Utah’s Economic Prosperity Illustrates the Importance of Marriage, Family, and Religion
September 7, 2023
A recently released report says that Utah’s economy ranks No. 1 among all 50 states and attributes this top ranking to the influence of the state’s dominant culture of heterosexual marriage and the strength and stability of its families.
Authors Brad Wilcox, Jenet Erickson, and Patrick T. Brown conclude in the Sutherland Institute report that marriage and families have proven to function as effective anti-poverty programs. Higher levels of marriage —and in particular, higher levels of married-parent families—are strongly associated with greater economic growth, more economic mobility, less child poverty, and higher median family income.
