About Maricopa County

Maricopa County is one of the largest, most populous, scenic and fastest-growing counties in the country. With more than 4 million residents, it ranks fourth of the nation’s counties and is larger than 24 states. With the Arizona Capitol and more than half of the state’s population, the metropolitan area is Arizona’s political and economic center.

The county includes Phoenix, Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Peoria and Gilbert, five Indian reservations and four of the nation’s fastest-growing communities ‑ Buckeye, Surprise, Goodyear and Avondale. Its economic base has steadily diversified from its roots in Arizona’s five C’s (copper, cattle, citrus, climate and cotton). Today, it is home to a growing high-tech industry, medical research, manufacturing, agriculture and 15 institutions of higher learning, including Arizona State University, Thunderbird School of Global Management and Maricopa Community Colleges, which has approximately 270,000 students currently enrolled.