Provo is on Fire - In a Good Way

Here's a fact: Provo’s construction industry saw a double-digit percent increase in job growth last year, according to the Labor Department. Also, jobs in the Provo area grew at the fastest pace of any town in the United States last year. It’s unemployment rate is an enviable 2.7%, nearly half the national average of 5%.

Provo’s 5.2% annual jobs growth through November far outpaces the 1.9% gains nationally.

Provo is on fire - in a good way, of course.

Why?

Provo's remarkable growth can be attributed to several factors: it has a young, ambitious population ripe with entrepreneurial spirit. Much of that is thanks to the college town feel, as Provo is home to both BYU and UVU. The fact that Google awarded Provo with Google Fiber in 2014 is a huge draw to tech companies like Vivint, Adobe, and E-Bay, all of whom have operations in the area. Start-ups are especially attracted to the area because of this.

“Our start up economy is just crazy…we call ourselves Silicon Slopes,” says Rona Rahlf, president of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce in Provo.

Provo's largest employers are the colleges and hospitals, but with the growth of the tech market, employers are bringing new workers with them as they set up shop in the area. And that means continued growth for the construction industry.