Maricopa County, Arizona

Maricopa County, Arizona
Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census the population was 4,420,568, or about 62% of the state's total, making it the fourth-most populous county in the United States and the most populous county in Arizona, and making Arizona one of the nation's most centralized states. The county seat is Phoenix, the state capital and fifth-most populous city in the United States.
Maricopa County is the central county of the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Office of Management and Budget renamed the metropolitan area in September 2018. Previously, it was the Phoenix–Mesa–Glendale metropolitan area, and in 2000, that was changed to Phoenix–Mesa–Scottsdale.
Maricopa County was named after the Maricopa Native Americans. Five Native American Reservations are located in the county. The largest are the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (east of Scottsdale) and the Gila River Indian Community (south of Chandler).
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (0.3%) is covered by water. Maricopa County is one of the largest counties in the United States by area, with a land area greater than that of four other US states. From west to east, it stretches , and from north to south. It is by far Arizona's most populous county, encompassing well over half of the state's residents. It is the largest county in the United States to have a capital city.
Adjacent counties
La Paz County – west
Yuma County – west
Pima County – south
Pinal County – southeast and south
Gila County – east
Yavapai County – north
National protected areas
Sonoran Desert National Monument (part)
Tonto National Forest (part)
Regional parks
Maricopa County has 14 regional parks:
Adobe Mountain Desert Park
Chaparral Lake
Estrella Mountain Regional Park
Hassayampa River Preserve
Indian Mesa
Lake Pleasant Regional Park
Litchfield Park, Arizona
Manistee Ranch
McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park
Papago Park
Phoenix Mountains Preserve
Sahuaro Ranch
San Tan Mountain Regional Park
White Tank Mountain Regional Park.
It also has at least 21 protected areas:
Big Horn Mountains Wilderness
Daisy Mountain Preserve
Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve
Eagletail Mountains Wilderness
Harquahala Mountains
Hells Canyon Wilderness (Arizona)
Hummingbird Springs Wilderness
Mesa Grande
Mummy Mountain (Arizona)
National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona
Painted Rock Petroglyph Site
Sierra Estrella
Signal Mountain Wilderness
Sonoran Desert National Monument
St. Francis Catholic Cemetery
Superstition Mountains
Table Top Mountain (Arizona)
Tonto National Forest
Wabayuma Peak
White Tank Mountain Regional Park
Woolsey Peak
Flora and fauna
From 2009 to 2011, an inventory of all vascular plants growing along the Salt River (Arizona), Gila River, New River and Agua Fria River and their tributaries in the Phoenix metropolitan area was done.
In October 2022, Maricopa County Environmental Services Department detected Dengue virus in mosquitoes they had trapped; in November the first locally transmitted case of dengue fever was reported in the County and Arizona state as a whole - previous dengue cases in Maricopa County had been related to travel.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition since 1960
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, 3,072,149 people, 1,132,886 households, and 763,565 families were living in the county. The population density was . The 1,250,231 housing units averaged of . The racial makeup of the county was 77.4% White, 3.7% African American, 1.9% Native American, 2.2% Asian, 12.0% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. About 29.5% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. About 19.1% reported speaking Spanish at home.
Of the 1,132,886 households, 33.0% had children under 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were not families. About 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.67, and the average family size was 3.21.
The age distribution in the county was 27.0% under 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,358, and for a family was $51,827. Males had a median income of $36,858 versus $28,703 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,251. About 8.0% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, 3,817,117 people, 1,411,583 households, and 932,814 families were living in the county. The population density was . The 1,639,279 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 73.0% white (58.7% non-Hispanic white), 5.0% African American, 3.5% Asian, 2.1% American Indian, 0.2% Pacific islander, 12.8% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 29.6% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:
25.6% Mexican
16.2% German
10.6% Irish
9.7% English
5.2% American
5.1% Italian
2.8% Polish
2.8% French
2.0% Scottish
1.9% Norwegian
1.8% Swedish
1.6% Dutch
1.5% Scotch-Irish
1.0% Russian
Of the 1,411,583 households, 35.1% had children under 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.9% were not families, and 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.25. The median age was 34.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $55,054 and the median income for a family was $65,438. Males had a median income of $45,799 versus $37,601 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,816. About 10.0% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
According to data provided by the United States Census Bureau in October 2015 and collected from 2009 to 2013, 73.7% of the population aged five years and over spoke only English at home, while 20.3% spoke Spanish, 0.6% spoke Chinese, 0.5% Vietnamese, 0.4% Tagalog, 0.4% Arabic, 0.4% German, 0.3% French, 0.3% Navajo, 0.2% Korean, 0.2% Hindi, 0.2% Italian, 0.1% Persian, 0.1% Russian, 0.1% Serbo-Croatian, 0.1% Telugu, 0.1% Polish, 0.1% Syriac, 0.1% Japanese, 0.1% spoke Romanian, and 0.1% spoke other Native North American languages at home.
Religion
In 2010 statistics, the largest religious group in Maricopa County were Roman Catholics, who are organized under the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. There are 519,950 Catholics and 99 parishes. This is followed by 242,732 LDS Mormons with 503 congregations, 213,640 non-denominational adherents with 309 congregations, 93,252 Assembly of God Pentecostals with 120 congregations, 73,207 Southern Baptists with 149 congregations, 35,804 Christian churches and churches of Christ Christians with 29 congregations, 30,014 Evangelical Lutherans with 47 congregations, 28,634 UMC Methodists with 55 congregations, 18,408 Missouri Synod Lutherans with 34 congregations, and 15,001 Presbyterians with 42 congregations. Altogether, 39.1% of the population was claimed as members by religious congregations, although members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information. In 2014, the county had 1,177 religious organizations, the fifth most out of all US counties.
Government, policing, and politics
Government
The governing body of Maricopa County is its board of supervisors. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors consists of five members chosen by popular vote within their own districts. the board consists of four Republicans and one Democrat. Each member serves a four-year term, with no term limits.
Maricopa County sheriff
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office provides court protection, administers the county jail, and patrols the unincorporated areas of the county plus incorporated towns by contract.
Politics
For much of the time after World War II, Maricopa County was one of the more conservative urban counties in the United States. While the city of Phoenix has been evenly split between the two major parties, most of the rest of the county was strongly Republican. Until 2020, every Republican presidential candidate since 1952 had carried Maricopa County. This includes the 1964 presidential run of native son Barry Goldwater, who would not have carried his own state had it not been for a 21,000-vote margin in Maricopa County. Until 2020, it was the largest county in the country to vote Republican. From 1968 to 2016, Democrats held the margin within single digits only three times–in 1992, 1996, and 2016. In 2020, Joe Biden became the first Democrat in 72 years to win the county, which flipped Arizona to the Democratic column for the first time since 1996 and only the second time since 1948. Furthermore, Biden became the first presidential candidate to win more than one million votes in the county. This makes Maricopa County the third county in American history to cast more than one million votes for a presidential candidate. The county is also a statewide bellwether, voting for the statewide winning candidate in all elections except 1996.
Despite its consistent Republican allegiance since 1952, its fast-growing Hispanic population and influx of conservative retirees and Mormons, which were traditionally conservative voting blocs but were increasingly skeptical of President Donald Trump, signaled that it was a crucial bellwether in the 2020 election.
Despite its political leanings at the time, Maricopa County voted against Proposition 107 in the 2006 election. This referendum, designed to ban gay marriage and restrict domestic partner benefits, was rejected by a 51.6–48.4% margin within the county, and statewide by a similar margin. Two years later, however, a majority of county residents voted to pass a successful state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The amendment was later invalidated by the Supreme Court's 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which declared that same-sex marriage is a fundamental right in the United States.
Unlike cities and towns in Arizona, counties are politically and legally subordinate to the state and do not have charters of their own. The county Board of Supervisors acts under powers delegated by state law, mainly related to minor ordinances and revenue collection. With few exceptions, these powers are narrowly construed.The chairperson of the board presides for a one-year term, selected by the board members during a public hearing.
The county sheriff, county attorney, county assessor, county treasurer, superintendent of schools, county recorder, constables, justices of the peace, and clerk of the Superior Court are elected by the people. Retention of Superior Court judges is also determined by popular vote.
The county's dominant political figure for over two decades (from 1993 to 2017) was Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who called himself "America's Toughest Sheriff" and gained national notoriety for his flamboyant and often controversial practices and policies.
Maricopa County is home to 62 percent of the state's population and therefore dominates Arizona's politics. For example, in the 2018 Senate election, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema carried the county en route to becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Arizona since 1988. She won the county by over 60,000 votes, more than enough for the victory; she won statewide by 55,900 votes. All but one of the state's nine congressional districts include part of the county, and five of the districts have their population center located there. Most of the state's prominent elected officials live in the county. Further underlining Maricopa County's political dominance, Biden's margin of 45,109 votes was more than enough to carry the state; he only won Arizona by 10,457 votes.
Elected officials
United States Congress
The 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 8th districts are all centered in Maricopa County. The 2nd and 9th are centered in rural Arizona, while the 7th is primarily Tucson-based.
Board of Supervisors
Elected county officials
†Member was originally appointed to the office.
Education
Maricopa County Library District operates the county libraries in Maricopa County.
The Maricopa County School Superintendent is charged with the general conduct and supervision of the public school system in Maricopa County. The superintendent is one of six county-wide elected officials, elected by the voters of Maricopa County every four years. Since the inception of the office, there have been thirteen Maricopa County School Superintendents. The incumbent, Steve Watson, took office January 1, 2017.
K-12 schools
School districts with territory in the county (no matter how slight, even if the administration and schools are in other counties) include:
Unified:
Cave Creek Unified School District
Chandler Unified School District
Deer Valley Unified District
Dysart Unified School District
Fountain Hills Unified School District
Gila Bend Unified School District
Gilbert Unified School District
Higley Unified School District
Mesa Unified School District
Nadaburg Unified School District
Paradise Valley Unified School District
Peoria Unified School District
Queen Creek Unified School District
Saddle Mountain Unified School District
Scottsdale Unified School District
Wickenburg Unified School District
Secondary:
Agua Fria Union High School District
Buckeye Union High School District
Glendale Union High School District
Phoenix Union High School District
Tempe Union High School District
Tolleson Union High School District
Elementary:
Aguila Elementary School District
Alhambra Elementary School District
Arlington Elementary School District
Avondale Elementary School District
Balsz Elementary School District
Buckeye Elementary School District
Cartwright Elementary School District
Creighton Elementary School District
Fowler Elementary School District
Glendale Elementary School District
Isaac Elementary School District
Kyrene Elementary School District
Laveen Elementary School District
Liberty Elementary School District
Litchfield Elementary School District
Littleton Elementary School District
Madison Elementary School District
Mobile Elementary School District
Morristown Elementary School District
Murphy Elementary School District
Osborn Elementary School District
Palo Verde Elementary School District
Paloma School District
Pendergast Elementary School District
Phoenix Elementary School District
Riverside Elementary School District
Roosevelt Elementary School District
Sentinel Elementary School District
Tempe School District
Tolleson Elementary School District
Union Elementary School District
Washington Elementary School District
Wilson Elementary School District
There is also a state-operated school, Phoenix Day School for the Deaf.
The Phoenix Indian School was formerly in the county.
Transportation
Major highways
Interstate 8
Interstate 10
Interstate 17
U.S. Route 60
Historic U.S. Route 80
U.S. Route 93
Loop 101
Loop 202
Loop 303
State Route 24
State Route 51
State Route 71
State Route 74
State Route 85
State Route 87
State Route 143
State Route 347
Air
The major primary commercial airport of the county is Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).
Other airports located in the county include:
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa (AZA)
Scottsdale Municipal Airport in Scottsdale (SCF)
Deer Valley Airport in Deer Valley Village in Phoenix (DVT)
Chandler Municipal Airport in Chandler (CHD)
Phoenix Goodyear Airport in Goodyear (GYR)
Glendale Municipal Airport in Glendale (GEU)
Buckeye Municipal Airport in Buckeye (BXK)
Falcon Field in Mesa (MSC)
Gila Bend Municipal Airport in Gila Bend (E63)
Wickenburg Municipal Airport in Wickenburg (E25)
Rail
In terms of freight rail, the Union Pacific Railroad and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad serve the county.
In terms of passenger rail, greater Phoenix is served by a light rail system. The county has no other passenger rail transport as Amtrak's Sunset Limited, which served Phoenix until June 2, 1996, has its closest stop in Maricopa in neighboring Pinal County. The train connects Maricopa to Tucson, Los Angeles, and New Orleans three times a week. However, it does not stop in Phoenix itself.
Communities
Cities
Apache Junction
Avondale
Buckeye
Chandler
El Mirage
Glendale
Goodyear
Litchfield Park
Mesa
Peoria (partly in Yavapai County)
Phoenix (county seat)
Scottsdale
Surprise
Tempe
Tolleson
Towns
Carefree
Cave Creek
Fountain Hills
Gila Bend
Gilbert
Guadalupe
Paradise Valley
Queen Creek (partly in Pinal County)
Wickenburg (partly in Yavapai County)
Youngtown
Census-designated places
Aguila
Anthem
Arlington
Circle City
Citrus Park
Gila Crossing
Kaka
Komatke
Maricopa Colony
Morristown
New River
Rio Verde
St. Johns
Sun City
Sun City West
Sun Lakes
Theba
Tonopah
Wintersburg
Wittmann
Unincorporated communities
Chandler Heights
Co-op Village
Desert Hills
Fort McDowell
Higley
Laveen
Liberty
Mobile
Palo Verde
Rainbow Valley
Sunflower
Tortilla Flat
Waddell
Ghost towns
Agua Caliente
Alma
Angel Camp
Marinette
Vulture City
Native American communities
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation
Gila River Indian Community
Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community
Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation
County population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Maricopa County.
† county seat
Climate
Economy
In 2019, the largest employers in Maricopa County were:
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2019 the employment of Maricopa County in the following sectors was:
Maricopa produces far more Brassica than anywhere else in the state, including far more cabbage, collards, and mustard greens, and far more eggplant and greenhouse production of tomato. Slightly more kale is grown here than Yavapai, and a close second to Yuma for broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach, and to Yavapai for field tomato. The county is top for parsley and is tied with Pima for other fresh herbs. Some of the state's melon, okra, and bell pepper are also grown here.
Almost all the apricot, freestone peach, persimmon, and nectarine in the state are grown here. The county also ties for the highest amount of cling peach with Cochise, along with Pima produces almost all the pomegranate, and grows most of the kumquat. Maricopa's farms grow a middling amount of fig, grape (Vitis spp. including V. vinifera), and pear (Pyrus spp.) other than Bartlett. A small amount of plum is also produced here.
All of the boysenberry, half of the elderberry (along with Yavapai), and a small amount of the state's blackberry and strawberry are harvested here.
A large part of the vegetable seed in Arizona is grown here.
See also
2021 Maricopa County presidential ballot audit
History of Phoenix, Arizona
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
Maricopa Trail
National Register of Historic Places listings in Maricopa County, Arizona
USS Maricopa County (LST-938)
White Tank Mountain Regional Park
References
Further reading
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office History and Pictorial. Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing. Co., 2005.
External links
Maricopa County Chamber of Commerce
Phoenix metropolitan area
Arizona placenames of Native American origin
1871 establishments in Arizona Territory
Populated places established in 1871