Carbon County, Utah

Last updated

Carbon County
County
Caron Power Plant - Utah (corrected).png
Carbon Power Plant at Castle Gate, Utah demolished in 2016
Map of Utah highlighting Carbon County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Utah
Utah in United States.svg
Utah's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°38′N110°35′W / 39.64°N 110.58°W / 39.64; -110.58
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Utah.svg Utah
FoundedMarch 8, 1894
Named after Abundant coal deposits
Seat Price
Largest cityPrice
Area
 • Total
1,485 sq mi (3,850 km2)
 • Land1,478 sq mi (3,830 km2)
 • Water6.1 sq mi (16 km2)  0.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
20,412
 • Density14/sq mi (5.3/km2)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district 3rd
Website www.carbon.utah.gov

Carbon County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 20,412. [1] Its county seat and largest city is Price. [2]

Contents

The Price, UT Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Carbon County.

History

Carbon County was part of Emery County, founded in 1880. The demographics along the Price River changed with the construction of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1883 and the development of coal mines, largely in upper Emery, to fuel the railroad. The Utah Territory Legislature was petitioned to split off the north part, and thus it established Carbon County effective March 8, 1894. [3] It was named for the element Carbon, to emphasize the industrial nature of the area. [4]

Carbon County is the second-largest natural gas producer in Utah (after Uintah County), with 94 billion cubic feet produced in 2008. [5]

Geography

Castle Gate rock formation in Carbon County AntelopeIslandEchoGhosttowns 221.jpg
Castle Gate rock formation in Carbon County

The Green River flows south-southeastward along the county's eastern border. The lower central part of Carbon County is a continuation of Castle Valley in Emery County, but in Carbon, the valley is ringed with mountains - the Wasatch Range to the west and northwest, and the Book Cliffs to the north and northeast. [6] The county generally slopes to the south and east; its highest point is Monument Peak on the crest of the Wasatch Mountains near the midpoint of the county's western border, [6] at 10,452 ft (3,186 m) ASL. [7] The county has a total area of 1,485 square miles (3,850 km2), of which 1,478 square miles (3,830 km2) is land and 6.1 square miles (16 km2) (0.4%) is water. [8]

Airports

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1900 5,004—
1910 8,62472.3%
1920 15,48979.6%
1930 17,79814.9%
1940 18,4593.7%
1950 24,90134.9%
1960 21,135−15.1%
1970 15,647−26.0%
1980 22,17941.7%
1990 20,228−8.8%
2000 20,4221.0%
2010 21,4034.8%
2020 20,412−4.6%
US Decennial Census [9]
1790–1960 [10] 1900–1990 [11]
1990–2000 [12] 2010 [13] 2020 [14]

2020 census

According to the 2020 United States census [15] and 2020 American Community Survey, [16] there were 20,412 people in Carbon County with a population density of 13.8 people per square mile (5.3/km2). Among non-Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 16,645 (81.5%) White, 50 (0.2%) African American, 199 (1.0%) Native American, 63 (0.3%) Asian, 29 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 58 (0.3%) from other races, and 691 (3.4%) from two or more races. 2,677 (13.1%) people were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 10,228 (50.11%) males and 10,184 (49.89%) females, and the population distribution by age was 5,227 (25.6%) under the age of 18, 11,372 (55.7%) from 18 to 64, and 3,813 (18.7%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 38.6 years.

There were 7,950 households in Carbon County with an average size of 2.57 of which 5,279 (66.4%) were families and 2,671 (33.6%) were non-families. Among all families, 3,994 (50.2%) were married couples, 433 (5.4%) were male householders with no spouse, and 852 (10.7%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 2,231 (28.1%) were a single person living alone and 440 (5.5%) were two or more people living together. 2,500 (31.4%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 5,665 (71.3%) of households were owner-occupied while 2,285 (28.7%) were renter-occupied.

The median income for a Carbon County household was $50,328 and the median family income was $63,902, with a per-capita income of $23,613. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $54,063 and for females $32,545. 15.9% of the population and 13.1% of families were below the poverty line.

In terms of education attainment, out of the 13,262 people in Carbon County 25 years or older, 1,040 (7.8%) had not completed high school, 3,897 (29.4%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 6,102 (46.0%) had some college or associate degree, 1,471 (11.1%) had a bachelor's degree, and 752 (5.7%) had a graduate or professional degree.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 21,403 people, 7,978 households, and 5,587 families in the county. The population density was 14.48 people per square mile (5.59 people/km2). There were 9,551 housing units, with an average density of 6.46 per square mile (2.49/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 92.31% White, 0.43% Black or African American, 1.18% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.03% from other races, and 2.36% from two or more races. 12.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,978 households, of which 30.16% had children under 18. 54.50% were married couples living together, 10.65% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.97% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals (one person), and 11.07% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61, and the average family size was 3.14.

The population contained 30.41% under the age of 20, 6.82% aged 20 to 24, 23.73% aged 25 to 44, 25.48% aged 45 to 64, and 13.56% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.4. For every 100 females, there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 96.88 males.

Ancestry

As of 2015 the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Carbon County, Utah are: [17]

Largest ancestries (2015)Percent
English 22.7%
German 11.9%
Italian 11.1%
Irish 6.6%
Danish 5.9%
Scottish 4.1%
Swedish 3.3%
Welsh 1.9%
Dutch 1.9%
Polish 1.4%
Norwegian 1.4%

Politics and government

Carbon County historically was the base of Democratic Party support in strongly Republican Utah with its sizable unionized mining population. In 1964, Lyndon Johnson carried 72.7% of votes in the county. Notably, however, Ronald Reagan won just three votes more than did Jimmy Carter in 1980. Nonetheless, it voted for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 by wide margins. At the state level, it was no less Democratic; in the 1992 gubernatorial election, it was one of two counties (the other being Summit County) that voted for Democrat Stewart Hanson over Republican Michael Leavitt.

Since the turn of the millennium, however, Carbon County has trended Republican. It voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 while voting for the Democratic gubernatorial candidates. In 2008, John McCain won Carbon County with 52.60% of the vote, versus 44.59% for Barack Obama, making him the last Democratic nominee to win more than forty percent of the county's vote. In 2012, the county's Democratic vote fell further as Mitt Romney carried 67.3% over Obama's 30.1%. In 2016, despite Utah's strong swing against the Republicans due to the presence of conservative independent Evan McMullin, Carbon County was the only county in the state to swing more Republican, as Donald Trump won 66% to Hillary Clinton's 21.5% percent. In 2020, Trump again carried the county with the largest percentage (71.4%) of any Republican to date. Despite its rightward shift, Carbon County supported 2018 Utah Proposition 4, a ballot measure to create an independent redistricting commission in the state.

State elected offices
PositionDistrictNameAffiliationFirst elected
  Senate 27 David Hinkins Republican 2008 [18]
  House of Representatives 69 Christine Watkins Republican 2016 [19]
 Board of Education14Mark HuntsmanNonpartisan2014 [20]
United States presidential election results for Carbon County, Utah [21]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
1896 8511.36%66388.64%00.00%
1900 74854.01%62144.84%161.16%
1904 1,22465.38%50827.14%1407.48%
1908 1,02359.82%58133.98%1066.20%
1912 77135.42%51423.61%89240.97%
1916 1,30144.39%1,47850.43%1525.19%
1920 1,67547.05%1,55943.79%3269.16%
1924 1,87837.59%1,52830.58%1,59031.83%
1928 2,18442.10%2,95456.94%500.96%
1932 1,65527.04%4,23969.26%2263.69%
1936 1,34820.71%5,04077.42%1221.87%
1940 2,24230.07%5,18069.47%340.46%
1944 2,31830.12%5,36469.70%140.18%
1948 2,70428.89%6,39768.34%2592.77%
1952 3,77039.44%5,79060.56%00.00%
1956 4,50750.26%4,46049.74%00.00%
1960 2,95332.79%6,03967.06%140.16%
1964 2,13027.30%5,67272.70%00.00%
1968 2,61836.17%4,34460.01%2773.83%
1972 3,95653.19%3,33544.84%1471.98%
1976 3,36038.70%5,15759.39%1661.91%
1980 4,32047.67%4,31747.63%4264.70%
1984 4,39349.82%4,35749.41%680.77%
1988 3,01935.09%5,52164.18%630.73%
1992 2,03823.11%4,48050.81%2,29926.07%
1996 2,34330.90%4,17255.03%1,06714.07%
2000 3,75850.89%3,29844.66%3284.44%
2004 4,95058.18%3,41540.14%1431.68%
2008 4,09152.30%3,46844.34%2633.36%
2012 5,09067.27%2,27530.06%2022.67%
2016 5,27565.95%1,71721.47%1,00712.59%
2020 6,69371.05%2,39225.39%3353.56%
2024 6,71970.53%2,52526.50%2832.97%

Notes:

    Map of Carbon County municipalities and CDPs Carbon County Utah incorporated and unincorporated areas.svg
    Map of Carbon County municipalities and CDPs

    Communities

    Cities

    Town

    Census-designated places

    Unincorporated community

    Ghost towns

    Education

    There are five public elementary schools in Carbon County (Bruin Point, Castle Heights, Creekview, Sally Mauro, and Wellington); two middle schools (Helper and Mont Harmon); one high school (Carbon High School). It is also the location of the charter Pinnacle Canyon Academy, which serves grades K-12, as well as the Castle Valley Center for disabled children.

    Price is the location of Utah State University Eastern, which has an enrollment of approximately 1,525.

    See also

    References

    1. ↑ "Carbon County, Utah". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 30, 2023.
    2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
    3. ↑ "Individual County Chronologies/Carbon County UT. [[Newberry Library]] (accessed March 30, 2019)". Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    4. ↑ "Carbon County". I Love Utah History. Utah.gov. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
    5. ↑ "Annual natural gas production in MCF by the top 7 producing counties in Utah" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
    6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Carbon County UT Google Maps (accessed 30 March 2019)
    7. ↑ "Utah County High Points/Carbon County. Peakbaggers (accessed 30 March 2019)". Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
    8. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
    9. ↑ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
    10. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
    11. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
    12. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
    13. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
    14. ↑ 2020 Population and Housing State Data | Utah
    15. ↑ United States Census Bureau. "2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC)" . Retrieved November 2, 2024.
    16. ↑ United States Census Bureau. "American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2009-2022)" . Retrieved November 2, 2024.
    17. ↑ "American FactFinder - Results". factfinder.census.govn. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
    18. ↑ "Senator Hinkins Utah Senate". senate.utah.gov. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
    19. ↑ "Rep. Watkins, Christine F." Utah House of Representatives. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
    20. ↑ "Mark Huntsman". www.schools.utah.gov. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
    21. ↑ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 30, 2018.

    Further reading

    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.