Economy

The chief sources of personal income in Utah are government (federal, state, and local), manufacturing, the service industries, and wholesale and retail trade. By the number of persons employed, the leaders are wholesale and retail trade, government, and the service industries. Tourism is one of the newest and most rapidly developing parts of the economy.

The chief products manufactured in Utah are computer and electronic products, specifically communication equipment, computer microchips, and scientific instruments. Electronic equipment is produced mainly near Salt Lake City and Ogden.

The smelting and refining of metals is also of major significance. One of the largest integrated iron and steel mills in the western United States, the Geneva Works, is near Provo. Magna, near Salt Lake City, is a major copper refining center.

Other goods produced in Utah include food products, motor vehicles, and chemicals.

Although mining is not one of Utah's major economic activities, the state is nevertheless a significant producer of minerals. Petroleum, natural gas, coal, and copper account for the greater part of the state's total mineral production in terms of value. The state ranks high nationally in the production of copper. The giant open-pit copper mine at Bingham Canyon, near Salt Lake City, is one of the largest and most productive mines in the United States.

Utah ranks as one of the highest producers of gold, molybdenum, and silver. Other minerals produced include salt, magnesium, and gypsum.

Terrain, climate, and soils are unfavorable to agriculture throughout much of Utah. Only about a fifth of the state's area is occupied by farms and ranches, and most of this is used for raising livestock. A small percentage of the land is used for growing crops.

Roughly four-fifths of all farm income is derived from the sale of livestock and livestock products. Beef cattle and calves, hogs, dairy products, poultry and eggs, and sheep and lambs are of greatest value. Milk is the chief dairy product; turkeys are the leading kind of poultry.

Crops are grown mostly by irrigation along the base of the Wasatch Range. Hay, wheat, and barley are among the chief crops. A variety of vegetables and fruits are also produced.

Scenic and historic attractions, including more than a dozen units of the National Park System, have greatly aided the growth of tourism in Utah. Most prominent of these are Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion national parks. Outdoor sports—including skiing (especially in the Wasatch Range), hunting, fishing, camping, and boating—attract thousands of tourists each year. Salt Lake City is also a popular tourist attraction.

Salt Lake City and other cities at the base of the Wasatch Range are well served by rail, road, and air transportation. Facilities elsewhere in the state are much less developed. Utah is served by four Interstate highways, two running north-south and two east-west. Three major trunk railways provide freight service. Salt Lake City's airport is a major regional center of air transportation.