City of Glendale - News

It’s Official: Maricopa County Keeps On Growing

Final 2005 Census Survey Numbers Released Today

Maricopa County continues to grow at a rapid pace, gaining more than 600,000 residents over the past five years, according to the final results of the 2005 Census Survey for Maricopa County. The U.S. Census Bureau conducted the Survey in September on behalf of the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG).

The purpose of the Survey was to capture the region’s rapid population growth since the last decennial census was conducted in 2000. The Survey indicated a September 1, 2005 population for Maricopa County of 3,700,516, an increase of 628,367 people, or about 20.5 percent since 2000. The Survey also determined the population for each city or town within Maricopa County.  CLICK HERE for a complete table listing population numbers by jurisdiction. (PDF)

The numbers released today are unrelated to population estimates released last week by a different division of the Census Bureau, which used a different methodology to calculate those estimates. It is important to note that only the 2005 Census Survey numbers can be used as the official population numbers for Maricopa County.

“These are the official mid-decade census numbers that will be used to distribute billions of dollars in state-shared revenues over the next five years,” said MAG Chair Keno Hawker, mayor of Mesa. “These numbers will be used to determine the amount of funding each city or town receives for services such as police and fire protection, libraries, parks, senior centers, schools, and other important public services.”

Many of the fastest-growing cities in Maricopa County showed percentage increases in the triple digits, with the city of El Mirage showing the highest percentage increase of 321 percent, followed by the town of Queen Creek (280%), town of Buckeye (199%), city of Surprise (186%), city of Goodyear (144%), and the town of Youngtown (105%). The city of Phoenix had the largest net increase in population, with the addition of 154,789 residents.

About one in every 13 households in Maricopa County received the 2005 Census Survey. The MAG Regional Council voted in December 2003 to conduct a statistical survey rather than a full count due to cost. The final cost of conducting the 2005 Census Survey is estimated at $8.1 million, compared to the estimated cost of a full count of more than $31 million. A survey takes a representative sample of all of the housing units in an area, and from that sample uses statistical methods to estimate the population. In addition to the survey of households, a full count of populations in group quarters/outdoor locations (homeless) was conducted.