Jesse Soriano said even so the estimates likely miss thousands of Latino immigrants, many undocumented, across Utah. He said many of the new residents are single men, drawn to construction jobs, who don't have children and aren't members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Pam Perlich, senior research economist at the University of Utah, agreed. She pointed out that the 2000 Census is the benchmark for the estimates and that census missed part of the population. She pointed to Utah's narrow miss of a fourth congressional seat.

"If we had done a better job enumerating the immigrants, we would have gotten it," she said.

Perlich added that the state's estimation methods may miss a population that is not predominantly LDS, may not have children, may or may not file a tax return, and has a high number of people per household.

"We have made an effort to err on the side of the higher numbers," she said.

With the growth comes challenges. Mike Mower, the committee's chairman, pointed to transportation, education and preservation of quality of life as key issues. Conservation of water and other resources are also critical, he said.

"Utahns have always risen to the challenges of growth since pioneer times," Mower said. "The new population projections do highlight a need for wise planning."

In Utah County, Eliot said, more than $1 billion has been allocated to transportation projects such as new roadways and a commuter rail. A rapid transit project in Orem and Provo is also under way, he said.

Statewide, the growth reflects Utah's historically low unemployment and strong job growth over the past few years, which has made the state attractive to new residents, said Mark Knold, chief economist for the state Department of Workforce Services. Construction has led that job growth.

"We've had a very unique and booming economy over the last three years and counting," he said. "Only now are we starting to see some slowing in housing."

While the housing market has slowed, it's not because of a lack of demand but because lenders are being more cautious. It has yet to be seen whether that will be a long-term or short-term trend, he said, and he pointed out that commercial construction remains strong.

Despite the slowdown in Washington County, growth continues to be strong, said Lecia Parks Langston, regional economist for Workforce Services.

The county saw a 6.1 percent growth last year and had been the state's fastest growing county for three consecutive years. Langston said fewer homes are now being built in the county, where, as in some other parts of the country, housing prices were bid up past their value.

"I don't see that in this area, until we run out of water, will we in the long run stop growing," she said. "Is it a period of slower growth? Probably."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com