PHOENIX — The Valley's popularity with out-of-towners continues to soar, with Maricopa County growing at a record-setting pace.
According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday, Maricopa topped the list of counties across the country for population growth between 2017 and 2018.
The Maricopa County population grew 81,244, bringing the total number of residents to 4,410,824 as of July 1, 2018, according to the Census Bureau.
Clark County, Nevada, and Harris County, Texas, took the second and third spots, respectively.
One city that's trying to keep up with the surge in population is Buckeye.
The city is technically larger geographically than Phoenix, coming in around 642 square miles. But the city says only 5% of that land is developed.
With the population surge, the city says that's expected to change. Buckeye says last year they issued about 2,200 new single-family permits.
At this point they're expected to beat that number by issuing 200 single-family permits a month. Real estate experts tell ABC15 the average price of a home in Buckeye is up 10% from last year.
Across the Valley in Queen Creek, the price is up 16%.
Take a look at the top 10 list of U.S. counties for numeric population growth from 2017 to 2018 below.
| Rank | State | County | July 1, 2017 | July 1, 2018 | Numeric Growth |
| 1 | Arizona | Maricopa County | 4,329,580 | 4,410,824 | 81,244 |
| 2 | Nevada | Clark County | 2,183,310 | 2,231,647 | 48,337 |
| 3 | Texas | Harris County | 4,664,159 | 4,698,619 | 34,460 |
| 4 | Texas | Collin County | 971,393 | 1,005,146 | 33,753 |
| 5 | California | Riverside County | 2,417,224 | 2,450,758 | 33,534 |
| 6 | Washington | King County | 2,204,229 | 2,233,163 | 28,934 |
| 7 | Florida | Orange County | 1,352,933 | 1,380,645 | 27,712 |
| 8 | Texas | Tarrant County | 2,057,468 | 2,084,931 | 27,463 |
| 9 | Texas | Bexar County | 1,958,841 | 1,986,049 | 27,208 |
| 10 | Florida | Hillsborough County | 1,410,115 | 1,436,888 | 26,773 |
Comparing populations from 2010 to 2018 placed Maricopa County in second place, with Harris County, Texas, ranking number one.
See how top counties compared between 2010 and 2018 in the ranking below.
| Rank | State | County | April 1, 2010 (Estimates base) | July 1, 2018 | Numeric Growth |
| 1 | Texas | Harris County | 4,093,188 | 4,698,619 | 605,431 |
| 2 | Arizona | Maricopa County | 3,817,359 | 4,410,824 | 593,465 |
| 3 | Washington | King County | 1,931,292 | 2,233,163 | 301,871 |
| 4 | California | Los Angeles County | 9,818,672 | 10,105,518 | 286,846 |
| 5 | Nevada | Clark County | 1,951,271 | 2,231,647 | 280,376 |
| 6 | Texas | Tarrant County | 1,810,655 | 2,084,931 | 274,276 |
| 7 | Texas | Bexar County | 1,714,772 | 1,986,049 | 271,277 |
| 8 | Texas | Dallas County | 2,366,683 | 2,637,772 | 271,089 |
| 9 | Florida | Miami-Dade County | 2,498,013 | 2,761,581 | 263,568 |
| 10 | California | Riverside County | 2,189,765 | 2,450,758 | 260,993 |
