Wasn’t the population at 4 million just a few years ago? I read an interesting Arizona Republic article saying the state of Arizona has grown to approximately 6,000,000. That’s amazing! Where are all of these people hiding? Oh! I know! At all of the new Starbucks stores that keep popping up left and right.

Arizona’s population came within a whisker of reaching that milestone as of July 1, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released today, and surely has surpassed it since.

The state added nearly 200,000 people in one year, the highest numerical growth it has ever experienced in decades of explosive growth.

Arizona surpassed Missouri in population during the year and now ranks 17th in size, the figures show.

Since the official 2000 census, the state also has overtaken Wisconsin and Maryland in population.

The latest estimate of 5,939,292 residents came as no shock to anyone versed in Arizona growth, but the pace was somewhat higher than one of the state’s leading demographers expected.

The state grew by an estimated 199,413 people from July to July.

As a side note, I’ve been building a list of things to do in Arizona and would encourage you to check it out if you plan to visit Arizona.