Snapshot Report for Southern Arizona Cities, Towns, and Census-Designated Places
The Arizona Communities Snapshot highlights 467 cities, towns, and census-designated places (CDPs) across Arizona, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) five-year estimates. These places are referred to as communities throughout this article. The interactive maps provide statewide comparisons, while the discussion focuses on Southern Arizona. Selected measures from MAP's core indicators highlight the latest available data for these communities. Special features providing greater detail on select indicators will be published on the MAP Dashboard throughout the year. For example, upcoming special features may explore educational attainment rates by age, race, and school district. You can find these special features in the MAP library under the Southern Arizona Communities category.
In 2024, the city of Tucson was the largest Southern Arizona community, with a population of 547,073, an increase of 12.4% since 2000 (see Figure 1). The next four largest communities were considerably smaller. These included the city of Yuma (100,139), Casas Adobes CDP (72,059), and the cities of Maricopa (67,163) and Casa Grande (60,905). The town of Duncan had the smallest population, with 969 residents, followed by the town of Miami with 1,405 residents.
What are the key trends?
Figure 1 shows the percent change in population for Arizona places over 2000–2024 and 2014–2024. Of the Southern Arizona communities, 20 grew faster than the U.S. rate of 19.0% between 2000 and 2024. The city of Maricopa posted the largest percentage increase, at 6,358.0%. The Corona de Tucson CDP and the town of Sahuarita also posted large increases, at 1,076.6% and 1,006.2%, respectively. A total of 11 communities experienced a population decline from 2000 to 2024. The town of Miami recorded the largest decline, at 27.4%, followed by the city of Bisbee, at 18.3%. The remaining communities with population losses were the cities of Globe, Nogales, South Tucson, and Willcox, and the census-designated places of Ajo, Catalina Foothills, Catalina, Morenci, and Tanque Verde. Arizona also grew faster than the nation over these 24 years.
Over the more recent 2014–2024 period, population trends continued to vary considerably across Southern Arizona communities. The town of Marana recorded the largest population increase, at 53.8%, followed by the Vail CDP (51.6%) and the city of Maricopa (48.0%). In contrast, several communities experienced population declines over the decade, including the cities of South Tucson (-19.8%), Willcox (-12.9%), Bisbee (-9.1%), and Douglas (-6.7%). The population of the city of Tucson grew 4.2% from 525,031 residents in 2014 to 547,073 in 2024. Use the “Select a period” dropdown menu in Figure 1 to switch between population change for 2000–2024 and 2014–2024. To explore the interactive maps throughout this article, use the search box to find an Arizona city, town, or CDP, select an area from the area dropdown menu to zoom in, and hover over a place to view its data.
Figure 1: Percentage Change in Population for Arizona Places
Note: The 2000–2024 population changes for Maricopa should be interpreted with caution because of changes in geographic definitions over time.
Median age varied widely across Southern Arizona communities, with the town of Clifton posting the lowest median age at 30.9 years and the Green Valley CDP posting the highest at 73.6 years. The median age in Green Valley, a retirement community, was 34.6 years higher than Arizona's. Table 1 displays the population and median age for each Southern Arizona community.
Table 1: Southern Arizona Communities Population and Median Age (2024)
How are we doing?
In 2024, the U.S. poverty rate was 12.5%. In Southern Arizona, 17 communities had poverty rates below the U.S. rate. The lowest rates were in the CDPs of Tanque Verde (2.3%) and Corona de Tucson (2.6%). The town of Duncan had the highest poverty rate among Southern Arizona communities at 36.5%, followed by the city of South Tucson (30.4%). Figure 2 shows poverty rates for Arizona places.
Figure 2: Poverty Rate for Arizona Places (2024)
The Corona de Tucson CDP had the highest median household income in 2024, at $132,568, followed closely by the Vail CDP at $130,904. The city of South Tucson posted the lowest median household income at $33,598. The Flowing Wells CDP followed with $39,774. Figure 3 highlights median household income by place.
Despite having a low poverty rate in 2024, the Green Valley CDP had a median household income of $62,063, below both the state and national medians. Higher median household income is generally associated with lower poverty rates. However, household size, age, and income sources can influence this relationship. Green Valley’s older population may help explain its combination of low poverty rates and a median household income below state and national levels. A feature on Income and Earnings takes a closer look at the relationship between income, earnings, and demographic characteristics in Green Valley and other Southern Arizona communities.
Figure 3: Median Household Income for Arizona Places (2024)
An educated workforce is a key component of strong economic growth. Local areas with a high concentration of educated workers tend to generate faster long-run growth in income, population, and jobs. Figure 4 illustrates the share of adults ages 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher. In 2024, the Catalina Foothills CDP had the highest share at 71.4%. The Tanque Verde CDP was second at 58.8%, 12.6 percentage points behind Catalina Foothills, but it surpassed Arizona by 25.5 percentage points, as the state's four-year college attainment rate stood at 33.3%. The city of San Luis had the lowest share at 9.3%.Figure 4: Bachelor’s Degree or Higher for Arizona Places (2024)
Quality early education can help prepare children for success in school. Early education enrollment in 2024 was 45.5% nationally, compared with Arizona’s rate of 35.0%. Among Southern Arizona communities with reportable data, 12 had enrollment rates higher than Arizona’s rate, with the Vail CDP recording the highest at 62.3%. The city of Douglas had the lowest early education enrollment rate, at 16.1%. Estimates for some smaller communities have large margins of error and should be interpreted with caution. Figure 5 illustrates early education enrollment.
Figure 5: Share of 3- to 4-Year-Olds Enrolled in School for Arizona Places (2024)
How is it measured?
Except for the 2000 population data used in Figure 1, which come from the 2000 Decennial Census, the data provided for the Southern Arizona communities, the state of Arizona, and the U.S. come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is a nationwide rolling-sample survey that produces one-year and five-year estimates on demographic, social, housing, and economic measures.
Five-year estimates are available for all communities, including those too small to qualify for one-year estimates. This analysis uses five-year estimates for all ACS measures to provide consistent comparisons across communities, Arizona, and the U.S.
The estimates labeled 2024 represent data collected during 2020–2024, while those labeled 2014 represent 2010–2014. Comparisons over time should use nonoverlapping five-year periods. ACS estimates are subject to sampling error, and differences between communities or periods may not be statistically significant. Changes in geographic boundaries can also affect comparisons over time.
