Phoenix metropolitan area Valley of the Sun
Metropolitan statistical area
Aerial view of Downtown Phoenix in July 2011
Interactive Map of Phoenix–Mesa, AZ CSA   City of Phoenix   City of Mesa   City of Chandler   Town of Gilbert   City of Glendale   City of Scottsdale   City of Peoria   City of Tempe   City of Surprise   Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler MSA (Remainder)   Payson µSA
Country	United States
State	Arizona
Largest city	Phoenix
Other Major Cities	• Maricopa County  - Mesa  - Chandler  - Gilbert  - Glendale  - Scottsdale  - Peoria  - Tempe  - Surprise • Pinal County  - Apache Junction  - Casa Grande  - Maricopa
Area [1]
• Metropolitan statistical area	14,598.63 sq mi (37,810.27 km2)
• Land	14,565.76 sq mi (37,725.14 km2)
• Water	32.87 sq mi (85.13 km2)
• Urban	1,146.6 sq mi (2,969.6 km2)
Highest elevation	4,890 [2] ft (1,490.5 m)
Lowest elevation	735 ft (224.03 m)
Population  (Census 2020)[3]
• Metropolitan statistical area	4,845,832
• Density	332.7/sq mi (128.5/km2)
• Urban	3,629,114
• Urban density	3,165.2/sq mi (1,222.1/km2)
GDP [4]
• MSA	$362.1 billion (2022)
Time zone	UTC−7 (MST)
ZIP codes	850xx to 853xx, 856xx [5]
Area codes	623, 602, 480, 520, 928

The Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, metro Phoenix, or The Valley, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the Southwestern United States, with its largest principal city being the city of Phoenix. It includes much of central Arizona. The United States Office of Management and Budget designates the area as the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), defining it as Maricopa and Pinal counties. It anchors the Arizona Sun Corridor megaregion along with the second-most populous metropolitan area in the state, the Tucson metropolitan area. The gross domestic product of the Phoenix metropolitan area was $255 billion in 2018, 16th highest amongst metro areas in the United States.

As of the 2020 census, the two-county metropolitan area had 4,845,832 residents, making it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the nation by population. Metro Phoenix grew by 652,945 people from April 2010 to April 2020, making it one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country. This also contributed to the entire state's exceptional growth; the area is home to just over two-thirds of Arizona's population. The population of the Phoenix metropolitan area increased by 45.3% from 1990 through 2000, compared to the overall U.S. rate of 13.2%, helping make Arizona the second-fastest growing state in the nation in the 1990s behind Nevada.^[6] The 2000 census reported the population of the metropolitan area to be 3,251,876. Water insecurity and drought in conjunction with climate change have become a significant concern for the metropolitan area's future growth prospects.^[7]

Combined Statistical Area

The Phoenix–Mesa combined statistical area (CSA) was designated in September 2018 by U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and by the Census Bureau which consists of the entirety of the counties of Maricopa, Pinal, and Gila.^[8] This includes the Phoenix metropolitan area and the Payson, AZ micropolitan statistical area.

As of April 1, 2020, the Phoenix–Mesa CSA had a population of 4,899,104, making it the fourteenth-most populous in the nation.^[9]

Metropolitan Statistical Area

The Phoenix Metropolitan Area comprises Maricopa County (2020 population: 4,420,568) and Pinal County (2020 population: 425,264). It is officially designated by the US Census Bureau as the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler, AZ Metropolitan Statistical Area. The total population for metropolitan Phoenix at the 2020 Census was 4,845,832.^[10]

The Phoenix Metropolitan Area is hundreds of miles away from any other metropolitan area of similar population size. For instance, the closest metropolitan area with almost the same population size is the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metro Area, which is 300 miles away.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,192,887 people, 1,537,137 households, and 1,024,971 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 73.0% White (58.7% White Non-Hispanic), 5.0% Black, 3.3% Asian, 2.4% Native American or Alaska Native (virtually all Native American) and 16.2% of other or mixed race. 29.5% were Hispanic of any race.^[19]

In 2010 the median income for a household in the MSA was $50,385 and the median income for a family was $58,497. The per capita income was $24,809.^[20]

Communities

What follows is a list of places in Metro Phoenix (populations for incorporated places are as of the 2020 census).^[21] The Office of Management and Budget defines a metropolitan area as the core city plus its county and any nearby counties that are economically dependent on the core city. However, Arizona has relatively large counties and a harsh, rugged desert landscape. For these reasons, much of the land that is part of the Metropolitan Statistical Area is rural or completely uninhabited. The core part of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area is the Phoenix–Mesa, Arizona Urban Area, which is far smaller than the Metropolitan Statistical Area.^[22]

Places that fall completely or partially within the boundaries of the Phoenix–Mesa, AZ US are in bold below.^[22]

Cities and suburbs

Principal city

• Phoenix pop. 1,648,540

Places with 250,000+ inhabitants

• Mesa pop. 521,649
• Chandler pop. 284,109
• Gilbert pop. 283,029
• Glendale pop. 258,300

Places with 150,000–249,999 inhabitants

• Scottsdale pop. 241,361
• Peoria pop. 190,985
• Tempe pop. 180,587

Places with 75,000–149,999 inhabitants

• Surprise pop. 143,148
• Goodyear pop. 95,294
• Buckeye pop. 91,502
• Avondale pop. 89,334
• Queen Creek pop. 78,634

Places with 30,000–74,999 inhabitants

• Apache Junction pop. 38,499
• El Mirage pop. 35,805

Places with 10,000–29,999 inhabitants

• Fountain Hills pop. 23,820
• Paradise Valley pop. 12,658

Fewer than 10,000 inhabitants

• Wickenburg pop. 7,474
• Tolleson pop. 7,216
• Youngtown pop. 7,056
• Litchfield Park pop. 6,847
• Guadalupe pop. 5,322
• Cave Creek pop. 4,892
• Carefree pop. 3,690
• Gila Bend pop. 1,892

Unincorporated communities

Over 10,000 inhabitants

• San Tan Valley pop. 104,936
• Sun City pop. 39,931
• Sun City West pop. 25,806
• Anthem pop. 23,190
• New River pop. 17,290
• Sun Lakes pop. 14,868

Under 10,000 inhabitants

• Aguila
• Arlington
• Circle City
• Komatke
• Liberty
• Morristown
• Palo Verde
• Rio Verde
• Tonopah
• Tortilla Flat
• Waddell
• Wintersburg
• Wittmann

Geography

As of 2020, the Phoenix Metropolitan area consists of Maricopa and Pinal counties, comprising a total area of about 14,600 square miles. Because of the size of counties in Arizona, even though Maricopa and Pinal counties together contain nearly 4.9 million people, most of the area is uninhabited, which gives the MSA an extremely low density compared to other major MSAs in the nation.

The average elevation in the city itself is about 1,100 feet (340 m), with the highest point being in South Mountain Park Preserve 2,704 feet (824 m).The highest point in the two county area is 7,657 feet (2,334 m) in the Four Peaks mountain range.

Climate

Metropolitan Phoenix is notable for its warm, desert climate. On average, the area receives about 9 inches of rain annually, with less than 1 inch of snow every decade. In total, the region will see about 32 days of measurable precipitation each year. The MSA is one of the sunniest major metropolitan areas, receiving 295 days of sunshine, compared to the national average of 205. The average July high is about 104 °F (40 °C), with the average January low being about 36 °F (3 °C), still above freezing. Bestplaces gives Metropolitan Phoenix a comfort index^[a] of 44/100, which is also the national average.^[23]

Below is a chart showing climate data collected from Sky Harbor Airport. Note that due to the vast area covered by the MSA, climates vary throughout the valley.