Lauren Cobley | Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Sometimes it’s because of the weather, sometimes they’re looking for lower house prices, sometimes they’re moving for better job opportunities. These are among the factors that made Maricopa County the fastest growing county in the nation last year.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maricopa County will add 56,831 residents between July 2021 and June 2022, the largest increase in population for any county in the nation, and last year the county’s population was an estimated 450. It was a million people. It was the second year in a row that the county led the nation in population growth. Maricopa added her 46,866 in 2021.
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Clint Hickman said: “I think[the population growth]is driven by the opportunity to start a new life in a great climate.”
According to Census Bureau data, most of the population growth was due to internal migration—people who moved into the county from elsewhere in the United States.
Of Maricopa County’s 56,831 new residents, only 7,806 were attributed to natural change, making the difference between births and deaths. The rest were domestic or international immigrants.
According to Scott Wilken, data advisory program manager for the Maricopa Association of Government, there are still many new residents coming from California.
“More households come from California than any other state,” says Wilken. “According to the latest data, 20% to 25% of those who move into the Phoenix metropolitan area come from California. That’s an incredible amount for just one state.”
According to Wilken, no single location in Maricopa County is growing significantly more than anywhere else.
Chris Camacho, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, said more and more young residents are calling Maricopa County home. Many people have moved here for technology, engineering and insurance jobs, he said.
“People’s migration patterns increase the potential for economic development as they can support the growth of new businesses,” said Camacho.
Opportunity is an important part of the job market. Large tech and engineering companies tend to look to and follow growing markets, he said. These companies can draw employees from the local markets they serve, but they also know they have a strong pipeline of people who have decided to move there.
“The inward-looking demographic trend is a very healthy and good thing. It drives demand for more housing. We will lead GDP growth at the base because we can put these new residents into the jobs that we have grown and nurtured in the region,” said Camacho.
Last year, Maricopa County was the fourth-largest county in the nation, behind Los Angeles County, with 9.72 million residents. Cook County, Illinois has 5.11 million people. Harris County, Texas has 4.78 million people. Los Angeles County remained number one despite its biggest decline last year, when it lost 90,704 residents.
Of the 10 counties with the highest population growth, six were in Texas and three in Florida. Maricopa County was the only county out of Arizona.
No other Arizona county came close to Maricopa’s numerical growth last year, but Pinal County had the fastest growth for the second year in a row. Pinal county added her 16,010 people, a growth rate of 3.6%, bringing the total population to 464,154. Maricopa County grew at her rate of 1.3%.
Twelve of the state’s 15 counties saw population growth last year, according to the Census Bureau. The remaining three districts saw population declines: Greenlee County lost 75, Cochise County lost 100, and Graham County lost 103.
