Arizona is one of the country’s fastest-growing states, according to new Census Bureau statistics.
The Grand Canyon State added 113,506 people from mid-2015 to mid-2016, an increase of about 1.7 percent, the bureau reported. Arizona’s population is now close to 7 million people.
In addition to a warm climate, the state offers a business-friendly environment with a low cost of living. Legislators have passed a series of tax cuts in recent years, and efforts to ease the burden of regulations on businesses are ongoing.
Many of Arizona’s neighbors also saw strong growth during the year. “States in the South and West continued to lead in population growth,” Ben Bolender, chief of the Census Bureau population estimates branch, said in a statement. “In 2016, 37.9 percent of the nation’s population lived in the South and 23.7 percent lived in the West.”
Here are the top 10 states (Census figures include Washington, D.C., as a state) by percentage growth, according to the Census Bureau:
- Utah 2.03
- Nevada 1.95
- Idaho 1.83
- Florida 1.82
- Washington 1.78
- Oregon 1.71
- Colorado 1.68
- Arizona 1.66
- District of Columbia 1.61
- Texas 1.58
