Learning From 2002: County-Level Economic Analysis of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and Implications for Utah 2034

Author

• Ronan Spencer, Utah State University

Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Departmental Honors

Department

Economics and Finance

Abstract

This paper examines economic and distributional impacts and the existing literature on the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics to inform policy recommendations for the upcoming 2034 Utah Olympic Games. Using a difference-in-differences (DiD) framework on county-level data from 1995 to 2006, we compare Utah host counties to Colorado counties. Results indicate that the Games generated an average of 1,084 Leisure and Hospitality jobs per host county, suggesting approximately 5,420 total jobs across all five host counties. We saw a positive but marginally significant increase in tourism and hospitality GDP of $37.2 million relative to Colorado controls (p=0.078). We also find that all-ages and child poverty rates in host counties rose by 0.982 and 0.910 percentage points relative to our control following the Games. To maximize the 2034 Games statewide benefit, we recommend targeted policies prioritizing local business procurement, living wages, and statewide institution collaboration.

Recommended Citation

Spencer, Ronan, "Learning From 2002: County-Level Economic Analysis of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and Implications for Utah 2034" (2026). Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects. 1118.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/honors/1118