In 2012, about 4.2 million people called the desert metropolis of central Arizona home.
Since then, the Phoenix metropolitan area has added more than 800,000 new residents, surpassing 5 million for the first time, according to newly released 2022 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Nationwide, new census figures show that urban flying during the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed or reversed in most metropolitan areas.
But the Phoenix area, which includes Maricopa and Pinal counties, continued to grow. The region’s population will grow by about 66,850 in 2021 and another 72,850 in 2022, the largest increase of any subway in the country.
And data previously released by the Census Bureau showed that Maricopa County has more people migrating than anywhere else in the country.
These advancements have made the Phoenix area the 10th largest city in the nation. The inhabitants of the valley lost out in population on:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City (19,617,869)
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (12,872,322)
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (9,441,957)
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (7,943,685)
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugarland (7,340,118)
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (6,373,756)
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington (6,241,164)
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta (6,222,106)
- Miami – Fort Lauderdale – Pompano Beach (6,139,340)
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What about other subways in Arizona?
All of Arizona’s metropolitan areas increased in 2021-2022, except Sierra Vista-Douglas in Cochise County, where about 100 people died.
From largest to smallest, here’s how many people live in other large cities in Arizona.
- Tucson (1,057,597)
- Prescott Valley – Prescott (246,191)
- Lake Havasu City-Kingman (220,816)
- Yuma (207,842)
- Flagstaff (144,060)
- Sierra Vista-Douglas (125,663)
Sasha Hapka covers regional issues in Maricopa County, Pinal County, and the Republic of Arizona. Any tips for your county?please contact her sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SashaHupka.
