Voices: Utah was the best place to start my family 35 years ago. My children face a different reality.

Thirty-five years ago, raising a family in Cedar City felt … possible. Housing was attainable. One income could stretch far enough. Child care, while never cheap, didn’t consume an entire paycheck.

Those conditions shaped our family’s life. They allowed us to balance work, caregiving and community in a way that felt sustainable — even hopeful.

Today, watching my five grown children in their 20s and 30s try to build their lives, I see that same sense of possibility slipping away.

They are doing everything “right” — everything we ask of young adults: getting educated, working hard, building careers and contributing to their communities. Yet they feel stuck. Rent consumes a growing share of their income. They delay getting married and having children — not out of hesitation, but because of financial pressure. Homeownership — once a realistic goal for young families — now feels out of reach, even for couples with strong careers.

My kids want to stay in Utah. My husband and I want them close, building their own families here. Yet rising costs are making that dream increasingly out of reach.

This is not just my family’s story. It is the reality facing young adults across Utah, and it is why family affordability has become one of the state’s most urgent challenges for long-term health and sustainability.

Utah has long been known as one of the best places in the country to raise a family. Strong communities and a pro-family culture helped fuel economic growth. But rising costs and limited options are quietly eroding that foundation.

Parents today face impossible choices: They’re delaying having children, stepping away from careers they worked hard to build, juggling multiple jobs or returning to work before they are ready. These are not lifestyle preferences — they are financial calculations.

Forty-three percent of working parents would prefer one parent to stay home — but can’t afford it. Child care costs alone can exceed $25,000 a year for two children in center-based care, and nearly $20,000 in home-based care. For many families, child care now rivals — or even exceeds — their housing costs.

And even when families can afford care, they often cannot find it. Seventy-five percent of Utahns live in a “child care desert,” where there aren’t enough licensed slots to meet demand. In rural counties like Daggett, Piute, Rich and Wayne, there is no licensed child care at all.

Parents want to work. Employers want to hire. But without reliable child care, both sides lose. The economic consequences are real: Utah loses an estimated $1.36 billion every year due to child care-related disruptions — like a parent having to take a sick day because her toddler’s daycare closed for a holiday, or a small business forced to close on Saturdays because several employees can’t find care. Businesses struggle with turnover and lost productivity. Families lose income, stability, and sometimes even the chance to stay in Utah.

These pressures are already reshaping family life. Utah’s birth rate has fallen from 2.65 children per family in 2007 to just 1.8 in 2023. This decline reflects more than a shift in personal priorities — it reflects whether young people believe they can afford to start families here at all. I see it in my own life: With five adult children all over 25, none have started families yet — not because they don’t want to, but because financial pressures make it nearly impossible.

This trajectory is not inevitable. Utah’s strength has always been pairing deeply held values with practical solutions. That’s why I proudly support The Policy Project and its 2026 legislative efforts. They are championing a series of policies designed to boost family affordability across the state. The goal is not to dictate how families structure work or caregiving, but to restore real choices for parents.

We know there is no silver bullet policy that will solve every challenge families face. That’s why The Policy Project is focused on addressing the problem brick by brick: expanding access to high-quality child care, increasing financial flexibility for families and supporting parents in those critical early years. When families have stability and options, communities thrive, businesses grow and young people can envision a future in Utah.

Thirty-five years ago, Utah gave families like mine real options — and the confidence to build a life here. The question now is whether today’s young adults, including my own children, will be able to say the same. If Utah wants strong families, a strong economy, and a sustainable future, family affordability must once again be a promise we keep — not just a value we claim.

Nina Barnes has served as vice-chair of the Utah Board of Higher Education, on the Cedar City Council and SUU Board of Trustees, and is a member of The Policy Project’s board. She ran for Utah House District #73 in 2022 and currently teaches Political Science at SUU.

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