GOED Commissions Industry Cluster Supply Chains Report

Pete CodellaArticles

The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) recently commissioned a report from the Kem C.Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah analyzing Utah’s six economic regions and the industry clusters located within those regions.

The state’s significant industry cluster report summarized key findings among clusters in the state’s six economic regions, including East Central, Greater Salt Lake, Southeast, Southwest, Uintah Basin, and West Central.

“This report describes the web of local and out-of-state supply chains for Utah’s regional industry clusters,” said Michael Hogue, senior research analyst at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and author of the report. 

Significant clusters are defined as those, among the state’s seven strategic clusters, that provide at least 100 jobs in a region. The clusters are advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense, energy and natural resources, financial services, life sciences, outdoor products and recreation, and software and information technology.

“This report provides GOED with valuable information as it analyzes Utah’s supply chains of industry clusters at a regional level,” said Ryan Starks, GOED’s managing director of Business Services. “The data are helpful as we further refine our approach to each targeted industry sector in the state.”

Among the report’s key findings, categorized by region, are:

East Central — Energy and Natural Resources is the area’s largest industry cluster, with about 1,700 jobs. The mining industry supplies the largest share of inputs to this cluster, and more than 75% of mining inputs are sourced from other regions in the state.

Greater Salt Lake — Software and Information Technology is the largest industry cluster, with more than 78,000 jobs. The professional and technical services industry supplies the largest share of inputs to this cluster (22%), and more than 80% of these inputs are sourced within the Greater Salt Lake region.

Southeast — Energy and Natural Resources is the largest industry cluster, with almost 300 jobs. The manufacturing industry supplies the largest share of inputs to this cluster (33%), and about 70% of these inputs are sourced from other regions in the state.

Southwest — Finance is the largest industry cluster, with almost 2,900 jobs. The real estate, rental, and leasing industry supplies the largest share of inputs to this cluster (19%), and about 85% of these inputs are provided from within the Southwest region.

Uintah Basin — Energy and Natural Resources is the largest industry, with more than 3,500 jobs. The manufacturing sector supplies the largest share of inputs to this cluster (21%), and about 70% of manufacturing inputs are sourced from other regions in the state.

West Central — Energy and Natural Resources is the largest industry, with more than 1,000 jobs. The mining sector supplies the largest share of inputs to this cluster (22%), and about 56% of mining inputs are sourced from within the West Central region.

Read the full report here.