PHOENIX — Think you can guess which Arizona city had the highest percentage growth last year? Odds are, unless you’re familiar with the area, you might not even be able to find it on a map.

It’s Tolleson.

And it didn’t just grow — it surged.

According to new data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau, Tolleson’s population jumped by nearly 30% between 2023 and 2024. Only Colorado City, near the Utah border, came remotely close to that pace.

Everywhere else in the state, especially outside the major metros, saw growth closer to a single percentage point — or even less. In fact, 28 communities lost residents during the same period.

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The statewide population increased by an average of 1.3%, driven largely by people moving in from other states. The Census data doesn’t show exactly where new residents in each of Arizona’s 91 cities are coming from, but it does track where they end up.

Many of the trends in this year’s report align with long-standing patterns. As land becomes scarcer and more expensive in inner cities and even traditional suburbs, more people are heading for exurban areas — those fringe communities where housing is still affordable, though commutes are longer.

In the Phoenix area, growth has pushed outwards:

• Queen Creek led with 8.1% growth
• Casa Grande followed at 7.7%
• Maricopa grew 7.4%
• Apache Junction rose by 7.2%
• Coolidge added 7.1%

To support this boom, the state is extending SR 24 deeper into Pinal County and planning major highway projects including the SR 505 north-south corridor and an east-west corridor still in the design phase. Interstate 10 south of Chandler is also being widened to manage heavier traffic loads.

Meanwhile, the western and northern edges of the Phoenix metro are also seeing solid growth:

• Goodyear jumped 5.4%
• Surprise added 5.3%
• Buckeye climbed 4.5%

By comparison, Phoenix itself saw just 1.0% growth.

In southern Arizona, Tucson grew by only 0.7%, gaining fewer than 4,100 residents. Nearby, Marana rose 6.0%, and Sahuarita grew by 2.5%. Even farther out, Benson saw a 1.9% increase.

So, What’s Driving Tolleson’s Boom?

Tolleson’s explosive growth may seem surprising for a landlocked city covering just six square miles on the western edge of Phoenix. But City Manager Reyes Medrano Jr. says there’s a clear explanation.

“Retail is our primary economic development goal,” Medrano said. “It really is our only economic development goal.”

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But retail expansion doesn’t come without people.

“You need more rooftops to attract the retail that we’re looking for,” he added.

That strategy has taken shape along 99th Avenue, where several boutique stores have recently opened. Medrano said these new businesses are the result of three new multi-family developments in the same area.

Tolleson also converted an old extended-stay hotel into apartments — a move that allowed the city to count new residents in the latest census figures. Another apartment complex on McDowell Road has added even more density on the city’s northern edge.

Tolleson’s official population, as of July 1, 2024, now sits at 9,353.

Medrano says the city’s goal is to reach 10,000 residents to attract a full-sized supermarket.

“The grocers have told us they want at least 10,000 people within a walking mile,” he explained.

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Given Tolleson’s small geographic footprint, nearly the entire residential area falls within that mile radius. Medrano joked he may even start “rounding up” to 10,000 to make the case now.

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