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Show Summit County's population could double by 201 0, says study occurs when economic opportunities attract job seekers from other areas. The decade of 1970-80 was a period of dramatic growth in Utah, the Foundation reports. In those 10 years 146,000 new residents migrated into the state. This was the largest influx of new population in Utah history, and exceeded the total migration to the state during the pioneer period between 1847 and 1910. In addition, natural increase (excess of births over deaths) in Utah was about 255,000 in the last decade. This increase, combined with migration into the state, made Utah the fifth fastest-growing state in the nation during the 1970s. According to estimates, 1,204,000 persons will be employed in Utah by thp vpar onin This is nearlv double the average Utah employment of 617,000 in 1980. The fastest-growing employment opportunities are expected to be in the service industries, finance, insurance, real estate and wholesale and retail trade. Mining and agriculture are expected to be slow-growth or declining industries in Utah over the next quarter century. The study notes that population increases over the next 25 years will vary widely throughout the state. Projected population increases among counties to the year 2010 range all the way from 7.3 percent in Millard County to 294 percent in Morgan County. The small population gain projected for Millard County reflects the eventual pull out of construction crews working on building the IPP generating plant near Delta. The population of Summit County could reach 26,300 by the year 2010, according to the Utah Foundation, a private research organization located in Salt Lake City. That figure represents a 109.6 percent increase over Summit County's 1985 population of 12,550, the Foundation reports. The Foundation's report emphasizes this is not a prediction, but an attempt to chart the direction current trends are likely to take without fundamental changes in the economy. It is based on the "most likely" economic and demographic conditions over the next 25 years. Other population projections are: In 1990, Summit County could have a population of 15,100 and the state population could be 1,912,400; and in the year 2000, Summit County could reach 19,600 and Utah 2,238,700 in population. The state population is projected to be 2,681,000 in 2010. Foundation analysts point out that population growth is the result of natural increase (births minus deaths) and migration. Historically natural increase has been the most important factor in Utah's population growth, which has always had one of the highest birth rates in the nation. In addition, the state's youthful population has resulted in a death rate well below the national average. Migration is the most erratic component of population change because it is directly affected by the economic opportunities in the area. Migration out of an area occurs when the economy is not growing fast enough to provide jobs for the labor force. Migration into an area |