By BF Staff
From the May/June 2025 Issue
Business Facilities: Please describe the business climate in the City of Maricopa, AZ and the broad advantages for business.
Christian Price: The City of Maricopa is located in the Phoenix metro area, situated in Pinal County, about 30 minutes from Sky Harbor International Airport and downtown Phoenix.
As a 22-year-old city, we are one of the fastest growing cities in the country, expanding from a population of just over 1,200 people in the year 2000, to roughly 80,000 people today. Maricopa also ranks as one of the most diverse, highly educated and safest cities in all of Arizona. Maricopa boasts an incredibly pro-business climate, believes in business speed to market, and also benefits from attractive land prices, natural gas, power and 100-year water supply.
BF: What are the leading industries in Maricopa?
Economic Growth Officer
City of Maricopa, Arizona
Price: Maricopa has several key economic sectors/industries that we focus on in the business and industrial space:
- Advanced Manufacturing & Semiconductors
- Information Technology & Internet of Things
- Automotive & Autonomous Mobility
- Health Care & MedTech
- Agribusiness & Agriculture Technology
The semiconductor industry has a strong regional presence, with both Intel and TSMC located within the trade area. With the longtime presence of Volkswagen and Nissan proving grounds, and Lucid Motor Company’s manufacturing facility nearby, it is easy to find synergy from within the automative sector. University of Arizona’s research facility and partnership with USDA’s Arid Land Institute highlight agricultural businesses that thrive in the city of Maricopa.
These strengths help make Maricopa attractive to opportunities for business growth, partnerships and expansion.
BF: What are long-standing advantages for business in Maricopa?
Price: These are simple — Maricopa is located within the Phoenix metro region and is consistently growing a highly educated and highly skilled workforce. There is access to rail and the Union Pacific mainline efficient transportation corridors, water, natural gas, electricity, cost effective land prices, and a pro-business climate, which all make Maricopa the perfect location for an expanding or relocating business. The city also has extremely competitive housing prices for the comparable metro area along with ever-expanding housing subdivisions ready to house the workforce.
BF: What are recent developments that site selection teams should know about when it comes to the business climate?
Price: Maricopa seeks to find ways to say ‘Yes’ to new businesses and industries. The City of Maricopa’s city council has purchased over 1,200 acres of land specifically for industrial and commercial purposes. With the Maricopa Business Park, the city continues to show its commitment to economic development, coupled with an efficient permitting process, to help move new industry and commerce forward at the speed of business.
BF: What is a recent project relocation or expansion you’d like to tell us about?
Price: Currently, the City is working jointly with a major national developer to bring a 680-acre industrial site out of the ground with over nine million square feet of usable space, offering flexible buildings and parcel sizes.
This Maricopa Business Park will be fully rail-served by short-line rail, as the property sits adjacent to the Union Pacific mainline. The business park will also feature a state-of-the-art multimodal/transload facility accessible to tenants. The Kinder Morgan natural gas mainline also lies parallel to the site. This large-scale, highly connected development is a key focus in expanding Maricopa’s manufacturing growth and job opportunities.
BF: What is a quality of life highlight in Maricopa?
Price: The quality of life value proposition is second to none, as Maricopa is a city that is welcoming, safe, and diverse. As a young city of 22 years, everything is brand new: New homes, new parks, new libraries, new buildings, new amenities, new roads, and so much more. Maricopa has been ranked as the #1 most diverse city in the state, the 5th safest out of 91 incorporated cities and towns and the 3rd best place to raise a family in the state.
BF: What does the future hold?
Price: The future of the City of Maricopa is bright, expansive, and one of high velocity growth — continuing to be one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Highly educated people from all over the nation continue to flock to the city as people and businesses settle in a location that is free from the hordes of natural disasters and weather catastrophes that plague much of the rest of the country. As such, there will be an ongoing multi-decade need for more industry, manufacturing, and commercial locations to power the region for an ever-increasing population.
