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Where Will Population and Jobs Grow along the Wasatch Front?

Author · Bert Granberg
Published · Jun 25, 2019
Last modified · Mar 20, 2024
Category · Guest Blog
Read time · 2 min

Seven new GIS datasets are now available that provide annual projections, through 2050, of population and job densities for the Salt Lake - Provo - Ogden urban corridor extending from Santaquin north to Brigham City. The projections datasets each present the annual forecasted counts for each year 2019 through 2050 for the following variables:

  • Population (excluding group quarters)
  • Household Count (excluding group quarters)
  • Total Jobs
  • Industrial Jobs
  • Office Jobs
  • Retail Jobs
  • Typical Jobs (a subtotal of jobs with typical travel & commuting patterns (sums Industrial, Office, & Retail Jobs)
  • Nontypical Jobs (with non typical travel demand, sums agriculture, constructions, & mining jobs)

Actually there are 14 datasets, opens in a new tab, as this data is available at two geographic levels:

  1. “City Areas” aggregations that closely reflect current city boundaries, and
  2. Traffic Analysis Zone polygons, which are much smaller.

The projections datasets were created using the Real Estate Market Model (REMM), an UrbanSim-based model developed by WFRC and MAG to support transportation and land use planning. To arrive at its predictions for our future, REMM relies upon a developer profitability module and input data, including: detailed county tax parcel GIS layers, transportation plans, envisioned land uses, and county-level projections from the U of U’s Gardner Policy Institute (control totals).

If you’re looking to learn more about these datasets, this metadata doc, opens in a new tab is your friend.

Projected household density in 2050