Davis County, Utah was created by the territorial legislature in 1852. The legislature designated Farmington as its county seat, because it is located between boundaries at the Weber River on the north and the Jordan River to the south.

Davis County started slowly, but soon experienced moderate growth with the arrival of the Utah Central Railroad in 1870. The area modernized and started to become a center for commerce, banking, and agriculture on a small scale. By 1940, the population was around 16,000, doubled by 1950 and doubled again between 1950 and 1960 with a burst in suburban growth. By 1990 there were 188,000 residents, and in 2000, there were 239,000. By 2030, the county is expected to have a population of about 360,000.

The majority of present day population growth is concentrated in the northwest, northeast, and southwest areas of the county, especially in cities such as Syracuse, Clinton, West Point, South Weber, and Woods Cross.