4 Phoenix-area cities are among America’s fastest-growing suburbs

Ever hit a conversational lull with someone who grew up in the Valley? Hit ’em with this one: “Gosh, you must have seen this place grow. Like, a lot.”

That gets ’em going. When they were a kid, such-and-such development was a citrus farm and such-and-such shopping center was all rocks and cactus. In the past 50 years, after all, the population of metro Phoenix has doubled not just once, not just twice, but fully three times.

And here we are, still growing. Quickly, at that.

Four Phoenix suburbs are among the 50 fastest-growing suburbs in the United States, per a study by a financial site called MoneyLion. And they’re affordable to live in, too, a nice break from the rising cost of living in Arizona. 

Coolidge, Goodyear, Maricopa and Buckeye made the cut. Their five-year population growth ranged from 31% to 50% between 2019 and 2024. 

MoneyLion defined “suburb” as a town or city with at least 5,000 households in a metropolitan area. It analyzed U.S. Census Data and sourced cost of living indexes from Sperling’s BestPlaces, national average expenditures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey, and home values from the Zillow Home Value Index. 

Buckeye is the local champ. Its population boomed by 50.4% over five years as it swelled from 69,744 residents to 104,923.

Coolidge, which had a five-year population increase of 31.2%, is one of four suburbs in the study where residents can live comfortably on an income of less than $75,000 a year.

Here’s how the Phoenix-Metro area towns ranked nationally:

49. Coolidge

• Total population (2019): 12,685
• Total population (2024): 16,636
• Five-year population change (%): 31.2%
• Median household income: $67,023
• Average home value: $272,141
• Total cost of living annually: $42,210

Located in Pinal County halfway between Phoenix and Tucson, Coolidge is best known for the Casa Grande Ruins. The ruins were designated a National Monument in 1918 and are on the nation’s first archeological reserve, which was founded in 1892.

40. Goodyear

• Total population (2019): 80,371
• Total population (2024): 107,645
• Five-year population change (%): 33.9%
• Median household income: $103,319
• Average home value: $470,145
• Total cost of living annually: $57,301

Goodyear was founded by a Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company executive seeking a new place to grow cotton after boll weevils destroyed cotton crops in Egypt. People move there to be close to the White Tank and Sierra Estrella Mountains, and possibly to be close to the state’s first Buc-ee’s, opening soon.

33. Maricopa

• Total population (2019): 48,629
• Total population (2024): 67,163
• 5-year population change (%): 38.1%
• Median household income: $96,391
• Average home value: $345,104
• Total cost of living annually: $48,182

Maricopa — in the Gila River Valley in Pinal County — is known for great parks, cheap golf, easy access to skydiving, a big ol’ Harrah’s casino and a lot of affordable houses with mountain views.

20. Buckeye

• Total population (2019): 69,744
• Total population (2024): 104,923
• 5-year population change (%): 50.4%
• Median household income: $99,486
• Average home value: $396,581
• Total cost of living annually: $52,615

A generation ago, Buckeye was a blip on the map, with just 6,537 residents in 2000. It has exploded in the years since, along the way becoming one of the state’s largest cities by area as well as population.