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Utah has long been known for its fiscal responsibility and steady economy. In a recent ranking by U.S. News, Utah is listed as the No.1 state in the country for fiscal stability and budget balancing.
A key element of a strong economy is the jobforce — an area in which the Beehive State also thrives.
Data from the state shows Utah had a higher employment rate increase from 2024 to 2025 than the United States as a whole. Throughout the Beehive State, there are hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses, but several major players dominate the employment field.
Biggest employers
Who is the biggest employer in the state?
Utah Workforce Services ranks Utah's biggest employers based on the number of people employed. As of 2024, these are the top five employers in Utah.
1. Intermountain Health
The employer responsible for the largest number of employees in Utah is Intermountain Health. They employ nearly 70,000 people across several states, according to the Intermountain website.
Intermountain Health operates 23 hospitals in the Beehive State as well as clinics, labs, urgent care facilities and more. As of this writing, there are 549 job openings at Intermountain in Utah. Openings range from physicians, a medical physicist, certified nursing assistants, respiratory therapists, psychologists and more.
2. University of Utah
Between the academic institution and the healthcare system, the University of Utah employs the second largest number of Utahns in the state. According to the school's website, more than 46,000 people work for the U.
The school itself is responsible for thousands of jobs both full- and part-time. U of U Health has five hospitals and 12 community health care centers, and several speciality centers in the state. As of this writing, 1,156 jobs are listed on the U of U website. Openings for academic mentors, a clinical research coordinator, accountants, and more are listed.
3. State of Utah
Coming in as the third-largest employer in the state is:the State. Utah's state government website says more than 22,000 Utahns are employed throughout 30 different state agencies.
Some of those agencies include the Department of Agriculture and Food, Office of Tourism, Public Utilities, Arts and Museums, Utah School Districts, and more.
Within those agencies, the state government jobs have a wide range, including attorneys, engineers, therapists, state park managers, correctional officers and more. As of this writing, 61 job openings are listed.
4. Walmart
The marketplace giant, Walmart, is the fourth-largest employer in the state. With 59 retail stores, including supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam's Club warehouses, the chain employs more than 21,000 Utahns, according to Wal-Mart.
Just one look around a Walmart Supercenter will show you the different jobs needed to run the store. Jobs from pharmacy technicians, auto technicians, opticians, department associates, stockers, asset protection and more are needed throughout the state. Currently, Walmart is hiring for 409 jobs across Utah.
5. Brigham Young University
The Provo-based private university sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is responsible for employing thousands in Utah. According to estimates from the Workforce Services report, the university has between 15,000 and 19,999 employed Utahns.
Production assistant, sign language interpreter, athletic trainers, veterinarian, florists, professors, and more are some of the jobs currently open at the university. At this point, BYU is only hiring for a few long-term jobs, but others open up with changing seasons and the academic calendar.
These major employers account for a significant portion of Utah's jobs, but they don't paint the entire picture. To better understand where Utahns are actually working, it helps to look at the occupations with the highest number of employees across the state.
Largest occupations
Keeping in line with the largest employers listed above, Utah's job growth is increasing in those related fields. From June 2024 to 2025, jobs in the education, health, construction, and business service industries saw the most growth in Utah, according to the state.
While those fields are growing in numbers, the current largest occupations seem to fit outside of those industries. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following are the largest occupations in the state:
- Fast food and counter workers
- Customer service representatives
- General and operations managers
- Retail salespersons
- General office clerks
While these occupations currently employ the largest number of Utahns, technological changes may soon reshape how many of these jobs look — and how long they remain in demand.
How artificial intelligence might affect Utah jobs
A 2025 Pew survey found that more than half of U.S. workers are worried about AI in the workplace and how it will impact future jobs. About one-third said they believe it will reduce their job opportunities in the future.
Based on comments from major companies' leaders, those people may be right.
Samantha Subin for CNBC reports on the United States' biggest CEOs plans for their workforces and how AI will affect them. Amazon's CEO said they plan on reducing their workforce over the next several years due to AI. Salesforce's CEO says they've already reduced their customer support jobs.
What this means for Utah remains to be seen, but some projections from Microsoft, reported by CNBC, list the professions most at risk from AI. These are the top 10:
- Interpreters and translators
- Historians
- Passenger attendants
- Sales representatives of services
- Writers and authors
- Customer service representatives
- Computer numerical controller (CNC) tool programmers
- Telephone operators
- Ticket agents and travel clerks
- Broadcast announcers and radio DJs
With customer service representatives being the second largest role in Utah, many Beehive State employees could be seeing major changes coming to the market.
Job outlook in Utah
Even with possible job shakeups from AI, the annual growth rate of jobs in Utah is still on the rise. From 2022-2032, the annual growth rate is projected to be 2.1%, according to the Department of Workforce Services.
The occupational groups with the highest estimated growth rate are tied. Computer and mathematical jobs and healthcare support jobs are projected to grow at an annual growth rate of 2.9%.
While AI will most likely shake up the workforce and what jobs are available, these projections point to a workforce that is evolving rather than shrinking. Jobs might not be exactly the same, but there will still be a need for people in a growing digital world.
Where are all of Utah's new residents coming from?
When you look at all that Utah has to offer, the growth isn't surprising. It's full of wide open spaces, family-friendly communities, a great business environment and unmatched outdoor recreation. No wonder so many people want to call the Beehive State their home. The logical question is: Where are these new residents coming from? And what is there to know about the people who are choosing to build their lives here?Siegfried & Jensen
Since 1990, Siegfried & Jensen have been helping the people of Utah and surrounding states who have suffered needless injuries and death caused by car accidents, truck accidents, medical malpractice, defective drugs, dog bites, wrongful death, and other types of personal injury.
The firm is committed to keeping Utah families and communities safe by ensuring wrongdoers are held accountable. While a lawsuit isn't always the answer when it is needed, having someone on your side can mean the difference between declaring bankruptcy and rebuilding your life and moving forward, especially when you're up against an insurance company or a hospital.
Siegfried & Jensen has represented more than 35,000 clients and recovered over $1.2 billion for them.
