ST. GEORGE — Utah is in the national spotlight as new census data shows the state is growing fast.
The census bureau says St. George is officially the fastest growing metro area in the country, taking on 6,200 new permanent residents last year.
Experts say that number doesn’t even reflect thousands more coming to the city for tourism.
New people are adding jobs and an influx of money but also worries whether St George can support the growth.
The population could be triple its current size in just 50 years.
The Provo-Orem area also made the top 10 metro area list, coming in at number eight.
Several Utah counties ranked in the top 10 for America’s fastest-growing counties.
Wasatch County was third with a 5 percent increase, Tooele County was seventh, and Morgan County eighth.
On the flip side, one Utah County made the top 10 for biggest percentage decrease in population.
Uintah County lost 2.9 percent of its people over the last year.