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Is being in an area 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 Holbrook and Thatcher, thank you very much.
But today we're going to put opinions aside and just look at the cold hard facts -- over the past five years, which cities in Arizona have the grown the fastest.
After getting knee deep in the Census's American Community Survey, we emerged with this set of cities in the Grand Canyon State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
These are the 10 fastest growing cities in Arizona for 2022 according to the most recent census data:
The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Arizona For 2022
What's the fastest growing city in Arizona for 2022? Based on the most recent ACS data, Queen Creek ranks as the fastest growing city in Arizona. If you happen to be a resident of Queen Creek, you're probably not too surprised to find it on our list.
If you're surprised--and you're wondering why these places are kind of a big deal--keep reading. We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 places in Arizona are growing like weeds.
And if you already knew these places were happening, check out the best places to live in Arizona or the Fastest Growing States In America.
For more Arizona state reading:
The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Arizona For 2022
1. Queen Creek
/10
Population: 52,162
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Population 2010: 23,055
Percent Growth 126.3%
Absolute Growth: 29,107
More on Queen Creek: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
2. Marana
/10
Population: 47,164
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Population 2010: 31,443
Percent Growth 50.0%
Absolute Growth: 15,721
More on Marana: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
3. Maricopa
/10
Population: 50,358
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Population 2010: 34,809
Percent Growth 44.7%
Absolute Growth: 15,549
More on Maricopa: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
4. Goodyear
/10
Population: 83,519
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Population 2010: 57,869
Percent Growth 44.3%
Absolute Growth: 25,650
More on Goodyear: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
5. San Luis
/10
Population: 33,875
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Population 2010: 23,829
Percent Growth 42.2%
Absolute Growth: 10,046
More on San Luis: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
6. Sahuarita
/10
Population: 30,679
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Population 2010: 21,607
Percent Growth 42.0%
Absolute Growth: 9,072
More on Sahuarita: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
7. Surprise
/10
Population: 139,007
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Population 2010: 103,767
Percent Growth 34.0%
Absolute Growth: 35,240
More on Surprise: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
8. Casa Grande
/10
Population: 57,318
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Population 2010: 43,050
Percent Growth 33.1%
Absolute Growth: 14,268
More on Casa Grande: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
9. El Mirage
/10
Population: 35,702
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Population 2010: 27,922
Percent Growth 27.9%
Absolute Growth: 7,780
More on El Mirage: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
10. Gilbert
/10
Population: 248,349
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Population 2010: 195,046
Percent Growth 27.3%
Absolute Growth: 53,303
More on Gilbert: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Grand Canyon State for 2022
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we simply had to look at the growth rates for cities sine 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 2018)
We ranked all 58 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]
Here's a graph of the cities in Arizona with the largest percent increase in population:
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.
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!
These places have been growing (or shrinking) the slowest (fastest):
- Bisbee
- Douglas
- Nogales
For more Arizona reading, check out:
Detailed List Of Fastest Growing Places In Arizona For 2022
| Rank | City | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queen Creek | 126.3% |
| 2 | Marana | 50.0% |
| 3 | Maricopa | 44.7% |
| 4 | Goodyear | 44.3% |
| 5 | San Luis | 42.2% |
| 6 | Sahuarita | 42.0% |
| 7 | Surprise | 34.0% |
| 8 | Casa Grande | 33.1% |
| 9 | El Mirage | 27.9% |
| 10 | Gilbert | 27.3% |
