Washington DC – Utah Governor Spencer Cox said Utah’s “unique” attributes earned it the top spot in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best States” survey for the second year in a row.
Utah has been repeatedly named America’s No. 1 state by U.S. News & World Report Best state ranking Heading into 2024, it’s also because of that consistency.
“The American Dream is alive and well,” Cox said in response to a report from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, which also spotlighted his “The American Dream is alive and well.”better not to agree“An initiative to encourage bipartisan action among governors across the nation.
“One of the things that makes Utah special is that we lead the nation in upward mobility and social capital, we lead the nation in connectedness, we lead the nation in service and philanthropy every year, and we lead the nation in government to solve all our problems. We don’t rely on it. We have a problem,” Cox told FOX News Digital. “I think because of the conservative policies that we’ve supported, we’ve not only become the best economic power in the country, but we’ve also become number two in education.”
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Gov. Spencer Cox draws applause after signing two social media regulation bills during a ceremony at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Trent Nelson/Salt Lake Tribune, via AP)
The U.S. News project analyzed more than 70 indicators across eight categories, including financial stability, health care, infrastructure, and crime and corrections. Utah performed best in education (2nd place), economy (3rd place), and infrastructure (3rd place). The Beehive State also saw year-over-year increases in several categories, including crime and corrections (+6) and opportunity (+2).
Natural environment was the only category in which Utah, known for its geographic diversity, national parks, and ski and snowboard resorts, finished in the bottom half of the list, at 46th place. The category reflects indicators such as pollution threats and air quality, the report said. Water quality.
Cox signed a contract in January 2023. Utah fits all scholarshipsa multipurpose scholarship program for K-12 students in which participants receive up to $8,000 in education spending accounts to pay for education-related expenses such as textbooks, tutoring, and private school tuition. I can.
“We were able to get more funding for education, but we also allowed school choice to empower parents,” Cox said. “We gave teachers the largest pay raise in state history, and we gave families more options to use taxpayer dollars to send their kids where they want to go. And again, But not making it a zero-sum game, finding solutions that benefit everyone, and small government…I think those are the things that keep Utah number one. ”
Utah also leads in other recent statistics. Provo, Utah, took the top spot among the 20 cities where young people make up the largest percentage of homeowners. According to a study by MoneyGeek. In this city, home to Brigham Young University, about 39% of homeowners are under the age of 25. The report also found that young people own more homes than people aged 25-44, 44-65, or over 65.
“We are the youngest state in the nation,” Cox said. “We believe in families. We think having children is great and really important. But we work hard. House prices are going up, so I want my kids to have a home, and I’m grateful to have a place like Provo to connect to that.”
But he noted that the state passed “the most aggressive starter home package in the country” and said “there is still work to be done.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox speaks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute on May 9, 2024. (Fox News Digital)
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“To sustain the American Dream, we need to build 35,000 starter homes over the next five years,” Cox said. “And we are dedicated to that. I believe that it is immoral not to have homeownership and the American dream, the ability to buy a home and start a family. It’s part of the fabric of our society.”
In particular, Californians have been moving to Utah in recent years, with the number expected to reach nearly 19,000 by 2022. US Census Bureau.
“I think there’s a lot of reasons” for Californians to come to Utah, Cox said. “Again, I think we have a very strong economy, for sure. I think we have much less regulation. I think this is a laboratory of democracy. “California has chosen a very different path, you know, a very progressive path.” And I think that’s an indication that it’s not working because more and more people are leaving California. , I think what we’re doing in Utah is working and it’s attracting people from California and other areas. ”
Cox said Utah’s current problems are “growth-related” with an influx of people into the state.
“People always ask me how do we stop it, and we can’t do that. I want us to be the No. 1 state,” he said.
Sean Hannity of FOX News Confronted California Governor Gavin Newsom Last June, he spoke about the population exodus in his state. According to the state Department of Treasury, California lost 117,552 people from January 1, 2021 to January 1, 2022, bringing its population down to 2016 levels.
Welcome to the Utah sign on the border of Utah and Arizona. (Education Images/Universal Images Group, Getty Images)
Newsom highlighted the state’s economic outlook and pointed to red states that have lost residents.
“Look at the facts,” Newsom said. “We are the fourth largest economy in the world. This belies that rhetoric, everything you just said. You’re talking about all the red states that have the opposite policies that you have. No. Something clearly wasn’t working right. Mississippi, Louisiana, and West Virginia all had large population declines.”
California’s population increased by 67,000 people last year to 39,128,162, marking the first time the state experienced a net increase since 2020, according to recent data released by the California Department of Finance (DOF).
Cox said Utah needs to invest in infrastructure to accommodate the influx of people and maintain a high quality of life.
“Other states are copying what we’re doing so that residents don’t feel like they have to leave, they’re relaxing regulations, and they’re incorporating conservative values so they want to stay. “I hope that’s what makes Utah such an attractive place,” he said.
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FOX News’ Alicia Warren contributed to this report.
