Percentage Of Salt Lake City Mormon Population: 2026 Shocking Drop
Percentage of Salt Lake City Mormon population
The best-supported answer is that Salt Lake City itself has been estimated at about 59% Mormon in older local reporting, while Salt Lake County was reported at 49% Mormon in 2018, meaning the county had already become a minority-LDS area even as the city proper remained majority-LDS by some estimates.
What the number means
This question is tricky because people often mean either the city proper or the broader metro area, and the percentage changes a lot depending on which boundary you use.
For the city, one commonly cited estimate put Salt Lake City at 59% Mormon as of 2010, while a separate community profile put the metro-area figure at 61.6% Church of Jesus Christ membership, showing how different datasets can produce different results.
For Salt Lake County, reporting based on church membership figures showed 49% Mormon in December 2018, which was described as the lowest percentage since at least the 1930s.
Most cited figures
The most useful way to interpret the data is to separate the city from the county and metro area, because each answer tells a different story about religious composition.
| Geography | Reported Mormon share | Reference point |
|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City | About 59% | 2010 estimate cited in local reporting |
| Salt Lake County | 49% | December 2018 reporting based on LDS membership figures |
| Salt Lake City metro area | 61.6% | Metro religion profile published by BestPlaces |
Why the share changed
Salt Lake City has become more religiously diverse as growth, migration, and generational change have reduced the relative share of Latter-day Saints in the population.
Local coverage in 2018 emphasized that fewer than half of Salt Lake County residents belonged to the Mormon Church, underscoring a long-term demographic shift rather than a one-time fluctuation.
That trend does not mean the church is absent or declining in visibility; it remains headquartered in the city and still exerts strong cultural influence across the region.
Historical context
Salt Lake City has been closely associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for nearly two centuries, so even modest demographic shifts can feel politically and culturally significant.
Reporters noted that the 49% Salt Lake County figure represented the lowest share since at least the 1930s, which gives the change historical weight beyond a single census cycle.
"Mormons account for 49% of the 1.1 million residents in Salt Lake County - the lowest percentage since at least the 1930s."
Useful takeaways
- Salt Lake City proper has been cited at about 59% Mormon in older estimates.
- Salt Lake County was reported at 49% Mormon in 2018.
- The Salt Lake City metro area has also been described as roughly 61.6% Church of Jesus Christ membership.
- The exact percentage depends on whether the source counts active members, all members, or self-identified religion.
How to read the data
If you are asking for a single headline number, the safest answer is that Salt Lake City is still strongly Mormon, but not uniformly so, and the broader county had already fallen below 50% by 2018.
If you need a precise statistic for a publication or research note, specify whether you want the city, county, or metro area, because each figure carries a different meaning and source methodology.
Related questions
Helpful tips and tricks for Percentage Of Salt Lake City Mormon Population
Is Salt Lake City still mostly Mormon?
Yes, Salt Lake City is still widely described as having a Mormon majority in some estimates, though the broader Salt Lake County had already dropped to 49% Mormon by 2018.
Why do different sources give different percentages?
Different sources use different boundaries and counting methods, including city limits, county data, metro data, church membership records, and self-identification surveys.
What is the most recent figure available here?
From the sources available in this article, the most recent directly cited figures are the 2018 Salt Lake County estimate at 49% and a 2024 city profile listing 59.3% Mormon.
Does the church still dominate the region culturally?
Yes, the church still has a major cultural presence in Salt Lake City because its headquarters are there, even though the demographic share has become more mixed over time.