Utah Facts for Kids

A Map of the U.S. state Utah
  • U.S. State: Utah
  • Abbreviation: UT
  • Joined the USA: January 4th, 1896 (45th State)
  • Located: Western United States
  • Capital City: Salt Lake City, UT
  • Most Populated City: Salt Lake City, UT

41 Utah Facts for Kids

  1. Utah is a state in the United States of America.
  2. Utah is in the western region of the United States.
  3. Utah became a U.S. state on Saturday, January 4th, 1896.
  4. Utah was the 45th state to join the United States.
  5. The U.S. state of Utah covers 84,889 square miles.
  6. Utah is the 13th largest state by area in the United States.
  7. In 2019, the population of Utah was estimated to be 3,206,000 residents by the U.S. Census Bureau.
  8. In 2019, Utah was the 30th most populated state in the United States.
  9. A person who is from or lives in Utah is called a Utahn.
  10. The capital city of Utah is Salt Lake City.
  11. The four largest cities in Utah are Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Provo and West Jordan.
  12. The largest city in by population in Utah is Salt Lake City.
  13. The largest metropolitan area in Utah is the Salt Lake City metropolitan area.
  14. The U.S. state of Utah has 29 counties.
  15. The most populated county in Utah is Salt Lake County with 1,160,000 residents (2019, U.S. Census Bureau).
  16. The largest county by area in Utah is San Juan County with 7,820 square miles.
  17. The highest elevation point in Utah is Kings Peak at 13,534 feet above sea level.
  18. The lowest elevation point in Utah is Beaver Dam Wash at 2,180 feet above sea level.
  19. The average precipitation (rain and snow) in Utah is 15.7 inches.
  20. Utah is the 45th wettest state by precipitation (rain and snow) in the United States.
  21. The average temperature in Utah is 49.5 °F.
  22. Utah is the 32nd warmest state in the United States.
  23. The warmest temperature ever recorded in Utah was 117 °F on July 5th, 1985.
  24. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Utah was -69 °F on February 1st, 1985.
  25. A few natural disasters that can affect Utah are earthquakes and wildfires.
  26. Utah is in one time zone, Mountain Time Zone (MT).
  27. The USPS abbreviation for Utah is UT
  28. Utah is also known as the Beehive State, the Mormon State and the Deseret.
  29. The motto of the U.S. state of Utah is “Industry “.
  30. The official state insect of Utah is the honeybee (Apis).
  31. The official state fish of Utah is the Bonneville cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah).
  32. The official state bird of Utah is the California gull (Larus californicus).
  33. The official state animal of Utah is the rocky mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelson).
  34. The official state flower of Utah is the sego lily (Calochortus nuttallii).
  35. The official state fruit of Utah is the cherry.
  36. The official state tree of Utah is the blue spruce (Picea pungens).
  37. The official state fossil of Utah is the Allosaurus (Allosaurus fragilis).
  38. The official state gemstone of Utah is the topaz.
  39. The largest open-pit mine in the world is found in Brigham Canyon, Utah.
  40. It’s estimated that over 60% of the population in Utah is Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
  41. Utah claims to have the best snow on earth because of its desert type climate and high elevation.

Additional Resources on Utah

  • About Utah – Find more information about Utah on the Utah State Government website.
  • The History of Utah – Learn about the history of the U.S. state of Utah on the Ducksters website.
  • Facts About Utah – Discover some awesome facts about Utah on the Facts Retriever website.
  • Utah – Wikipedia – Read the Utah entry on the Wikipedia website to learn more about it.