For the 19th year in a row, Utah's neighbor to the west has led the nation in the rate of population growth and is now only about 55,000 residents behind the Beehive State.

Utah ranks fifth on the list of fastest-growing states, up from seventh last year, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

But as Utah climbs, Nevada may be slowing down, said Robert Spendlove, the chief demographer in the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget.

Utah grew by about 49,000 people from July 2004 to July 2005, for a state population of 2.47 million people, census estimates show. Much of that growth is around the St. George area and the southern border of Salt Lake County.

The new report is just the latest indicator of Utah's strong economic growth that has hastened the population increase. Home construction is up, jobs and personal income are on the rise, and these are not short-term trends, according to Utah's leading economists.

"I don't foresee any change to that in the near future, or for that matter, the far future," Spendlove said.

In the past year, Nevada added 82,000 residents, mostly around the surging Las Vegas metro area, for a growth rate of 3.5 percent, more than three times the national average.

But with Nevada's homes projected to decline in value in the next two years, Spendlove expects migration to slow, delaying the future date when Nevada's population will surpass Utah's.

"I don't think Nevada is going to see population loss," he said. "But I would be surprised if Arizona didn't overtake Nevada as the fastest-growing state next year."

Though when the next full census is taken in 2010, both Utah and Nevada are expected to receive another seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

After Utah County successfully challenged its population estimates, the census actually went back and added about 32,000 people to Utah's 2004 population.

Spendlove said the census may once again be underestimating Utah's growth, particularly the number of people moving to the state. The Utah Population Estimates Committee, a collection of the state's foremost demographers, pegged Utah's population at 2.55 million in 2005, with more than 40,000 moving to the state from elsewhere. The census estimates that only 13,000 people moved to Utah in the past year.

mcanham@sltrib.com