Summit County, Utah

Summit County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah, occupying a rugged and mountainous area. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 42,357. Its county seat is Coalville, and the largest city is Park City.

History

The county was created by the Utah Territory legislature on January 13, 1854, with its description containing a portion of the future state of Wyoming. It was not organized then but was attached to Great Salt Lake County for administrative and judicial purposes. The county government was completed by March 4, 1861, so its attachment to the other county was terminated. The county boundaries were altered in 1856 and in 1862. In 1868 the Wyoming Territory was created by the US government, effectively de-annexing all Summit County areas falling within the new territory. The boundaries were further altered in 1872 and 1880. Its final alteration occurred on January 7, 1918, when Daggett's creation took a portion of its eastern territory. Its boundary has remained unchanged since that creation. It is so named because it includes 39 of the highest mountain peaks in Utah.

The county's mean elevation is above sea level, which is the second-highest (after Taos County, New Mexico) of any county outside Colorado. Owing to its proximity to Salt Lake City, Park City has acquired a reputation as an upscale getaway, bringing new development to the area.

Summit County is part of the Heber, UT Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

Summit County lies on the upper east side of Utah. Its northeast borders abut Wyoming's southern and western borders. Its central and eastern portion consists largely of the east–west oriented Uinta Mountains, while its western portion runs to the east slopes of the north–south oriented Wasatch Mountains. The county's highest point is Gilbert Peak, on the border with Duchesne County, at ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.

thumb|300px|View looking south of Oakley, Kamas, and Francis. [[Park City, Utah|Park City and the Jordanelle Reservoir are towards the upper right]]

Major highways

Interstate 80
Interstate 84
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 189
Utah State Route 32
Utah State Route 150
Utah State Route 224
Utah State Route 248

Adjacent counties

Rich County - north
Uinta County, Wyoming - northeast
Sweetwater County, Wyoming - northeast
Daggett County - east
Duchesne County - southeast
Wasatch County - south
Salt Lake County - southwest
Morgan County - northwest
Salt Lake County - west

Protected areas

|align-fn=center

|footnote=US Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 census

According to the 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey, there were 42,357 people in Summit County with a population density of 22.6 people per square mile (8.7/km2). Among non-Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 35,108 (82.9%) White, 163 (0.4%) African American, 67 (0.2%) Native American, 723 (1.7%) Asian, 42 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 155 (0.4%) from other races, and 1,362 (3.2%) from two or more races. 4,737 (11.2%) people were Hispanic or Latino.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Summit County, Utah – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White alone (NH)

|26,608

|31,012

|style='background: #ffffe6; |35,108

|89.48%

|85.38%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |82.89%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|54

|110

|style='background: #ffffe6; |163

|0.18%

|0.30%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.38%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|76

|89

|style='background: #ffffe6; |67

|0.26%

|0.25%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%

|Asian alone (NH)

|283

|440

|style='background: #ffffe6; |723

|0.95%

|1.21%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.71%

|Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|13

|31

|style='background: #ffffe6; |42

|0.04%

|0.09%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.10%

|Other race alone (NH)

|28

|60

|style='background: #ffffe6; |155

|0.09%

|0.17%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.37%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|268

|392

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,362

|0.90%

|1.08%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.22%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|2,406

|4,190

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,737

|8.09%

|11.54%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |11.18%

|Total

|29,736

|36,324

|style='background: #ffffe6; |42,357

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

There were 21,578 (50.94%) males and 20,779 (49.06%) females, and the population distribution by age was 10,351 (24.4%) under the age of 18, 26,149 (61.7%) from 18 to 64, and 5,857 (13.8%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 40.8 years.

There were 15,688 households in Summit County with an average size of 2.70 of which 11,419 (72.8%) were families and 4,269 (27.2%) were non-families. Among all families, 9,553 (60.9%) were married couples, 671 (4.3%) were male householders with no spouse, and 1,195 (7.6%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 3,171 (20.2%) were a single person living alone and 1,098 (7.0%) were two or more people living together. 5,424 (34.6%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 12,186 (77.7%) of households were owner-occupied while 3,502 (22.3%) were renter-occupied.

The median income for a Summit County household was $106,973 and the median family income was $119,592, with a per-capita income of $57,308. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $69,357 and for females $50,147. 4.5% of the population and 2.7% of families were below the poverty line.

In terms of education attainment, out of the 27,924 people in Summit County 25 years or older, 1,332 (4.8%) had not completed high school, 4,476 (16.0%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 6,446 (23.1%) had some college or associate degree, 9,841 (35.2%) had a bachelor's degree, and 5,829 (20.9%) had a graduate or professional degree.

Religion

According to a 2000 survey by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, Summit County is more religiously diverse than the rest of Utah. Roughly two-in-five people (44.2%) of the population claim no religion at all. 36.8% are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) (compared with some 66% statewide) and 10.6% are Catholic.

Politics and government

Summit County was a Republican stronghold in the decades following World War II. Beginning in the 1990s, it became more competitive due to the influence of Democratic-leaning Park City, with Democrats sometimes winning a plurality or majority of the countywide vote. In 1996, Bill Clinton became the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the county since Lyndon Johnson's 44-state landslide in 1964 and only the second Democrat to carry it since Franklin D. Roosevelt. George W. Bush carried the county in 2000 and 2004, but his performance there was worst in the state. In the 2006 Senate race, Summit County was the only county carried by Democrat Pete Ashdown even as the Republican incumbent Orrin Hatch carried the state as a whole by a 2 to 1 margin. Likewise, in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Barack Obama carried the county by a 15.3% margin over John McCain, while McCain carried Utah by 28.1%. In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney defeated Obama in the county, 50% to 46%. In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton defeated Republican Donald Trump, 50% to 35%,