Iron County is often overshadowed by its larger and flashier neighbor to the south. However, the county certainly deserves economic attention in its own right. For most of this decade, Iron has consistently ranked among Utah’s fastest-growing counties.
Manufacturing plays a particularly important role in providing jobs in Iron County and maintains the same share of total employment as in the state as a whole. That’s an unusual situation for a nonurban county. This dependence can work to the county’s detriment since a downturn typically hits manufacturing hard. During the current recession, Iron County has had to deal the double-whammy of a housing bubble collapse and the loss of its “bread and butter” manufacturing jobs as well.
Southern Utah University (the site of Utah's Shakespearean Festival) plays an important role in the economy providing jobs, an abundant student labor supply, and a backdrop for one of the state's premier cultural events.
For more information on Iron County, goto: http://jobs.utah.gov/jsp/wi/utalmis/gotoCounties.do
