Given the number of stakes and districts organized and discontinued in Utah recently, I have made a separate blog post to summarize these developments and put them into context with broader trends on church growth in Utah.
NEW STAKES
Three new stakes were created in Utah.
The Cedar City Utah South Stake was created on November 3rd from a division of the Cedar City Utah Stake (organized in 1948), the Cedar City Utah Cross Hollow Stake (organized in 2008), and the Cedar City Utah West Stake (organized in 1960). The new stake includes the following eight wards: the Harmony Mountain, the Hidden Hills, the Kolob Canyon, the Meadow Ranch, the New Harmony, the Old Sorrel, the South Mountain, and the Westview Wards. There are now 11 stakes in Cedar City (including the two stakes in Enoch).
The Highland Utah North Stake was created on November 3rd from a division of the Highland Utah West Stake (organized in 2001). The new stake includes the following six wards: the Highland 27th, the Highland 32nd, the Highland 36th, the Highland 41st, the Highland 44th, and the Highland 45th Wards. There are now six stakes in Highland.
The Spanish Fork Utah Legacy Farms Stake was created on November 10th from a division of the Spanish Fork Utah Palmyra Stake (organized in 1924). The new stake includes the following five wards: the Legacy Farms 1st, the Legacy Farms 2nd, the Legacy Farms 3rd, the Legacy Farms 4th, and the Legacy Farms 5th Wards. There are now 12 stakes in Spanish Fork. Spanish Fork appears highly likely to have its own temple announced in the near future given significant growth in the area.
NEW DISTRICTS
Two new districts were created in Utah. The Great Basin Utah (Correctional Facility) District was created on August 29th from correctional facility branches throughout central and southern Utah. The new district includes the following 11 branches: the Canyon Creek, the Fillmore 5th, the Heber Valley, the Kanab, the Manti 7th, the Nephi 11th, the North Main, the Panguitch 5th, the Richfield 12th, the Southcreek, and the Washington 12th Branches.
The Green River Basin Utah (Correctional Facility) District was created on September 1st from correctional facility branches throughout eastern Utah. The new district includes the following seven branches: the Castle Dale 4th, the Center, the Duchesne 5th, the Monticello, the Price 12th, the Vernal 11th, and the Vernal 12th Branches.
The decision to create these correctional facility districts was likely to better streamline administrative needs for correctional facility branches which operate in prisons, jails, and detention centers. There are now five correctional facility districts in Utah - one of which is for detained youth (which has 14 branches). Correctional facility branches help with meeting the ecclesiastical needs of incarcerated Latter-day Saints. Given its large Latter-day Saint population and high percentage of members, Utah is the only state that has correctional facility districts, although correctional facility branches operate in many states in the United States.
DISCONTINUED STAKES
Nine stakes were discontinued in Utah.
Two of these discontinued stakes were on the southwest side of Salt Lake City. The Cottonwood Heights Utah Wasatch Stake (organized in 1978) was discontinued and most retained units were reassigned to the Cottonwood Heights Utah Brighton Stake (which now has seven wards). Nearby, the Salt Lake Little Cottonwood Stake (organized in 1971) was
discontinued and retained units were reassigned to the Salt Lake South
Cottonwood Stake (which now has seven wards and one branch). The Cottonwood area has arguably experienced one of the steepest declines in the number of wards and stakes in Utah within the past
Two of these discontinued stakes were in the Cache Valley. The Smithfield Utah YSA Stake (organized in 2010) and the Providence Utah YSA Stake (organized in 2010) were discontinued. The Smithfield Utah YSA Stake had six wards, whereas the Providence Utah YSA Stake had five wards. The decision to discontinue these two YSA stakes does not appear to be due to a decrease in active membership. Instead, this decision was attributed to a redistricting of YSA congregations so they were all part of the nine YSA stakes based in Logan (one of which was just organized in September of 2024). Given the small number of wards in each of the YSA stakes that were discontinued, it appears that Church leadership wanted to provide a more equal number of congregations in the nine YSA stakes in the Logan area.
The Ogden Utah Lorin Farr Stake (organized in 1952) was discontinued and consolidated with the Ogden Utah Rock Cliff Stake (which was renamed the Odgen Utah East Ridge Stake). The former Ogden Utah Lorin Farr Stake had six wards and one branch, whereas the original Ogden Utah Rock Cliff Stake had five wards and one branch.
Four of these discontinued stakes were in the Kearns and Western Jordan area. The Kearns Utah Central Stake (organized in 1979), the Kearns Utah East Stake (organized in 1978), and the Kearns Utah West Stake (organized in 1984) were discontinued. The Kearns Utah East Stake and the former area of the Kearns Utah Western Hills Stake (which was discontinued in 2023) were combined with the Kearns Utah Stake which is now called the Kearns Utah North Stake. The Kearns Utah Central Stake and the Kearns Utah South Stake were combined with the Kearns Utah Central Stake which was renamed the Kearns Utah South Stake. Thus, the Church in Kearns has gone from six stakes to two stakes within less than two years, and each of these stakes now has eight wards (the Kearns Utah South Stake also has one branch). The West Jordan Utah East Stake (organized in 1975) had four wards and was consolidated with the neighboring West Jordan Utah Stake (which previously had five wards). There are now seven wards in the West Jordan Utah Stake.
ANALYSIS OF STAKE GROWTH IN UTAH
As of year-end 2024, there were 639 stakes and six districts in Utah. In 2024, there were a total of 17 new stakes created and 11 stakes discontinued in Utah, resulting in a net increase of six stakes for the year. Between 2000 and 2024, the Church in Utah organized 215 new stakes and discontinued 34 stakes. The net number of stakes has increased every year in the 21st century, although this number widely fluctuates from as low as two (2012) to has many as 16 (2021). Rates of growth for the number of stakes, congregations, and members in Utah have been commensurate for many years, although percentage growth rates have fluctuated. In 2000, the average stake had 3,461 members and the average ward or branch had 421 members. In 2023, the average stake also had 3,461 members, although the average ward or branch had 404 members. The average stake had 8.22 congregations in 2000. In 2023, the average stake had 8.56 congregations.
The year 2024 was the year that the Church discontinued the most stakes it has ever discontinued in a single year. Approximately one-third of all discontinued stakes in Utah in the past quarter century occurred in 2024. The year 2023 was the previous year with the most stakes discontinued in a single year (seven). Thus, 53% of all discontinued stakes in Utah since 2000 were closed in the past 2 years. These recent trends in stake consolidations are unsurprising given migration patterns for Latter-day Saints in Utah during the past quarter century, as older urban areas and lower income suburban communities built in the 1970s and 1980s have had steady streams of active Latter-day Saints that relocate to newer communities on the outskirts of the greater Salt Lake City area, Utah County, or other states, such as Idaho. Stakes discontinued in the past 2 years have experienced stagnant or declining numbers of active members for many years, and the number of wards in these former stakes had reached a point to a consolidation of stakes was warranted. It is also important to note that the Church in Utah has gone through previous waves of stake consolidations. Prior to the past two years, the year with the most stakes discontinued was 2011 when six stakes were discontinued. However, there have also been years in the past quarter century when no stakes were discontinued in Utah, such as 2005-2010, 2012-2014, 2017-2020, and 2022.
Here is a table of the number of stakes discontinued by year in Utah:
Year | Number of Discontinued Stakes |
---|---|
2024 | 11 |
2023 | 8 |
2021 | 1 |
2016 | 3 |
2015 | 2 |
2011 | 6 |
2004 | 3 |
2003 | 1 |
See below for a table of all discontinued stakes in Utah since 2000:
Discontinued Stake | Year |
---|---|
Cottonwood Heights Utah Wasatch | 2024 |
Kearns Utah Central | 2024 |
Kearns Utah East | 2024 |
Kearns Utah West | 2024 |
Midvale Utah North | 2024 |
Ogden Utah Lorin Farr | 2024 |
Providence Utah YSA | 2024 |
Salt Lake Little Cottonwood | 2024 |
Sandy Utah YSA | 2024 |
Smithfield Utah YSA | 2024 |
West Jordan Utah East | 2024 |
Salt Lake Foothill | 2023 |
Salt Lake Cottonwood Heights | 2023 |
Sandy Utah Crescent Park | 2023 |
Kearns Utah Western Hills | 2023 |
Salt Lake Jordan | 2023 |
Salt Lake Hunter South | 2023 |
Midvale Utah East | 2023 |
Roy Utah Central | 2021 |
Salt Lake Sugar House | 2016 |
Magna Utah Central | 2016 |
Salt Lake Monument Park North | 2016 |
Salt Lake 1st | 2015 |
Salt Lake Wells | 2015 |
Blanding Utah West | 2011 |
Salt Lake Mount Olympus North | 2011 |
Taylorsville Utah West | 2011 |
Bennion Heights Utah | 2011 |
West Valley Utah | 2011 |
Salt Lake Park | 2011 |
Ogden Utah Mount Ogden | 2004 |
Ogden Utah Canyon View | 2004 |
Salt Lake University 4th | 2004 |
Salt Lake Eagle Gate | 2003 |