From The U.S. Census Bureau: On The Move: American Migration 01 July 2015-01 July 2016

Per usual practice, your MesaZona blogger tuned-into a sound-bite a couple of days ago to hear that where we live - Maricopa County - is the fastest growing county in the entire country. . . Are happy days and boom times here again? Let's leave that question and a few more questions on the table for now to see what is the source of that data.

 

It's the U.S. Census Bureau. Not surprising, right? What is surprising especially to a source sleuth like yours truly, the data was released was released in a Press Kit. Yes!    The infographic visualization of the entire country, including Alaska and Hawaii, is inserted on the left showing the net domestic migration by county for anywhere you might like to look for any reasons you might have. Keep in mind the color-coding: each color represents anywhere from 5,000 to a few in increases in the blue-green spectrum while the yellow-to-red are negative numbers. You can easily see to where people are migrating - no reasons are given since that's normally not a question in census reports. Keep in mind also these figures are estimated.

Need a Sound bite?

Sound Bites

Attribute to: Ben Bolender, Population Division
Maricopa County Leads Numeric Population Growth For Counties

Available on YouTube:

  With Lower Third

  Without Lower Third

"So this year, so between 2015 and 2016, Maricopa County was the fastest growing county in the nation by numeric change. They beat out Harris County which had been the fastest growing county by numeric change for several years. Maricopa County is growing primarily from domestic migration or people moving to and from other parts of the United States. Over the last year, they added about 81,000 people. That works out to a net of about 222 people per day."

 

 

Press Kit: County and Metro Area Population Estimates

March 23, 2017

You can find it right here >> US Census Bureau Press Kit

How cool is that?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017

Maricopa County Added Over 222 People Per Day in 2016, More Than Any Other County

March 23, 2017

Release Number: CB17-44

MARCH 23, 2017 — Maricopa County, Ariz., replaced Harris County, Texas, as the county with the nation's highest annual population growth, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released today. Harris County was the largest numeric gainer for eight years in a row.
Maricopa County gained 81,360 people between July 1, 2015 and July 1, 2016, or about 222 people per day, while the nation's second-largest population gainer, Harris County, gained 56,587 people, or about 155 people per day on average.
Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, primarily grew through the addition of 43,189 residents from net domestic migration, a measure of how many people move to or from an area versus other parts of the United States.
The county also added 25,428 people from natural increase (more births than deaths) and 10,188 people from net international migration.
Harris County, Texas, home to Houston, saw changes in net domestic migration, going from a net gain of more than 17,000 to a net loss of more than 16,000. Despite this, Harris County had the second largest gain in population due to high natural increase (46,412) and net international migration (27,922).
"In the early 2000s, Maricopa County was in the top one or two counties by numeric growth. From 2009-2011, Maricopa County saw much lower net migration than in the years before or after, which caused the county to drop out of the top population-gaining counties," explained Peter Borsella, a demographer in the Census Bureau's population division.
"While net international migration has not reached prior levels, net domestic migration and natural increase have continued to rise, making Maricopa County this year's largest numeric gainer."
In addition, Maricopa grew the fastest among the top 10 largest counties at 1.95 percent, an increase from 1.90 percent from the previous year. Harris County remained the third-largest county with 4.6 million people, and Maricopa County remained the fourth-largest county with 4.2 million people. Los Angeles County and Cook County, Ill., remained the largest and second-largest counties, respectively.
The statistics released today provide population estimates and components of change for our nation's 382 metropolitan statistical areas, 551 micropolitan statistical areas, and 3,142 counties, as well as Puerto Rico's metropolitan statistical areas, micropolitan statistical areas and municipios.
Find more highlights from this year's release below and local-level statistics on census.gov.
In the coming months, the Census Bureau will release 2016 population estimates for cities and towns, as well as national, state and county population estimates by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin.

While Maricopa County had the largest population growth neither Phoenix nor Mesa was among Top 25 Fastest-Growing Metro Areas (Percent Change): July 1, 2015 to July 1, 2016

 

The Census Bureau develops county, metro area and micro area population estimates by measuring population change since the most recent census. The Census Bureau uses births, deaths, administrative records and survey data to develop estimates of population. For more detail regarding the methodology, see <www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/technical-documentation/methodology.html>.
The Office of Management and Budget's statistical area delineations (for metro and micro areas) are those issued by that agency in July 2015. Metro areas contain at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more population, and micro areas contain at least one urban cluster of at least 10,000 (but less than 50,000) population. Both metro and micro areas consist of one or more whole counties or county equivalents. Some metro and micro area titles may be abbreviated in the text of the news release. Full titles are shown in the tables.