The "Grand Canyon State," Arizona, was the 48th state to join the U.S. in 1912-- the last of 48 contiguous (connected) states to join the Union. The state's name comes from arizonac, from two Papago Indian words meaning "place of the young spring." Arizona has a very dry climate and is known for its cactus plants. In fact, the state flower is the saguaro cactus blossom.
State Flower: Flower of Saguaro Cactus
State Motto: God Enriches
State Nickname: Grand Canyon State
State Bird: Cactus Wren
Land area, 2000 (square miles): 113,635
Length: 400 Miles
Width: 310 Miles
10 largest cities, 2010:
- Phoenix, 1,445,632
- Tucson, 520,116
- Mesa, 439,041
- Chandler, 236,123
- Glendale, 226,721
- Scottsdale, 217,385
- Gilbert, 208,453
- Tempe, 161,719
- Peoria, 154,065
- Surprise, 117,517
Geographic Center: 55 miles east-southeast of Prescott
Geographic Center County: Yavapai
Highest Point: 12,633 — Humphreys Pk.
Lowest Point: 70 — Colorado River
Number of counties: 15
State forests: N/A
State parks: 29
Persons per square mile, 2010: 56.3
Population, 2010: 6,392,017
Population, percent change, 2000 to 2010: 24.60%
Population, 2000: 5,130,607
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2009: 7.90%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2009: 26.30%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2009: 13.10%
Female persons, percent, 2009: 49.90%
White persons, percent, 2010 (a): 73.00%
Black persons, percent, 2010 (a): 4.10%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2010 (a): 4.60%
Asian persons, percent, 2010 (a): 2.80%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2010 (a): 0.20%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2010: 3.40%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2010 (b): 29.60%
White persons not Hispanic, persons, 2010: 57.80%
Living in same house 1 year ago, pct 1 yr old & over, 2005-2009: 79.40%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2005-2009: 14.70%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2005-2009: 27.90%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2005-2009: 83.90%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2005-2009: 25.70%
Veterans, 2005-2009: 550,681
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2005-2009: 24.9
Housing units, 2009: 2,752,991
Homeownership rate, 2005-2009: 68.30%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2005-2009: 20.70%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2005-2009: $218,400
Households, 2005-2009: 2,248,170
Persons per household, 2005-2009: 2.76
Per capita money income in past 12 months (2009 dollars) 2005-2009: $25,203
Median household income, 2009: $48,711
Persons below poverty level, percent, 2009: 16.50%
(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.
D: Suppressed to avoid disclosure of confidential information
F: Fewer than 100 firms
FN: Footnote on this item for this area in place of data
NA: Not available
S: Suppressed; does not meet publication standards
X: Not applicable
Z: Value greater than zero but less than half unit of measure shown
GDP Data — Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
Population and Economic Data — US Census Bureau
Government Data — Congress.Org
