
A popular nickname for Salt Lake City is The Crossroads of the West. The official moniker for Utah is the Beehive State, while other names are the Mormon State and Deseret–the latter based on a word from the Book of Mormon meaning “honeybee”.
Salt Lake City’s Bingham Canyon Mine is the site of the world’s biggest man-made excavation.
Utah’s capital city is also home to the Family History Library, the largest genealogical library on the planet. The Family History Library is free to the public.
Research website numbeo ranks Salt Lake City in the top 31% compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Salt Lake City scored well on index factors such as purchasing power (strongest 5%), property price to income ratio (lowest 17%) and safety (safest 27%). On the negative side, Salt Lake City rates reasonably poorly for climate (bottom 25%), pollution (worst 35%) and cost of living (most expensive 45%).
Guinness World Records points to the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating Series event at Salt Lake City’s super-fast Utah Olympic Oval track as being where South Korean Hwang Daeheon set the men’s world record for the fastest short-track speed skate over 1,000 meters completed in one minute 20.875 seconds.
Salt Lake City is vulnerable to earthquakes, at particular risk given its soil composed of clay and sand. Deterioration of its soil foundation could lead to permanent flooding from the Great Salt Lake. On March 18, 2020, Salt Lake City endured minor damage from a 5.7 magnitude earthquake to its southwest.
Salt Lake City serves as headquarters for one major corporation recognized as belonging to the Forbes Global 2000 world’s biggest companies: bank holding firm Zions Bancorporation.
From an international trade perspective, Utah shipped U$17.344 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. Its most valuable exports include gold (51.5% of Utah’s global total), miscellaneous food preparations (3%), electronic integrated circuit memories (2.9%), civilian aircraft including engines and other parts (2.8%), safety airbags including inflator system and other parts (1.9%), medical supplies such as needles and catheters (1.8%), non-electrical graphite or carbon items (1.3%), coal (also 1.3%), molybdenum ores and concentrates (1.2%), and x-ray tubes (1%) according to United States Census Bureau data.
The non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Salt Lake City was 5.2% at July 2020, up from 2.5% in 2019.
Capital Facts for Salt Lake City, United States: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Beehive House, Benson Grist Mill, Jon M. Huntsman Center, Joseph Smith Memorial Building, McCune Mansion, Smith’s Ballpark, Vivint Smart Home Arena
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Salt Lake City, United States.
- Roseanne Barr, award-winning comedian & actress (born Nov. 3, 1952)
- Cael Sanderson, Olympic wrestling gold medalist & coach (born Jun. 20, 1979)
- Derek Hough, professional dancer & choreographer (born May 17, 1985)
- Steve Young, professional NFL football quarterback (born Oct. 11, 1961)
- Ted Ligety, Olympic ski racing gold medalist (born Aug. 31, 1984)
- Faye Gulini, professional snowboarder (born Mar. 24, 1992)
- Richard Bachman, professional NHL hockey goaltender (born Jul. 25, 1987)
- Scott Mitchell, professional NFL quarterback (born Jan. 2, 1968)
- Dorothy Poynton-Hill, Olympic diving gold medalist (born Jul. 17, 1915)
- David Zabriskie, professional road bicycle racer (born Jan. 12, 1979)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches of published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Salt Lake City resident: Salt Laker
Population: 213,367 (Salt Lake City) at September 21, 2020
Density: 1,934 people per square mile (747 per square kilometer)
Population: 3,282,120 (Utah) at September 21, 2020
Density: 40 people per square mile (15 per square kilometer)
Financial
GDP: US$94.307 billion in 2018 (Salt Lake City)
GDP per person: $77,140
Note: The above GDP metrics are on a current basis and are in U.S. dollars.
Official currency used in Salt Lake City: U.S. dollars
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Census Charts Index, Metropolitan Areas: Population & Housing Density.
Dilemma X, U.S. Census Bureau metropolitan population estimates July 1, 2016.
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Total Gross Domestic Product for Salt Lake City, UT (MSA).
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Unemployment Rate in Salt Lake City, UT (MSA).
Forbes Global 2000, The World’s Biggest Public Companies.
Guinness World Records, Largest car park.
Nations Online, Capital Cities of the USA.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, City of Salt Lake City official website.
United States Census Bureau, Foreign Trade: State by 6-Digit HS Code and Top Countries.
United States Census Bureau, State Population Totals Tables: 2010-2016.
United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: Seasonally Adjusted Metropolitan Area Estimates.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Gross Domestic Product by Metropolitan Area, 2015 (Tables Only).
Wikimedia Commons, Salt Lake City city flag.
Wikipedia, Salt Lake City.
Wikipedia, Salt Lake City metropolitan area.
Wikipedia, Utah.
World Population Review, Salt Lake City, Utah Population.
Salt Lakers celebrate Independence Day as a national holiday each July 4.
Salt Lake City’s land area occupies 110.34 square miles (285.77 square kilometers). The state capital’s population was 213,367 Salt Lakers at September 21, 2020.
At the state level, Utah coves a land area measuring 82,144 square miles (212,761 square kilometers) home to a population of 3.3 million dwellers.
Salt Lake City’s population density is more concentrated averaging 1,934 residents per square mile (747 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to Utah state’s land boundaries, population density dilutes to an average 40 inhabitants per square mile (15 per square kilometer).