. John S. Higbee led 33 families (150 People) from Salt Lake City to the Provo area, a difficult three day travel. On April 3, 1849, the pioneers started construction of a fort on the south bank of the Provo River three miles east of Utah Lake. In 1850, the settlers moved east toward higher ground. Blocks of four acres were surveyed and divided into parcels for home sites. Provo City became the county seat for Utah County on January 31, 1850.

John Clifton Moffitt, The Story of Provo Utah, Press Publishing Co. 1975

Provo Labor Force

By far, the most important asset Provo has to offer a potential employer is its people. Provo has a very productive and reliable labor pool which forms the nucleus of Utah Valley's 176,703 - person work force. Provo's strategic central location allows its companies to draw upon both the Provo metro area labor market and the Salt Lake Valley labor market, which adds an additional 600,000-plus workers to the pool. however, the quantity of Provo's labor force is not nearly as impressive as its quality. Woods and Pool Economics declared Provo "one of the nation's most intelligent work forces." Among the outstanding qualities of the Provo work force are foreign language ability, foreign service experience, high education levels, and a strong work ethic. In Provo, turnover is low because people want to live here.

Population

Year	Population
1970	53,131
1980	74,111
1990	86,835
2000	105,439
2010	117,489

US Bureau of the Census, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000,, other numbers estimates or projections.

Population Increase

Year	Population Increase
2000-2010	12,050

Utah County Population

Year	Population
2010	516,564

Gender Breakdown

Male/Female Breakdown	Percent
Male - 57,053	48.6%
Female - 66,436	51.4%

2000 American Community Survey

Population by Age Groups

Age	Population	Percent
Under 5 years	10,131	8.6%
18 years and older	93,513	79.6%
65 years and older	6,123	5.2%

American Community Survey 2009

Median Age

Median Age	22.9

US Bureau of the Census, 2010

Race

Race	Population	Percent
White	103,853	88.4%
Black or African American	1,055	0.9%
American Indian or Alaska Native	1,727	1.5%
Asian	4,073	3.5%
Hawaiian and Pacific Islander	2,196	1.9%
Some other race	7,551	6.4%
Two or more races	2,319	2.0%
Race with Hispanic Origin	15,207	12.9%

2009 American Community Survey

Education

Utah has one of the most educated populations in the nation. As a state, over 90% of its citizens have at least a high school degree, and over 55% have attended some college, with over 28% having earned a Bachelor’s degree. Summit and Utah Counties have the most educated populations in the state.

Geographic Location	High School Graduate	Associates Degree	Bachelor's Degree	Graduate Degree/th>
Provo City	93.0%	10.8%	25.7%	10.9%

Economic Development Corporation of Utah

Fall 2011 College Student Enrollment

Institution	Enrollment
BYU *	32,980
UVU **	32,670

* BYU Institutional Assessment and Analysis, 2008

** UVU Institutional Research and Planning, 2008

Households and Housing

Type	Statistics
Average Household Size	3.59
Average Family Size	3.56
Total Housing Units	32,232

2005 American Community Survey

Housing Occupancy

Type	Statistics
Owner Occupied	43.1%
Renter Occupied	56.9%
Housing Vacancy Rate	7.6%
Estimated Median Value	$203,000

2005 American Community Survey

Employment

Provo Metro Area
Type	Statistics
Labor force	229,200
Employed	213,000
Unemployed	12,200
Unemployment Rate (December 2011)	6.0

Additional Utah County Occupational Employment Statistics are available from the the United States Labor Department, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Income

Median Family Income 2010	$38,830

Property Tax

Type	Rate
Assessment	$877.70 per $100,000 in value (Rate = .008777)
Residential	55% of Market Value x Rate
Commercial	100% of Market Value x Rate

Utah County Assessors 2008

Sales Tax

Rate = .06750

Utah State Tax Commission, 2009

Corporate Income Tax

Rate = 5.0%

Corporate income tax in Provo is set by state statute. Utah’s corporate tax rate is among the lowest in the Rocky Mountain Region, which in turn is among the lowest in the country.

Utilities

Provo City is fully equipped to handle the utility needs of your company. Our municipally owned energy department is well positioned to meet the growing power demands of the business community, and we are prepared to do so at a significantly lower price than the national average. The American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association state that Provos utilities are 15% below the national average. Our utility infrastructure is constantly being upgraded in response to community-wide residential and industrial development. In addition to comparatively lower costs, utility services are easily accessible throughout Provo, ensuring our customers convenient, reliable service. Provo has also taken pains to ensure that all of our systems are environmentally sound, meeting or exceeding federal and state standards.

Utility Summary

Natural Gas

Questar is the Power Supplier

Electricity

Provo City Power is a municipally owned electric company. Provo has a geothermal plant in southern Utah and hydroelectric facilities in Northern Utah.

Telephone

QWest, Veracity and Utopia supply Provo and Utah county with a complete state-of-the-art fiber optic telecommunications system capable of handling any current phone technology

Water

Provo City’s water supply originates from cold mountain springs, deep wells, Deer Creek Reservoir, and Jordanelle Reservoir. Water demand prior to completion of the Jordanelle Dam was only half of total supply. With the completion of the Jordanelle Dam the water demand will be significantly less than half of the supply.

Water Reclamation

Provo has a modern, award-winning, waste water treatment facility that is currently operating well below capacity.

Solid Waste Disposal

Provo not only provides full capacity sanitation and solid waste disposal, but also provides a mulching program to help reuse: “greenwaste”.

Crime Rate

Crime rates are tallied by part-one crimes, which include; homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny/theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Crimes per 100,000 Population (2009)

Location	Rate
Provo	2990
Utah	3883
National	3667

US Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigations, 2009

Geography

Mean Precipitation per Year

Type	Mean Measurement
Rain	20.13 inches
Snow	60.40 inches

Provo Weather Station Brigham Young University, 1999

Mean Temperature (Degrees Fahrenheit)

Jan.	April.	July	Oct.	Annual
30.7	52.0	76.4	53.3	53.3

Provo Weather Station Brigham Young University, 1999

Location

Latitude	40.158
Longitude	111.39

Provo Weather Station Brigham Young University, 2009

Elevation

Elevation	4,540 feet