December 6, 2024

More in Buckeye leave city for work than anywhere else in the Valley, finds study

More than 88% of Buckeye residents commute out of the city for work — the most of any municipality in the Phoenix area, according to data from the Maricopa Association of Governments. 

“Obviously the city wants to have more citizens work in the city,” said Harry Paxton, deputy director of economic development for Buckeye. “Most people probably prefer to work in the city in which they live. Certainly, one of our goals is that.”  

Paxton noted current numbers are an improvement from the 92% of residents who left the city every workday at MAG’s last count in 2022. 

“We’re fortunate to have that number begin to trend in the direction that we want it to,” Paxton said.  

In the past, West Valley cities were billed as bedroom communities, especially the outer suburbs like Buckeye. 

“They weren’t really employment centers and that was just natural because you didn’t have some of the things that you have today,” Paxton said, citing freeway construction. “It’s starting to change as a lot of those infrastructure assets happen and communities are in a better position to attract employment.”  

A heat map released bythe Maricopa Association of Governments this year shows where Buckeye residents work. The darker the color, the more people work there. Avondale, Tolleson and downtown Phoenix are where most Buckeye residents work, more than in the city itself.
A heat map released by the Maricopa Association of Governments this year shows where Buckeye residents work. The darker the color, the more people work there. Avondale, Tolleson and downtown Phoenix are where most Buckeye residents work, more than in the city itself.

He said the more developed communities in the area have become unaffordable. 

“To a large degree, a lot of what happened is that people were trying to find a better value of a home so they would locate in our community but then travel to work,” Paxton said.  

“Over time, as Buckeye has matured, it has developed some fabulous communities. Verrado is a great place to live — a lot of people like the amenities — and it will continue to attract people, as well as several other neighborhoods in the community. So, it’s certainly a desirable place to live.”  

Ed Gerak has lived in Buckeye with his wife — a Buckeye native — since 2004 and has been commuting outside the city for work just as long. Gerak lives in Verrado and commutes to the State Capitol where he works as a lobbyist.  

He said depending on what time of day his meetings are, that trek can take anywhere from 35 minutes to north of an hour. 

Gerak admitted he never liked the commute, and he misses his old 15-minute drive when he worked in downtown Buckeye. But a combination of factors keeps him in the city.  

“It took an act of Congress to get my wife to move once, I know she won’t move again,” Gerak said. “My wife, as a native, wants to be close to family. When we bought our house in 2007, it was before the growth curve moved to the west, so housing was more affordable than gas at the time. Those things are flipped now, but I love the small-town feel. ... It’s just more about the overall culture.”  

Gerak said he would like to see efforts to ease the traffic burden by expanding roads or adding jobs to Buckeye.  

The city, vying to see the percentage of commuters leaving town for work trend down, is hosting a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 14 at the West-MEC Nex Building. Paxton noted the city hosts job fairs two or three times a year to inform residents and those hailing from neighboring communities about job openings in Buckeye. 

“When we held this back in April, about a thousand people came,” Paxton said, evidence of the citizenry’s exasperation with daily intercity commutes. 

He added the city partners with Arizona Work, Maricopa Community Colleges and other entities to provide training and education that will help its citizenry land a job locally. 

“And then, of course, we’re working very hard to continue to attract more and more employment to our community,” Paxton said.  

“We see that happening in multiple ways with medical coming, with industrial coming and also some advanced manufacturing and that’s going to continue to come, which we’re very excited about.”  

Paxton emphasized the city wants to achieve balance with jobs spanning many industries and corporate ladder rungs.  

“We’re a really good choice for employers, plus that reverse commute, people find it easy to come here,” Paxton said. “If they’re living in the community, it’s very easy to get here to work. I think that's one of the things we want to continue to emphasize is the fact that Buckeye is a great location for employers, and their workforce can get here easily.” 

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