Census: Suburban growth fuels Pima population spurt

Suburban growth was the driving force behind a decade-long increase in Pima County's population, according to a TucsonSentinel.com analysis of data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

While Tucson's growth accounted for nearly 25 percent of the county's population gains from 2000 to 2010, outlying areas such as Marana, Casas Adobes, Oro Valley, Vail, Sahuarita and other suburbs combined make up more than two-thirds of the nearly 137,000 additional county residents over the last decade.

Pima County reached 980,263 residents in 2010. Unincorporated county areas amounted to 35.3 percent of the population increase, roughly 48,000 residents. Incorporated areas—Tucson, South Tucson, Marana, Sahuarita and Oro Valley—make up the remaining population growth of about 88,300 people.

The Census Bureau released data from the 2010 census on Thursday covering communities throughout Arizona and 11 other states, as well as Puerto Rico.

TucsonSentinel.com compared those census figures with data from the 2000 census for 239 Arizona communities.

Arizona as a whole added 1.3 million residents over the course of a decade, a 24.6 percent increase in population that topped out at 6.4 million in 2010.

In Pima County, the city of Tucson saw a 7 percent increase in population, adding more than 33,000 residents for a total of 520,000 people.

Sahuarita saw the largest growth among suburban areas here, adding 22,000 residents over the span of 10 years—a nearly 700 percent increase in population. Marana added 21,400 residents, more than doubling its population since 2000.

Residents multiplied by 40 times in Maricopa

This is a trend echoed elsewhere in the state. Maricopa, an outer suburb of Phoenix, saw its population increase by more than 40 times its original size of 1,000 residents in 2000. The city's population hit nearly 44,000 in 2010.

While Maricopa is considered a suburb of Phoenix, it actually sits within Pinal Count. Most of that county's population growth was focused there, accounting for nearly 22 percent of the 196,000 residents added since 2000.

Pinal County more than doubled in size to reach a population of nearly 376,000 in 2010.

Casa Grande accounted for 12 percent of Pinal's increase and Florence less than 5 percent of the growth in what was called the fastest-growing county in the nation.

The city of Phoenix was the single largest contributor to population growth in Maricopa County, adding nearly 125,000 residents, or 17 percent of the county's growth. Gilbert, Surprise, Chandler and Goodyear also were top contributors to population growth there.

Buckeye added more than 44,000 residents for a total population of nearly 51,000 in 2010, a 680 percent increase. Queen Creek also saw strong growth with a 510 percent increase in population, going from 4,316 residents in 2000 to 26,361 in 2010.

Some areas show population losses

Not all communities in Arizona saw growth, according to the analysis. A third of the communities in the state experienced losses in population.

In Pima County, Sells and Ajo both saw nearly 11 percent decreases in population, roughly 300 and 400 residents respectively.

Locally, the Catalina Foothills area experienced a nearly 6 percent drop in population, or about 3,000 people. Littletown also recorded a 14 percent loss of about 130 people.

Many of the communities losing residents were small and rural, with economies frequently tied to agriculture or mining.

Mohave Valley, located just inside Arizona's western border near Needles, California, saw an 81 percent decrease in population, dropping from 13,694 residents to 2,616. It was not immediately clear if residents had moved to other areas near the agricultural community.

Parker Strip, located southeast of Lake Havasu City, also had an 80 percent decrease, losing about 2,600 residents.

Winkelman, Mammoth, San Manuel, Bisbee, Tombstone and St. David are also among the communities to see a decline in their populations.

Greenlee County was the only county in the state to record a net loss in population with 110 fewer residents in 2010 than 2000, a 1 percent decrease. Morenci lost roughly 21 percent of its population and Duncan 14 percent. Clifton saw a 28 percent increase in the number of residents.

Interactive census data

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2010 Arizona population, by county

2010 Pima County population

2010 Arizona population, by place

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