Arizona, and specifically Maricopa County, have some of the highest population turnover rates in the country, according to a study released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The American Community Survey shows how many U.S. residents moved from one county to another during the course of a year by collecting data from 2007-2011. The survey shows that people from 957 counties across the country moved to Maricopa County, more than any other county in the nation. But not everyone who lives in Maricopa County stays: It lost movers to 1,190 counties, which is also the largest number of any county.
Keep in mind that the survey isn't saying the highest number of people moved in and out of Maricopa County; just that people from the most amount of counties. So although large numbers of movers are trafficking in and out of Maricopa County, they are coming from and leaving to counties all over the nation.
Apparently, this isn't that unusual. Valley economist Elliott D. Pollack, CEO of Elliott D. Pollack & Company, says the trend is fairly standard for Maricopa.
"A lot of people are still moving here. They can't get situated, so they move out," Pollack says. "The only thing that surprises me is that there aren't other counties in similar situations, which shows how poor population growth is in other parts of the country."
Most Maricopa County movers came from or moved to Pinal County, and almost 20,000 people moved from Maricopa to Pinal. This follows the nationwide pattern according to the survey: Those who moved usually moved to a neighboring county.
Pima County and Los Angeles County also saw high numbers of traffic both to and from Maricopa County.
Although Maricopa County seems to appeal to people across the United States, the survey shows more people are moving to the southwest in general. Parts of Florida and Colorado also showed substantial population growth.
