
How many people live in Phoenix?
From Valley 101 by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com
March 16, 2026 · 16 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the population of Phoenix and the factors influencing its growth.
People are often shocked when you tell them that Phoenix is the 5th largest city in America. You can pick nits about metropolitan statistical areas, but it's clear that Arizona is not the Old West outpost people thought it was back in the day. So how many people actually live in Phoenix? This week on Valley 101, a podcast about metro Phoenix and beyond, we talk with the Republic's development reporter about some of the reasons that growth, while still happening in Arizona, may be slowing down. Submit your question about Phoenix! Subscribe to The Watchlist, our Friday media newsletter. Follow us on X, Instagram and TikTok. Guests: Corina Vanek Host: Bill Goodykoontz Producer: Tori Weiss Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: Bill Goodykoontz
Guest: Corina Vanek
Topics covered
- population growth
- Phoenix
- urban development
- Arizona history
- city size
- metropolitan areas
Keywords
- Phoenix
- population
- growth
- Arizona
- 5th largest city
- urban development
- metropolitan statistical areas
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Arizona Republic, azcentral.com
Places: Phoenix, Arizona, Old West
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