BIRTHS/ABORTION: Utah had the nation's highest fertility rate among the states in 2006: 94.1 births a year per 1,000 women age 15 to 44. That is a third higher than the national average of 68.5.

It had the lowest percentage of total births that were to unmarried women in 2006: 18.8 percent (the national average was 38.5 percent). It had the fourth-lowest percentage of births that were to teenage mothers: 6.6 percent (the national average was 10.4 percent).

Utah had the sixth-lowest abortion rate, which in 2005 was 6.4 per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. The national rate is 19.4.

With all of that, Utah is projected to have the nation's fifth fastest rate of growth between 2010 and 2030. It is expected to grow from about 2.6 million to 3.49 million in that time.

INSURANCE COST: Auto and homeowners/renters insurance is well below average in Utah. In 2005, the average auto insurance per car in Utah was $706 (compared to a national average of $829).

The average annual premiums for homeowners insurance was $477 (compared to a national average of $764). The average for renters insurance was $146 (compared to a national average of $193).

---

E-mail: lee@desnews.com