Maricopa County Is Fastest Growing in the Nation
UPDATE: In 2018, Maricopa County was again named the fastest growing.
By adding 222 people per day in 2016, Maricopa County booted Harris County, Texas, as the county with the nation’s highest population growth for the year, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released today.
Maricopa County — which includes Phoenix, Scottsdale, Glendale and 24 other cities and towns — grew in three ways: net domestic migration of 43,189 coming in; net international migration of 10,188; and 25,428 more births than deaths.
“In the early 2000s, Maricopa County was in the top one or two counties by numeric growth. From 2009-2011, Maricopa County saw much lower net migration than in the years before or after, which caused the county to drop out of the top population-gaining counties,” said Peter Borsella, a demographer in the Census Bureau’s population division. “While net international migration has not reached prior levels, net domestic migration and natural increase have continued to rise, making Maricopa County this year’s largest numeric gainer.”
In addition, Maricopa grew the fastest among the top 10 largest counties at 1.95 percent, an increase from 1.90 percent from the previous year. Maricopa County remained the fourth-largest county in the country, with 4.2 million people. Los Angeles County and Cook County, Ill., remained the largest and second-largest counties, respectively, with Harris County, Texas, in third place.
