America is on the move again — and this is where they're going

While population trends show Maricopa County, Arizona, is the top fastest growing in 2017, the Valley isn't expanding as fast as it was before the Great Recession. Associate Director of the Center for Competitiveness and Prosperity Research Tom Rex explains why.

Even though Arizona is growing at a rate faster than the 5.3 percent national average, closely considering the numbers has demographers saying it's about more than a move from cold weather to warmer climates.

In this article on U.S. News & World Report March 28, 2018, Tom Rex, associate director of the Center for Competitiveness and Prosperity Research and Arizona demographics expert, explains why:

What we are seeing in the Phoenix area is a fair number of people moving here of retirement age, but not as many as you'd expect given the huge number of potential retirees. The region is not attracting as many young people, since there aren't as many new jobs as there once was.&nbsp

— Tom Rex, associate director of the Center for Competitiveness and Prosperity Research, a unit of the L. William Seidman Research Institute.

Hear more details about the latest local population numbers.