The southwest Utah city of St. George has become the nation's fastest-growing metropolitan area, while rural Uintah County in the northeast corner of the state is among places that lost the greatest percentage of its population.
U.S. Census data released Thursday also puts the Provo-Orem area at No. 8 on the national growth chart.
University of Utah demographic researcher Pam Perlich says that growth is uneven across the state.
She says some of the population from declining rural counties is probably moving into urban areas.
Uintah County saw the No. 8 worst population skid among large counties, losing 2.9 percent of its residents between 2016 and 2017.
The St. George area, including Washington County, grew by 4 percent last year, adding more than 6,400 people.
