Buckeye is one of the fastest-growing cities in Arizona year over year, and since the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest population estimates released last week.
The newly released Vintage 2024 Population Estimates highlight an accelerating trend: People are flocking to the American South and West. Of the top 15 cities with the largest numeric population gains from 2023 to last year, a dozen were located in these fast-expanding regions.
The city experienced a remarkable population surge of 22,808 residents from April 2020 to July 2024, representing a 24.9% increase, a growth rate that places it among the top-growing municipalities in the nation.
With a current estimated population of 114,334, Buckeye has outpaced larger and more established Arizona cities in terms of percentage growth. The Arizona Republic reported Thursday that Buckeye was the sixth highest population gainer in Arizona by raw numbers from 2023 to 2024.
According to the latest data set, Buckeye has only trailed Casa Grande, Maricopa and Queen Creek in state percentage increases since April 2020 in those cities mentioned.
Buckeye came in fourth in total population increase since 2020 with 22,808. Phoenix led the way with an increase of 64,749, followed by Surprise with 24,412, Queen Creek with 24,292 and Goodyear with 22,021.
State-to-state migration has been a trend in the U.S. since 2020 for a variety of factors, according to Brookings' research. First is the desire to move from colder, more densely populated regions to spend more time in more hospitable weather and environments during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Politics also played a role, with Republican-led states such as Arizona, Florida and Texas positioning themselves as escapes from “COVID lockdown states,” which were largely Democratically-led, according to Brookings.
Remote work brought on necessity during COVID and kept in the vernacular of the labor front also enabled flight from larger cities to less dense cities like Buckeye or Queen Creek, according to the research.
Michael McDaniel can be reached at [email protected]. We invite our readers to submit their civil comments or opinions on this or any issue. Email [email protected].
