Economically, How Do The LDS Enclaves Rank?

Part 5 of the LDS Enclave Analysis: Mormon Macroeconomics

Photo by Adam Nir on Unsplash

This week is the final post in the LDS Enclave series, we zoom out from household measures and local trends to take a macroeconomic view. Using county-level GDP data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and comparing it with World Bank national GDP figures, we can see how LDS enclaves stack up — both against other American community types and against entire countries.

Let’s look at a few charts…

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1. Big Cities Dominate GDP… LDS Enclaves Have Steady Growth

Looking first at total GDP, the largest American metros — “Big Cities” in the American Communities Project typology — unsurprisingly top the charts, with economic output approaching $8 trillion in 2017 dollars. Urban suburbs follow, with a mix of professional services, tech hubs, and dense population fueling growth. LDS enclaves are much smaller in total output but maintain steady, consistent growth over the past two decades.

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2. Per Capita GDP Shows a Different Story

When we shift to GDP per capita, LDS enclaves rise in the rankings. In 2023, residents of LDS enclaves produced about $62,862 (in 2017 dollars) each, placing them ahead of most community types, including exurbs, Hispanic centers, and military posts. They remain behind high-density, high-income communities like big cities and aging farmlands — but far above the lowest-income rural and working-class areas.

Also, note that the GDP per capita difference between LDS Enclave is almost double that of evangelical hubs representing yet another overperformance. I wrote about this in a previous part in this series as well:

Same Politics, Different Results: Why the LDS Enclave Outperforms Other Conservative Communities

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3. The 2023 Per Capita Snapshot

The latest snapshot reinforces the point: big cities lead at nearly $97k per person, aging farmlands sit around $78k, and urban burbs at $72k. LDS enclaves claim the #4 spot nationally by community type, illustrating their relatively strong productivity compared to their size and geography.

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4. LDS Enclaves Outperform Most Countries

Placed in an international context, LDS enclaves look even stronger. In total GDP, they outrank about 75% of all countries — sitting above Chile, Portugal, and New Zealand in sheer economic size. That’s remarkable given they represent only a slice of the U.S. population concentrated in the Intermountain West.

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5. And Their Per Capita GDP is in the Global Top 10%

In GDP per capita, LDS enclaves fall into the global top decile — comparable to advanced economies like the Netherlands and United Arab Emirates, and ahead of countries such as Japan, South Korea, and the UK. For a region often associated with rural and small-city living, that’s a testament to its economic mix of tech, manufacturing, and resource industries.

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Takeaways

• LDS enclaves punch above their weight in both national and global comparisons.

• They rank 4th among U.S. community types in per capita output.

• Internationally, they sit in the top 10% for GDP per capita and above most countries for total GDP.

Economic strength isn’t the only story in these regions — cultural, demographic, and religious patterns make them unique. But from a purely macroeconomic perspective, LDS enclaves are far from being on the margins — they’re in the global big leagues.

Thanks for reading the 5 part series.

Next week, we’ll switch to another topic… how did the 2 hour church policy change affect religiosity?

Code and data for this post available here.