Maricopa County is one of the nation's largest. How many people live here?
Maricopa County is the largest county in Arizona by population and fourth-largest in the country by the same measure, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The county was home to more than 4.5 million people in 2022, the most recent year for which full census data is available.
That represents about 62% of Arizona's total population.
With a booming economy and warm desert climate, the county has long drawn newcomers. At its heart is Phoenix, the most populous city in the state.
Nationally, census numbers show that urban flight during the COVID-19 pandemic affected most large metro areas, although those trends have since slowed or reversed. But in Maricopa County and the broader Phoenix area, which also includes portions of Pinal County, growth never halted.
The Phoenix area surpassed 5 million in population for the first time in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It added about 66,850 people in 2021 and another 72,850 in 2022, some of the largest gains of any metro in the country.
A long-running population boom
Maricopa County's population has more than doubled since 1990, census data shows.
For years, it has led the rest of the country in population growth. In 2022, it recorded a gain of 56,831 people, the largest in the nation.
However, other counties are growing faster by population percentage. Whitman County, Washington, most recently topped the list with 10.1% growth in 2022.
What counties are larger?
Nationally, only three counties exceed Maricopa County in population:
Los Angeles County, California (9,721,138)
Cook County, Illinois (5,109,292)
Harris County, Texas (4,780,913)
Maricopa County, Arizona (4,551,524)
The Phoenix area was the 10th largest in the country in 2022. Other large metros by population include:
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-Sugar Land (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)
How do other Arizona counties compare?
Most counties in the Copper State have seen population growth in recent decades.
Here's how Arizona's 15 counties stacked up in 2022 by population:
Maricopa County (4,551,524)
Pima County (1,057,597)
Pinal County (464,154)
Yavapai County (246,191)
Mohave County (220,816)
Yuma County (207,842)
Coconino County (144,060)
Cochise County (125,663)
Navajo County (108,650)
Apache County (65,432)
Gila County (53,922)
Santa Cruz County (48,759)
Graham County (38,779)
La Paz County (16,506)
Greenlee County (9,302)
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Sasha Hupka covers county government and regional issues for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip on your county? Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @SashaHupka.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Maricopa County: How many people live in Arizona's biggest metro?