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The Need for Action in Utah
For decades, infrastructure in Utah has suffered from a systemic lack of investment. The need for action is
clear:
Utah’s infrastructure received a C+ grade on its Infrastructure Report Card. The American Jobs Plan will make
a historic investment in our nation’s infrastructure.
• ROADS AND BRIDGES: In Utah there are 62 bridges and over 2,064 miles of highway in poor
condition. Since 2011, commute times have increased by 7.2% in Utah and on average, each driver
pays $709 per year in costs due to driving on roads in need of repair. The American Jobs Plan will
devote more than $600 billion to transform our nations' transportation infrastructure and make it more
resilient, including $115 billion repairing roads and bridges.
• PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Utahns who take public transportation spend an extra 103.5% of their
time commuting and non-White households are 1.8 times more likely to commute via public
transportation. 17% of trains and other transit vehicles in the state are past useful life. The American
Jobs Plan will modernize public transit with an $85 billion investment.
• RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE: From 2010 to 2020, Utah has experienced 10 extreme weather
events, costing the state up to $1 billion in damages. The President is calling for $50 billion to improve
the resiliency of our infrastructure and support communities’ recovery from disaster.
• DRINKING WATER: Over the next 20 years, Utah’s drinking water infrastructure will require $4.4 billion
in additional funding. The American Jobs Plan includes a $111 billion investment to ensure clean, safe
drinking water is a right in all communities.
• HOUSING: In part due to a lack of available and affordable housing, 129,000 renters in Utah are rent
burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent. The President proposes
investing over $200 billion to increase housing supply and address the affordable housing crisis.
• BROADBAND: 9.25% of Utahns live in areas where, by one definition, there is no broadband
infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds. And 54.35% of Utahns live in areas where
there is only one such internet provider. Even where infrastructure is available, broadband may be too
expensive to be within reach. 9.2% of Utah households do not have an internet subscription. The
American Jobs Plan will invest $100 billion to bring universal, reliable, high-speed, and affordable
coverage to every family in America.
• CAREGIVING: Across the country, hundreds of thousands of older adults and people with disabilities
are in need of home and community-based services. The President’s plan will invest $400 billion to help
more people access care and improve the quality of caregiving jobs.
• CHILD CARE: In Utah, there is an estimated $496 million gap in what schools need to do maintenance
and make improvements and 77% of residents live in a childcare desert. The American Jobs Plan will
modernize our nation’s schools and early learning facilities and build new ones in neighborhoods
across Utah and the country.
• MANUFACTURING: Manufacturers account for more than 10% of total output in Utah, employing
138,000 workers, or 8.83% of the state’s workforce. The American Job’s Plan will invest $300 billion to
retool and revitalize American manufacturers, including providing incentives for manufacturers to invest
in innovative energy projects in coal communities.
• HOME ENERGY: In Utah, an average low-income family spends 4-6% of their income on home energy
costs forcing tough choices between paying energy bills and buying food, medicine or other essentials.
The American Jobs Plan will upgrade low-income homes to make them more energy efficient through a
historic investment in the Weatherization Assistance Program, a new Clean Energy and Sustainability
Accelerator to finance building improvements, and expanded tax credits to support home energy
upgrades.
• CLEAN ENERGY JOBS: Utah has outsized potential for innovative energy technologies including
carbon capture and sequestration and geothermal energy generation, that create good paying union
jobs. As of 2019, there were 44,005 Utahns working in clean energy, and the American Jobs Plan
invests in building that industry through a reformed and expended Section 45Q tax credit and extending
renewable energy tax credits.
• VETERANS HEALTH: Utah is home to over 134,000 veterans, 7.77% of who are women and 46.58%
who are over the age of 65. The President is calling for $18 billion to improve the infrastructure of VA
health care facilities to ensure the delivery of world-class, state of the art care to veterans enrolled in
the VA health care system. This includes improvements to ensure appropriate care for women and
older veterans.
