Population Figures Tell a Tale of Two States in Arizona

Jen Fifield reports from Arizona on the small towns of Arizona losing population where other parts of the state boom with new population and expand to house the newcomers.

For every Phoenix, there are examples like Douglas, a town that lost 200 people in the most recent count, and 400 people the year prior. "By 2018, the city had lost 9.3% of the population it had in 2010, or nearly one in every 10 people, according to U.S. Census data released recently," report Fifield.

But there are more examples: "Of the 91 cities and towns in the state, 18 have shrunk since the worst of the Great Recession, the data shows."

Most of the shrinking towns are located south of Tucson, between that growing metropolis and the U.S.-Mexico border. Fifield includes infographics and lots of data to debunk some of the common misconceptions about why the populations of these cities are shrinking (e.g., crime) as well as describe some of the realities of the situation (e.g., declining jobs).