Room to Boom: Pinal County Housing Growing at Fastest Rate in Arizona, Census Shows

Article originally posted on Phoenix Business Journal on May 30, 2023

Casa Grande in Pinal County was the third-fastest growing city in Arizona according to July 2022 population estimates released by the Census Bureau — and housing growth was trying to keep pace. JIM POULIN | PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL

WASHINGTON – It’s unclear which came first in Pinal County, the houses or the people filling them. What is clear is that both continue growing at some of the fastest rates in Arizona and, in some instances, the nation.

The number of housing units in Pinal County grew by an estimated 3.5% from July 2021 to July 2022, the fastest rate in the state, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released this month.

“At one point in Pinal County, Casa Grande was a very sleepy town, and they’re wide awake now. People are just sprawling to it,” said Eric Gibbs, president of the Arizona Association of Realtors.

The Pinal County numbers were just the most recent data from the Census that show continued booming growth in certain Valley communities.

The bureau reported earlier this year that Maricopa County posted the largest population increases in the country from 2021 to 2022, the second consecutive year it has held the top spot.

What’s more, Phoenix had the second-biggest population gains in the country last year, adding 19,053 residents to fall just 117 shy of the number of residents added by No. 1 Fort Worth for the year.

Queen Creek, located partially in Pinal County, and Casa Grande, also in the county, were No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, for population percentage growth in Arizona, and among the fastest-growing cities in the nation.

Not surprisingly, Maricopa County added the most new homes last year, with 28,051 housing units added, far outstripping the 6,347 housing units added in Pinal. But the new homes in Maricopa County accounted for just a 1.5% increase in housing, only good for fourth-fastest in the state.

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