Official Web Site of the City of Phoenix

The following also is provided in Spanish. Lo siguiente también es provisto en Español.

This page mainly provides statistical information about the city of Phoenix. More information about how the city works and city history is available elsewhere on phoenix.gov.

Incorporated	1881
Form of government	Council-Manager
Population (as of Jan. 1, 2009)	1,567,453
Area (in square miles)	517.8824 (larger than Los Angeles)
Median Household Income	$47,223
Mean (average) Household Income	$64,923
Average annual temperature (Fahrenheit)	74.2
Average precipitation in inches	7.66
Average number of days of sunshine per year	334
Moody's General Obligation Bond Rating	Aa1
Standard and Poor's General Obligation Bond Rating	AAA
Did you know... Phoenix covers more than 517 square miles and has a population of over 1.5 million, ranking it the fifth largest city in the country and the largest capital city in terms of population. Phoenix is a premier destination, with more than 300 sun-filled days a year and average temperature of 74.2 degrees. With an average age of 34, greater Phoenix is the fifth youngest metro region in the country with a diverse, well-educated labor force of over 2 million people. Greater Phoenix has consistently outpaced the U.S. population growth over the last 18 years. Projections show the region is expected to grow by nearly 60 percent by 2030, bringing the population to more than 6 million people. Greater Phoenix is a $181 billion marketplace that serves as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurs by providing international access for aerospace, high-technology, bioscience, advanced business services and sustainable technologies companies. Global companies such as Honeywell Aerospace, Freeport McMoran, Avnet, and Republic Services call Phoenix home, while companies such as American Express, USAA, SUMCO Phoenix Corporation, Charles Schwab, and Mayo Clinic have major operations here. In January 2000, after a yearlong, in-depth study of management efficiency by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, Phoenix was the only city among the nation's 35 largest urban centers to earn an overall grade of “A.” Phoenix also was named the “Best Run City in the World” in 1993 by the Carl Bertelsmann Foundation and has earned numerous other awards for efficient government operations.
Bonds and Taxes
Standard & Poor's General Obligation Bond Rating	AAA
Moody's Bond Rating	Aa1
City retail sales tax rate	2.0%
City property tax rate      (Per $100 of assessed valuation)	$1.82
Aviation
Number of airports	3
Passengers enplaned and deplaned	Nearly 40 million
Takeoffs and landings in 2008 (includes general aviation)	1 million
Did you know... Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is one of the top ten busiest in the nation for passengers and one of the top ten in the world for takeoffs and landings. In 2008, Sky Harbor served nearly 40 million passengers. Sky Harbor services approximately 84 domestic and 13 international cities with daily flights, most of them nonstop. Direct and connecting service is available to and from almost anywhere in the world. International service includes direct flights to London, Toronto, San Jose and multiple cities in Mexico.
Fire and Police
Sworn Firefighters	1,751
Fire stations	57
Fire Department Budget	$302.9 million
Sworn Police officers	3,361
Police briefing stations	8
Housing/Human Services
Federally assisted housing units	8,549
Senior centers	15
Reserve-a-Ride transportation      (elderly and disabled clients served)	166,231
Family service centers	3
Head Start classroom sites	70
Head Start classrooms	154
Senior Companions	90
Phoenix Workforce Connection employment   and training placements (2005-06 figures)	1,345
Libraries
Libraries	16*
Library books and audio visual materials	1,738,025
Library card holders	902,237
Annual circulation	15,835,088
Annual visitors	5,167,958
*Includes one new library scheduled to open in summer 2009
Parks and Recreation
Acres of Desert Parks/Preserves	31,578
Acres of Developed City Parks	4,839
Acres of Street Landscape/Median Maintained by Parks Staff	1,191
City Parks	220
City Playgrounds	133
City Basketball Courts	130
City Golf Courses (five championship, three 9-hole)	8
City Swimming Pools	29
Neighborhood/Recreation/Teen Centers	20
Community/Full Service Centers	18
Museums/Arts/Cultural Facilities	6
Special Use/Special Interest Facilities	8
Phoenix Convention Center
Civic Plaza Square Feet of Combined Exhibit and Meeting Space Pre-Expansion	302,000
Convention Center Expanded Square Feet of Combined Exhibit and Meeting Space	880,000
Theater-style Seating in the South Ballroom	3,200
Theater-style Seating in the West Ballroom	4,500
Theater-style Seating in the North Ballroom	4,500
Seating Capacity in the Symphony Hall	2,387
Seating Capacity in the Orpheum Theatre	1,400
Did you know... The Phoenix Convention Center recently underwent a $600 million expansion that tripled the size of available rentable space to nearly 900,000 square feet. The project was a cooperative effort between the city of Phoenix and the state of Arizona and was built in two phases: Phase One was completed with the opening of the new West Building in July 2006, and Phase Two opened in January 2009. As a result of the expansion, the new Phoenix Convention Center is one of the top 20 convention centers in the United States in terms of size and is able to host more than 80 percent of current convention business. Located in the heart of downtown Phoenix’s Copper Square, the Phoenix Convention Center hosts a myriad of international, national and regional conventions, trade shows, corporate meetings and consumer events, welcoming more than 1,050,000 guests annually. The convention center is within walking distance to a variety of downtown's exciting restaurants, top hotels, retail shops, museums, the US Airways Center and Chase Field Ballpark and is less than seven miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The city's light rail system, which opened in December 2008, offers a fast and convenient transportation link from the airport to downtown Phoenix, with stops at the convention center and several downtown hotels. The Phoenix Convention Center owns and operates two of the city's world-class performing arts facilities - Symphony Hall and Orpheum Theater - both of which are located in the heart of downtown Phoenix. In addition to hosting a robust schedule of traveling Broadway productions, world-renowned speakers, musical groups and corporate functions, these venues are home to several resident companies including Ballet Arizona, Phoenix Symphony and Arizona Opera. These venues create a positive economic impact for the city, support community efforts, and maximize activity for patrons and visitors in downtown Phoenix.
Phoenix Hospitality Information*
Number of Hotel Rooms Within Walking Distance of Phoenix Convention Center   Full Service Resorts (with more than 30 rooms)   Hotels (with more than 30 rooms)   Total of Resort/Hotel Rooms in Phoenix	More than 2,700 More than 40 Nearly 500 59,000
*Obtained from the Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau
Public Transit
Bus fleet	525
Neighborhood Circulator Fleet	46
Bus and Circulator Service Miles Annually	17,339,500
Bus and Circulator Average Daily Ridership	153,913 Boardings
Light Rail Average Daily Ridership (Phoenix)	17,941 Boardings
Dial-a-Ride Vehicles	125
Dial-a-Ride Service Hours Annually	357,050
Solid Waste Management
Residences Served	387,250*
Residential Solid Waste Collected Annually (Tons)	750,000*
Residential Solid Waste Disposed at City Landfills (Tons)       (Includes bulk trash, contained garbage and recycling)	1,050,000*
Material Collected Through Recycling Program (Tons)      (Participating Households)	129,000
*Numbers based on ten-months only of current fiscal year
Street Transportation
Miles of Street	4,799
Signalized Intersections	1,029
Left-Turn Arrows	1,333
Speed Humps	2,429
Water Services
Number of Water Connections	403,752
Water Production (Billion Gallons Annually)	106.6
Water Treatment Plants	6
Wastewater Treatment (Billion Gallons Annually)      (Total treated for Phoenix and surrounding areas)	64.8
Wastewater Treatment Plants	2
Water Reclamation Plants	1