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Welcome to Maricopa County ...Time Zone: Maricopa County lies in the Mountain Standard Time Zone (MST) and does not observe daylight saving time. The community of Phoenix is the Seat for Maricopa County.  Phoenix is also the capital of Arizona. Maricopa County was founded in 1871.  Maricopa was created by taking area from Pima and Yavapai Counties. From the Census Estimates for 2019, <1> Maricopa had a population of 4,485,414 people.  This is an increase of 17.26% since the last Census (which gave a population of 3,825,110 people in 2010). At the time of the 2010 Census, Maricopa represented 59.84% of the total population of Arizona. Below are some of the communities located in Maricopa County: 
Apache Junction(31 miles [49.9 km] to the east)
Avondale(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
Buckeye(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
Carefree(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
Cave Creek(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
Chandler(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
El Mirage(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
Fountain Hills(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
Continue List   (17 more) ...
Gila Bend(52 miles [83.7 km] to the southwest)
 
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gila BendGila Bend is located in Maricopa County (AZ)Population from the 2020 Census: 2,118 peopleFormer name for Gila Bend:GilaJump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gila Bend <2>Gilbert(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
Glendale(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
Goodyear(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
Guadalupe(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
Litchfield Park(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
Mesa(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
 
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for MesaMesa is located in Maricopa County (AZ)Population from the 2020 Census: 528,159 peopleJump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mesa <2>Paradise Valley(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
Peoria(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
 
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for PeoriaPeoria is located in Maricopa County (AZ)Population from the 2020 Census: 179,872 peopleJump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peoria <2>Phoenix(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
 
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for PhoenixPhoenix is located in Maricopa County (AZ)Population from the 2020 Census: 1,708,127 peopleJump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Phoenix <2>Queen Creek(31 miles [49.9 km] to the southeast)
Scottsdale(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
Surprise(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
Tempe(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
 
Jump to our Gazetteer entry for TempeTempe is located in Maricopa County (AZ)Population from the 2020 Census: 200,402 peopleJump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tempe <2>Tolleson(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
Wickenburg(49 miles [78.9 km] to the northwest)
Youngtown(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
 Websites of Interest ...Websites specific to Arizona
 Websites specific to Maricopa County
 Websites for nearby counties
Gila County
La Paz County
Pima County
Pinal County
Yavapai County
Yuma County
 Cemetery Information and Directories
 
Footnotes ...
| <1> | On a yearly basis, the US Census Bureau creates an estimate of the county's population.  Keep in mind that this is an estimate and not an actual count.  The last physical count was the 2010 Census and the next count will be for the 2020 Census. |  | <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |  |  |