Population
Description:
Estimates of the population, expressed as of July 1, are available annually. The Arizona Department of Commerce and the U.S. Census Bureau each produce estimates. Since the Census Bureau subdivides population change into its components of births, deaths, net domestic migration, and immigration, and since a long time series of estimates is available from the Census Bureau, its estimates are presented on Arizona Indicators. The population estimates produced by the Census Bureau are used in formulas that determine the distribution of funding from many federal programs.
Population data are presented on Arizona Indicators since 1969 for the United States, Arizona, and the 15 Arizona counties. State and national data are reported in December. County data are released in March.
Data Source:
U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau. The latest data can be obtained at http://www.census.gov/popest/counties but the historical data are more easily accessed from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis: http://www.bea.gov/regional/reis/default.cfm?catable=CA1-3§ion=2.
Data Quality Comments:
Other than the birth and death components, the change in population is estimated, benchmarked to the latest decennial census count. Estimates may be revised substantially after the decennial census count is available.
Population
Visualization Notes:
The annual population estimates shown in the chart are benchmarked to each of the decennial censuses. However, since the Census Bureau uses the same methodology for the entire nation, it cannot incorporate unusual situations in a specific area. For example, the passage of the “employer sanctions law” in Arizona in 2008 led to an increase in the out-migration of undocumented immigrants not reflected in the Census Bureau estimates. Thus, the Census Bureau underestimated population growth in Arizona and its counties from 2000 through 2007 and has overestimated the growth since then.
Note on missing data for all trended county data: La Paz County was created in 1982, as the then-existing Yuma County was split into La Paz County and a smaller Yuma County.
Population, Percent Change, 2011
Visualization Notes:
The estimated percentage increase in population in Arizona was only a little higher than the national average in 2011, according to Census Bureau estimates, but even this modest growth in Arizona likely was overstated. The population fell in five Arizona counties and rose less than 1.5 percent in eight other counties.
Population, Percent Change
Visualization Notes:
Percentage population growth in Arizona typically ranges from twice as fast as the national average during recessions to three times as fast in other years. However, the estimates for 2009 through 2011 show growth in Arizona only a little greater than the U.S. average. Since the estimates for Arizona do not reflect the impacts of the “employer sanctions law” that went into effect at the beginning of 2008, the estimated changes since 2008 likely are too high and the changes for the 2001-through-2007 period likely understate slightly the actual population changes.
Note on missing data for all trended county data: La Paz County was created in 1982, as the then-existing Yuma County was split into La Paz County and a smaller Yuma County.
Data Source
U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau. The latest data can be obtained at http://www.census.gov/popest/counties but the historical data are more easily accessed from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis: http://www.bea.gov/regional/reis/default.cfm?catable=CA1-3§ion=2.
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