Phoenix ranks second in US in population growth from 2016 to ’17

PHOENIX – Only one U.S. city added more residents than Phoenix last year, according to population estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Phoenix grew by 24,036 residents between July 1, 2016, and July 1, 2017, the report said.

That increase was down from the previous year, when Phoenix led the nation by adding 32,113 people.

San Antonio, Texas, had the largest growth in 2017 with 24,208 newcomers.

Phoenix grew to a population of 1,626,078, retaining its ranking as the fifth-largest city in the country. Fourth-place Houston has 2,312,717 residents.

When measured by percentage growth, the Phoenix suburb of Buckeye ranked fifth in the nation at 5.9 percent. Buckeye’s population was 68,453.

Frisco, Texas, was No. 1 in percentage growth at 8.2 percent.

The Census Bureau reported in March that Maricopa County was the country’s fastest-growing county from 2016 to 2017, by number and percentage, with 73,650 additions (1.7 percent).

Molly Cromwell, a demographer with the Census Bureau, told KTAR News 92.3 FM in March that several factors contributed to the county’s population growth.

“The population growth has been consistent for the past few years for Maricopa County, and that’s largely because of gains from net domestic migration as well as natural increase, meaning more births than deaths, and net international migration,” she said.

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