19 Years and Still Building: Jonathan Williams in Deseret News
For the 19th consecutive year, Utah has been named the state with the best economic outlook.
Following the publication of the 19th edition of Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index, Deseret News published an opinion piece authored by Jonathan Williams, President and Chief Economist of the American Legislative Exchange Council, alongside Utah Senate President Stuart Adams and Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz. The piece delves into Utah’s economic outlook ranking and how the state has been able to keep its momentum.
There’s a quiet moment most mornings across Utah. It happens before the freeway fills, before storefronts open, before the first emails are sent. Lights flick on in kitchens from Logan to St. George. Someone pulls on work boots. Someone else opens a laptop. A small-business owner flips the sign to “open.” A student heads out the door, already thinking about what comes next.
These moments, repeated thousands of times each day, are Utah’s economy. Not charts. Not rankings. Not headlines. People.
For the 19th consecutive year, Utah has been named the state with the best economic outlook by Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index. That is long enough for a child born here to now enter a workforce that has known nothing but opportunity and belief in a better future.
That doesn’t happen by accident or luck, and it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of steady decisions, made over nearly two decades, that consistently put Utahns first.
It’s the result of families, workers, business owners and policymakers moving in the same direction, planning not just for today, but for the future. That’s when you see results: not by chasing what’s popular in the moment, but by keeping focus on what works.
For example, Utah has seen one of the largest increases in household income in the nation, nearly 80% growth since 1970. That kind of progress doesn’t come from a single policy or a single year. It comes from consistency. From staying committed to building a stronger, freer job market that rewards the true value of Utah workers.
But the economy isn’t experienced through abstract numbers. It shows up when a parent can find a good job close to home. When a young couple can afford to stay in the community they love. When a business owner feels confident enough to hire someone new and grow. That’s how a strong economy is built: one decision, one opportunity at a time.