Phoenix area undergoing major demographic changes, report finds

PHOENIX — The Phoenix area has gone through some major demographic changes, a new report finds.

A report by the research firm Geoscape looked at the growth for various segments of the population in the Phoenix area from 2000 to 2017. It found the Asian population saw the biggest growth. It grew by 195 percent over the last 17 years, more than doubling the national rate for the demographic.

“The growth rate for the Asian population stood out for us significantly since it’s so high,” said Ron Cohen, vice president of product management and analytics for Geoscape. “But then when we went back and looked, we saw that in the year 2000, there were under 70,000 Asians in Phoenix.

“So when you start with a very low number, a really large growth rate shouldn’t surprise you as much,” he said.

There are now more than 204,000 Asians living in Arizona.

The Latino population also grew significantly. It increased by nearly 83 percent from 2000 to 2017. Latinos now make up almost 30 percent of the Phoenix area’s population.

The report finds nearly half of Latinos living in Arizona are classified as “acculturated,” meaning they speak primarily English, are second- or third-generation Americans and maintain some or few Hispanic cultural practices.

The African-American population also grew faster than the total population in the state, increasing by about 123 percent.

“Overall, the population in the Phoenix market has only grown by 42 percent, which is not nothing, but compared to those other three groups, it’s significantly smaller,” Cohen said.

Meanwhile, the white population has grown at a much slower pace, only 21 percent.

Cohen said one explanation for the growth is that people are moving to Sunbelt cities like Phoenix.

“There’s a lot of migration from the Northeast and Midwest to the Southwest,” Cowan said. “That’s bringing all groups – Asians, African-Americans, Hispanics and even some whites.”

The report also looks at where various groups live and finds large pockets of Latino households concentrated in the city center and areas to the south and west of Phoenix. Meanwhile, white and mixed households are spread further through outlying Valley suburbs.

Other findings for the Phoenix area:

• Millennials make up 27 percent of the population.

• The household income average is $80,116.

• Non-family households make up about 33 percent of the population.

• Nearly 33 percent of households are made up of married couples with no children.

• The average age is 39.

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