Weber County Economic Update

Weber County Starts 2015 With a Bang

By Matt Schroeder 

Weber County employment is growing at a rate not seen in more than 10 years and is very wide-spread across all industries. Taxable sales were up more than 6 percent with particular strength in retail markets suggesting that consumer confidence continues to build. Unemployment remains low and initial unemployment insurance claims are back to pre-recession levels. Overall, the indicators are reaffirming that the long term trajectory of economic performance for the county is very positive.

Morgan County Economic Update

Morgan County Continues Expansion in Early 2015

By Matt Schroeder

Morgan County continued robust economic expansion in early 2015. Employment grew at a faster rate than any other county in northern Utah.  Taxable sales were up 15 percent. Unemployment remains among the lowest in the state and initial unemployment insurance claims are back to pre-recession levels. Wage growth, although not great, is outpacing the rest of the state. Overall, the indicators are reaffirming that the long term trajectory of economic performance for the county is positive.

Davis County Economic Update

Davis County Kicks Off 2015 With Robust Gains

By Matt Schroeder

Davis County was strong out of the gate in early 2015. Job growth was robust and broad-based. Taxable sales were up 9.5 percent with particular strength in motor vehicles. Unemployment remains low and initial unemployment insurance claims are near pre-recession levels. Overall, the indicators are reaffirming that the long term trajectory of economic performance for the county is positive.

Weber County Economic Update

Weber County Ends 2014 with Strong Economic Performance

By Matt Schroeder

Weber County ended 2014 with signs of deepening economic strength and vitality. Wages, which have been slow to keep up with the rest of the recovering labor market, finally turned a corner. A considerable uptick in construction permits reveals positive expectations for housing demand. Taxable sales were up more than 5 percent with particular strength in retail markets suggesting that consumer confidence continues to build. Motor vehicle sales were particularly strong thanks in part to falling oil prices. Unemployment continues to fall and initial unemployment insurance claims are back to pre-recession levels. Employment growth was consistent and broad based. Overall, the roots of recovery appear to be firmly set in the region and Weber County’s economic performance at the end of 2014 leaves continued-optimism for 2015 as the rational expectation.

Morgan County Economic Update

Morgan County Ends 2014 with Strong Economic Performance

By Matt Schroeder

Morgan County ended 2014 on a very positive note. Employment grew at a faster rate than any other county in the state, and wages, which have been slow to keep up with the rest of the recovering labor market, picked up considerably. Taxable sales were up 26 percent. Unemployment was the second lowest in the state and initial unemployment insurance claims are back to pre-recession levels. Overall, the roots of recovery appear to be firmly set in the region and Morgan County’s economic performance at the end of 2014 leaves continued-optimism for 2015 as the rational expectation.

Davis County Economic Update

Davis County Ends 2014 with Strong Economic Performance

By Matt Schroeder

Davis County ended 2014 with healthy labor market expansion and indications of demand-side improvement. Wages, which have been slow to keep up with the rest of the recovering labor market, finally turned a corner. Taxable sales were up almost 7 percent with particular strength in motor vehicles thanks in part to falling oil prices. Unemployment continues to fall and initial unemployment insurance claims are near pre-recession levels. Employment growth was consistent and relatively broad based. Overall, the roots of recovery appear to be firmly set in the region and Davis County’s economic performance at the end of 2014 leaves continued-optimism for 2015 as the rational expectation.

Morgan County Economic Update

Second quarter employment in the Wasatch Front North (WFN) region grew 2.7 percent from 2013 to 2014. The WFN increased employment at almost the same rate as the rest of the state, which grew 2.8 percent over the same period. In total, the region added 5,611 nonfarm payroll jobs year-over-year for a quarterly average of 213,346. Annual growth in the WFN slowed a bit from the 2.8 percent rate in the first quarter of 2014.

• Second-quarter total nonfarm employment in Morgan County grew 3.5 percent from 2013 to 2014. Morgan County added a quarterly average of 65 nonfarm jobs year-over-year, resulting in total employment equal to 1,943.
• Private goods-producing employment increased 4.4 percent (23 more jobs). Construction employment, the region’s largest goods-producing industry, was up one job.
• Private service-providing employment grew 7.8 percent from the second quarter of 2013, adding 68 jobs. Professional/business services increased by 33 jobs to an average quarterly employment total of 123.
• Government employment in the second-quarter declined by 26 jobs, which were all reductions in local government (most losses, 23, were cuts in the school district).  
• The unemployment rate in Morgan County was 3.3 percent in September. Since September 2013, the county unemployment rate has fallen 0.6 percentage points. Morgan County’s unemployment rate was slightly below the state average of 3.5 percent in September.
• The average number of initial unemployment claims filed per week in the third quarter of 2014 was 2 claims, approximately 1 fewer claim than the 2013 average.
• On a percentage basis, Morgan County had the fifth largest increase in second-quarter taxable sales. Taxable sales in the county jumped 12.8 percent from 2013 to 2014. Second-quarter spending was approximately $21.9 million, an increase of $2.5 million from the previous year.

Annual Profiles

The Workforce Research and Analysis division has updated information in the county Annual Profiles.

The information available in these Annual Profiles are separated by county and state and include:

• quick facts
• nonfarm employment
• unemployment
• major employers
• population
• demographics
• income and wages
• construction
• gross taxable sales
• county rankings

This data is updated on an annual basis, and dates can be found at the bottom of each tab. To print any of the visualizations, see the instructions here. For more information about this data, contact your regional economist.

New County Pages

See our new County Pages, each with their own URL for easy bookmarking. Find labor market information that has been divided into counties and regions for a quick look at each area.

Also find a new look for the Current Economic Snapshots (Davis, Morgan and Weber). These are economic snapshots are a two-page look at the current information for labor force, sales, building and unemployment insurance for each county in Utah, and are updated monthly after the Employment Situation.

These can be accessed on the Utah Economic Data page or on the Labor Market page under the "County Snapshots" link.

Ogden Clinic campus to open in fall of 2014

Ogden Clinic, a physician-owned medical group, has broken ground for its newest facility, the Ogden Clinic Professional Center Campus. The 41,000 square-foot medical campus will cost more than $9 million to build, according to company officials.

The Ogden Clinic Professional Center Campus is scheduled to open fall 2014 and will be comprised of two major structures. Located next door to each other they will be designated Professional Center North and Professional Center South. The northern-most building will be the headquarters for orthopedics, urology, physical therapy, and podiatry specialty services. The other structure will be the headquarters for the practice of neurology, sleep, ear/nose/throat, dermatology, pediatrics, family practice, general surgery, pharmacy and radiology. It will also house the clinic’s laboratory. The Enterprise

Fourteen firms bid on designing county library in Kaysville

The design work for the proposed $4 million Davis County Kaysville Library Branch is drawing the interest of architectural firms along the Wasatch Front.

Work on the proposed library is scheduled to start in 2014, and completion is scheduled in 2015.

Construction of the new county library will be paid for using a separate mill levy homeowners
pay to maintain and operate the county’s existing seven libraries. Standard Examiner

Walmart coming to West Haven: Construction could begin early next spring

After several years of discussions, possibilities and negotiations, Walmart is finally coming to West Haven.

Mayor Brian Melaney told city council members at a work session Wednesday that Walmart has decided to move forward with building a store in West Haven.

This will be the first grocery store in West Haven since it was incorporated 19 years ago.

Melaney added that Walmart should attract other retailers to the surrounding area. Standard Examiner

Woodside Homes begins work at new No. Salt Lake community

Woodside Homes has begun development on its latest community of homes in the Foxboro North master-planned community in North Salt Lake. The single-family home project will be called Stonehaven.

Stonehaven will offer eight floor plans, all two-story designs. Woodside will offer buyers the opportunity to create a home that best reflects their personal style, as they can choose from a range of options carefully selected by professional interior designers to match individual tastes.

Stonehaven’s residences will boast green features that save energy and reduce utility bills, and will come equipped with high-efficiency water heaters, water-saving plumbing fixtures and 90 percent efficient natural gas furnaces, according to the developers. Stonehaven is Woodside’s third community to open recently in the Foxboro North neighborhood, one of the largest master-planned developments in the state. The Enterprise

Critics push for alternative to West Davis highway

Critics of the West Davis highway say Utah's transportation agency has its head stuck in the last century with its plans to build the corridor through the heart of farming country, wetlands and communities that will have to choke on the exhaust from tailpipes.

The proposed project is a 24-mile expansion of Legacy Parkway that would run from Centerville to Marriott-Slaterville in western Weber County between the Great Salt Lake and I-15. UDOT is currently considering two location options for the corridor, the Glovers Lane option in Farmington and Shepherd Lane option in Kaysville. Deseret News

Developer to turn Kaysville farmland into 300 homes

Residential homebuilder and Destination Homes President Brad Wilson plans to develop 83 acres of
farmland owned by the Hill family and turn it into a new neighborhood on the west side of Kaysville.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported a 7 percent increase in housing starts nationwide in April — the fastest growth rate since the 2008 recession.

Doris Giede-Stevenson, chairwoman of Weber State University's economics department, said housing
prices are still 30 percent below the peak nationwide, and the current demand and rising prices may be reminiscent of the housing bubble that led into the recession.

She said the increased building, buying and selling are positive signs. Deseret News

Bountiful to break ground for city hall on Feb. 19

Crews will break ground for the new city hall here on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 5 p.m.

The new building will be on the same campus as the existing city hall and existing Bountiful/Davis Art Center, but the art building will be demolished. Its operation will move to the existing city hall when city staffers move into their new building.

Construction on the $4.8 million building is expected to be complete by March of 2014.

The $2.4 million remodel of the existing city hall will be funded by the redevelopment project fund, and the new construction will be funded from the capital projects budget. The civic campus is located at 745 S. Main Street and the ceremonies will take place to the west of the arts building, according to a notice from the office of the mayor. In addition to the art center and city hall, the campus is home to the Bountiful Police Department.

Once completed, the new city hall will face Main Street. The project is intended to be more pedestrian-friendly than the existing structure and will allow for more storage, technological upgrades and more. Davis Clipper

Lagoon building something 'big'

The skyline at Lagoon is dotted with several high-rise cranes. But park officials say it won’t be until 2014, or perhaps even the 2015 season that something “big” is to arrive.

Lagoon vice president of marketing Dick Andrew declined to reveal any more information about the project for which preliminary construction has begun.

Some of the cranes in the park are also being used to perform standard off-season dissembling and reassembling of rides as part of park maintenance and there are no plans to take any of the rides out of the park.

But what the park will be doing for the 2013 season will be adding two new children’s rides to expand Kiddieland, Andrew said.

For the 2012 season, Lagoon once again topped the 1 million visitor mark, allowing it to have a “pretty level” year compared to other years. But because of the warm autumn Utah experienced last year, Frightmares, its annual Halloween event, did set an attendance best.

The Farmington amusement park, which regularly tops more than 1 million visitors a year, is Davis County’s largest tourist attraction. Standard Examiner

Farmington Letter Firm on West Davis Corridor Interchange Option

As the Utah Department of Transportation presses forward with the environmental study for the West Davis Corridor, Farmington’s elected officials are taking a hard stance about which option they want.

The city recently sent UDOT a detailed letter, outlining their preference for the Shepard Lane interchange option.

The letter, dated Nov. 20, was signed by Mayor Scott Harbertson and all five city council members.
If the West Davis Corridor gets built, it will include an interchange off Interstate 15 that connects to the road in Farmington and southern Kaysville.

The state will build the interchange at either Glovers Lane or Shepard Lane.

Farmington leaders say the Glovers Lane option spells disaster for their city.

Harbertson said the city has already based many of its future businesses and transportation plans on an interchange at Shepard Lane.

If UDOT chooses the Glovers Lane option, Farmington says, it will divert potential revenue away from the Station Park retail center.


The Glovers Lane option would create corridor exits in Kaysville and Centerville instead of Farmington.

The city also says that having no exits off the road for 10 miles, which is what the Glovers option would do, is a safety issue because it would limit the areas where emergency responders can get off the highway.

The letter also points out that, in the next three years, a new elementary school is set to be built in the area, which will require an access road to and from Glovers Lane.

That access road would be impacted if an interchange is built at Glovers Lane.

The Davis School District has also informed Farmington that it is attempting a bond cycle that would bring a new high school to the city in 2018.

City officials say a high school would significantly impact west-side transportation patterns and that the Glovers Lane alignment would significantly restrict opportunities for road connections in the area.

Finally, the city says that the Glovers Lane option would cost taxpayers more money because it would require an additional connector road between I-15 and the corridor.

Harbertson said the city submitted the letter in hopes that the concerns would be addressed before UDOT finishes its draft Environmental Impact Statement.

WDC Project Manager Randy Jeffries said all information from project stakeholders is valued and seriously considered.

A decision has not been made on the road, Jeffries said, and the state will choose the option that best serves the entire Top of Utah region.

UDOT hopes to complete the draft EIS on the road by the spring.

Once the EIS is complete, UDOT will submit the report to the Federal Highway Administration.
A final route decision is expected in spring 2014. Standard Examiner

Recreation Outlet Expands, Moves its Ogden Store

Utah-based outdoor retailer Recreation Outlet is moving its downtown Ogden store to 2326 S. Washington Blvd.

A re-opening celebration is set for 9 a.m. on Nov. 8.

The new store is nearly twice as large as the former outlet, and includes a 4,000-square foot bargain basement, company founder Tom Coleman said.

"We are excited to be part of the vibrant downtown Ogden retail scene," Coleman said. "Our success here over the past two years has inspired us to expand. [We] thank everyone for their incredible support of a local Utah company." Salt Lake Tribune

Building Starts at Development in North Salt Lake

Ground has been broken on the first phase of Eaglewood Village, a new mixed-use community in North Salt Lake City.

Eaglewood Village is located at the corner of Eagle Ridge Drive and Highway 89.

Centerville-based Strategic Capital Partners (SCP) and Compass Development Group of Salt Lake City are developing the 96-acre property.

Eaglewood Lofts, a 214 unit apartment project, is the first phase of Eaglewood Village, which ultimately will include office, retail, apartments and homes.

The SCP land includes 17 acres of commercial land and entitlements for 300 residential units.

"We see a tremendous demand for this area and the unique features related to this site," said Colin Wright, an SCP partner. "The appeal of the Davis County School District, affordable pricing, proximity to downtown Salt Lake and the mixed use feel of the project will lead to its quick success."

The project is scheduled to be completed by June 2013. Salt Lake Tribune