The Salt Lake Chamber, in partnership with the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, has released the October 2025 Roadmap to Prosperity Economic Dashboard to inform business leaders’ understanding of Utah’s economy. This tool prioritizes key data on the state’s economic outlook and actionable context for decision-makers.
“The federal shutdown may cloud the national economic picture, but we can still see that Utah’s fundamentals remain strong,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “While consumer sentiment declined in October, steady taxable sales indicate that businesses are weathering uncertainty well, continuing to spend and invest in our local economy.”
Three essential insights from the October 2025 Roadmap to Prosperity Dashboard include:
- The federal government shutdown limits economic visibility. Federal statistical agencies suspended data releases due to a lapse in appropriations. This leads to substantial gaps in the broad economic picture, particularly regarding the labor market.
- Utah’s consumer sentiment dipped more than 8% in October. Despite a sizable dip in Utah sentiment, national consumer sentiment fell just 2.7% the same month. U.S. consumer sentiment fell 24% year-over, while Utah consumer sentiment fell 9%.
- Utah taxable sales continue to modestly outpace inflation. Nominal taxable sales over the 12 months ending in August grew 3.6% year-over, compared with roughly 3.0% inflation. This indicates moderate real growth despite ongoing uncertainty.
The Dashboard is updated monthly, providing essential insights, tracking timely and leading measures and sharing pertinent indicators. This provides leaders with critical and timely information to make informed decisions.
“Despite a recent dip in consumer sentiment, Utah’s economy continues to show moderate real growth as taxable sales modestly outpace inflation,” said Natalie Gochnour, director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. “However, the ongoing federal government shutdown limits economic visibility by suspending critical data releases. With the likely return to work of federal workers the economic picture will become more clear.”
To view the dashboard, click here.
About the Salt Lake Chamber
The Salt Lake Chamber is Utah’s largest and longest-serving business association. A statewide chamber of commerce with members in all 29 Utah counties, the Chamber represents the broad interests of the state’s 63,000- plus employers, which employ more than 1.4 million Utahns. This includes thousands of Chamber members and their employees. With roots that date back to 1887, the Chamber stands as the voice of business, supports its members’ success and champions community prosperity.
About the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute serves Utah by preparing economic, demographic, and public policy research that helps the state prosper. We are Utah’s demographic experts, leaders in the Utah economy, and specialists in public policy and survey research. We are an honest broker of INFORMED RESEARCH, which guides INFORMED DISCUSSIONS and leads to INFORMED DECISIONS™. For more information, please visit gardner.utah.edu or call 801-587-3717.
