Is being in an area of Arizona that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Phoenix and Tucson, while others want peace and quiet like in Cave Creek and Guadalupe, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in Arizona have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Grand Canyon State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
Arizona gained a net 31,107 people from other states in the year ending July 2025 — 5th in the nation for domestic migration; the full moving statistics breakdown shows who’s coming and going.
211.7% growth since 2010 · 48,812 net new residents
Located in
Pinal County, Arizona
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
92.9% growth since 2010 · 32,354 net new residents
Located in
Pinal County, Arizona
Maricopa is a city in the Gila River Valley in the State of Arizona. With an estimated 48,602 residents as of 2015, Maricopa is the second most populous incorporated city in Pinal County and eighteenth most populous in Arizona. Maricopa forms part of the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
86.0% growth since 2010 · 49,776 net new residents
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Goodyear is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is a suburb of Phoenix and is in the Phoenix metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 65,275. Goodyear was the third fastest-growing place among all cities and towns in Arizona of any size between 1990 and 2000. The July 1, 2015, MAG population estimate was 79,003.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
81.1% growth since 2010 · 25,495 net new residents
Located in
Pinal County, Arizona
Marana is a town in Pima County, Arizona, located northwest of Tucson, with a small portion in Pinal County. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town is 34,961. Marana was the fourth fastest-growing place among all cities and towns in Arizona of any size from 1990 to 2000.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
66.0% growth since 2010 · 14,255 net new residents
Located in
Pima County, Arizona
Sahuarita is a town in Pima County, Arizona, United States. Sahuarita is located south of the Tohono O’odham Nation and abuts the north end of Green Valley, 15 miles south of Tucson. The population was 25,259 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
56.7% growth since 2010 · 13,508 net new residents
Located in
Yuma County, Arizona
San Luis is a city in Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The population was 25,505 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Yuma Metropolitan Statistical Area. San Luis, located in the southwest corner of the state directly adjacent to Mexico’s Federal Highway 2, was the second fastest-growing city or town in Arizona from 1990 to 2000. According to 2014 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 31,091.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
53.8% growth since 2010 · 5,819 net new residents
Located in
Pinal County, Arizona
Coolidge is a city in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the city’s population is 11,825.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
49.3% growth since 2010 · 51,181 net new residents
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Surprise is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona. The population was 30,848 at the 2000 census; however, rapid expansion has boosted the city’s population to 117,517 at the 2010 census, an increase of 281%. As such, it is the second fastest-expanding municipality in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area and, between 1990 and 2000, it was the sixth fastest-expanding place among all cities and towns in Arizona.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
43.7% growth since 2010 · 85,216 net new residents
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Gilbert is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located southeast of Phoenix, within the Phoenix metropolitan area. Once known as the “Hay Shipping Capital of the World”, Gilbert is currently the most populous incorporated town in the United States. It is the sixth-largest municipality in Arizona, and the fifth-largest in the Metropolitan Phoenix Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
41.5% growth since 2010 · 17,855 net new residents
Located in
Pinal County, Arizona
Casa Grande is a city in Pinal County, approximately halfway between Phoenix and Tucson in the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 48,571. It is named after the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, which is actually located in Coolidge. “Casa Grande” is Spanish for “big house”.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Arizona’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Arizona’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Grand Canyon State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 56 Arizona cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Grand Canyon State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in Arizona.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In Arizona For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queen Creek | 71,867 | 23,055 | 211.7% | 48,812 |
| 2 | Maricopa | 67,163 | 34,809 | 92.9% | 32,354 |
| 3 | Goodyear | 107,645 | 57,869 | 86.0% | 49,776 |
| 4 | Marana | 56,938 | 31,443 | 81.1% | 25,495 |
| 5 | Sahuarita | 35,862 | 21,607 | 66.0% | 14,255 |
| 6 | San Luis | 37,337 | 23,829 | 56.7% | 13,508 |
| 7 | Coolidge | 16,636 | 10,817 | 53.8% | 5,819 |
| 8 | Surprise | 154,948 | 103,767 | 49.3% | 51,181 |
| 9 | Gilbert | 280,262 | 195,046 | 43.7% | 85,216 |
| 10 | Casa Grande | 60,905 | 43,050 | 41.5% | 17,855 |
| 11 | Peoria | 196,906 | 148,702 | 32.4% | 48,204 |
| 12 | Prescott Valley | 49,179 | 37,280 | 31.9% | 11,899 |
| 13 | Avondale | 92,477 | 70,274 | 31.6% | 22,203 |
| 14 | Litchfield Park | 6,916 | 5,271 | 31.2% | 1,645 |
| 15 | El Mirage | 36,088 | 27,922 | 29.2% | 8,166 |
| 16 | Chino Valley | 13,602 | 10,661 | 27.6% | 2,941 |
| 17 | Kingman | 34,375 | 27,790 | 23.7% | 6,585 |
| 18 | Wickenburg | 8,059 | 6,517 | 23.7% | 1,542 |
| 19 | Youn | 7,015 | 5,684 | 23.4% | 1,331 |
| 20 | Chandler | 280,136 | 229,531 | 22.0% | 50,605 |
| 21 | Oro Valley | 48,162 | 39,776 | 21.1% | 8,386 |
| 22 | Apache Junction | 41,058 | 33,956 | 20.9% | 7,102 |
| 23 | Tolleson | 7,668 | 6,386 | 20.1% | 1,282 |
| 24 | Flagstaff | 76,445 | 63,909 | 19.6% | 12,536 |
| 25 | Prescott | 47,400 | 39,938 | 18.7% | 7,462 |
| 26 | Snowflake | 6,444 | 5,461 | 18.0% | 983 |
| 27 | Show Low | 12,102 | 10,320 | 17.3% | 1,782 |
| 28 | Thatcher | 5,439 | 4,667 | 16.5% | 772 |
| 29 | Mesa | 511,764 | 439,639 | 16.4% | 72,125 |
| 30 | Eloy | 17,433 | 15,125 | 15.3% | 2,308 |
| 31 | Camp Verde | 12,521 | 10,922 | 14.6% | 1,599 |
| 32 | Tempe | 188,065 | 164,147 | 14.6% | 23,918 |
| 33 | Phoenix | 1,642,323 | 1,450,206 | 13.2% | 192,117 |
| 34 | Cottonwood | 12,580 | 11,280 | 11.5% | 1,300 |
| 35 | Scottsdale | 243,821 | 218,770 | 11.5% | 25,051 |
| 36 | Lake Havasu City | 58,359 | 52,474 | 11.2% | 5,885 |
| 37 | Payson | 16,622 | 15,026 | 10.6% | 1,596 |
| 38 | Somerton | 14,574 | 13,230 | 10.2% | 1,344 |
| 39 | Glendale | 252,833 | 229,687 | 10.1% | 23,146 |
| 40 | Yuma | 100,139 | 91,179 | 9.8% | 8,960 |
| 41 | Safford | 10,239 | 9,356 | 9.4% | 883 |
| 42 | Florence | 25,570 | 23,616 | 8.3% | 1,954 |
| 43 | Benson | 5,417 | 5,056 | 7.1% | 361 |
| 44 | Bullhead City | 42,496 | 39,925 | 6.4% | 2,571 |
| 45 | Fountain Hills | 23,789 | 22,506 | 5.7% | 1,283 |
| 46 | Tucson | 547,073 | 518,457 | 5.5% | 28,616 |
| 47 | Sierra Vista | 45,155 | 42,904 | 5.2% | 2,251 |
| 48 | Cave Creek | 5,091 | 4,911 | 3.7% | 180 |
| 49 | Page | 7,345 | 7,199 | 2.0% | 146 |
| 50 | Paradise Valley | 12,611 | 13,198 | -4.4% | -587 |
| 51 | Globe | 7,195 | 7,557 | -4.8% | -362 |
| 52 | Sedona | 9,777 | 10,307 | -5.1% | -530 |
| 53 | Nogales | 19,841 | 20,972 | -5.4% | -1,131 |
| 54 | Guadalupe | 5,272 | 5,577 | -5.5% | -305 |
| 55 | Douglas | 15,981 | 17,285 | -7.5% | -1,304 |
| 56 | Winslow | 8,773 | 9,736 | -9.9% | -963 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 56 Arizona cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Arizona, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Arizona are led by Queen Creek which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in Arizona are Queen Creek, Maricopa, Goodyear, Marana, Sahuarita, San Luis, Coolidge, Surprise, Gilbert, and Casa Grande.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know! Not sold on Arizona? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
