Is Provo shrinking? Census says yes

The city is considering paying the census bureau to do an actual door-to-door headcount of Eagle Mountain residents, but no decisions have yet been made.

The census bureau will do its decennial statewide count in three years, so Richardson says he's not sure the cost of doing a headcount now will be worth it. The city has until the end of December to decide if, and how, it will challenge the census data.

Meanwhile, Saratoga Springs Assistant City Manager Spencer Kyle says Utah's planning entities, like Utah's Department of Transportation, don't put too much stock in census numbers.

"Most people don't use those numbers because they're just inaccurate," Kyle said. "Seven hundred single family homes were built (in Saratoga Springs) last year, and with an average population of four people per home, we know we didn't decrease in number. Anyone who works with us knows those numbers wouldn't be correct."

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