By Howard Fischer | Daily Independent (abridged)
The state’s largest cities are in no danger of losing their status — at least not immediately.
But new figures from the Census Bureau show the trend is decidedly not in their favor as their growth has largely stalled — and, in some cases, is declining.
Scottsdale is one of those cities that actually saw its population shrink between 2024 and 2025.
The city currently sits at 243,006, according to the Census Bureau report. That’s down .7% in 2024.
However, if there is a bright side, Scottsdale has grown .7 % since the 2020 census.
Phoenix remains the champion with an estimated 1.66 million residents as of last year, the most recent data released. But the Census Bureau said it added just 3,157 new residents in the preceding 12 months, an anemic 0.2% growth.
At the other extreme, population in landlocked Paradise Valley dropped by 250 — a 2% decrease that was the largest recorded on a percentage basis.
The numbers are more than about bragging rights. They show where people want to live, though the Census Bureau doesn’t get into the reasons, whether they be affordable housing, municipal amenities, or even climate.
But there are real fiscal implications.
Population growth means new housing. And that means sales taxes from construction activities and property taxes from homeowners.
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