Goodyear, Arizona

Goodyear is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 95,294 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 118,186 in 2024.
The city is home to the Goodyear Ballpark, where the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball hold spring training.
In 2008, Goodyear won the All-America City Award, sponsored by the National Civic League. The city is named after the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The company cultivated extensive farmland here to grow cotton for use in its tires.

History

Goodyear was established in 1917 with the purchase of of land by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company to cultivate cotton for vehicle tire cords. World War II was important to Goodyear in the 1940s as the current Phoenix Goodyear Airport was built, but after the war, the economy suffered. Goodyear became a town on November 19, 1946. At the time, it had 151 homes and 250 apartments, a grocery store, a barber shop, beauty shop and a gas station.

World War II

Luke Field Auxiliary #6 was built by the United States Army Air Forces in 1943. It served as a satellite airfield for Luke Army Air Field. According to the History of Luke AFB, this airfield boasted the most facilities. It had separate buildings for crew chiefs, operations, supply, barracks, pit latrine, crash truck shed, generator shed and a control tower. Luke AF Auxiliary #6 ceased operations by 1971.
The property, which is in a state of complete abandonment, is owned by the State of Arizona, which has worked with developers on proposals for use.

Modern history

In January 1965, the Phoenix Trotting Park, a harness racing track, opened. The current Interstate 10 passes north of the site. As the region lacked major roads from Phoenix to Goodyear, there was not enough business and the track closed two years later. The park was demolished in 2017.
The town became a city in 1985. In the same decade, the remaining of the original farmland was sold for future development. The Phoenix Goodyear Airport received its current name in 1986.

Housing and growth

Although Goodyear was founded in 1917, the majority of construction and population growth happened after 1990. 22 communities that are completed and under construction have a total area of approximately. These communities, along with another 21 communities for future suburban development, will contain almost 200,000 homes, with only 25,000 built.
Goodyear was affected by the 2000s American housing bubble, reducing home values. Since then, the housing market has rebounded considerably. According to Opendoor, ZIP code 85338 in Goodyear was the fifth most popular place in the Phoenix metro area to buy a home, based on home sales. There are also a variety of home options in 2019 to accommodate families, those who are single, and seniors. As the population in Goodyear grows faster than ever, home builders and community developers are working quickly to keep up with the demand.
Estrella is the largest community in Goodyear, at. The master-planned community is home to about 10,000 residents. Palm Valley, located north of Interstate 10, is, with variously sized homes. PebbleCreek is a community for active adult living, with 54 holes of championship golf, fitness centers, and restaurants.
From the 1990s through the 2010s, residential development has stimulated the growth of Goodyear as a suburb of Phoenix. Goodyear's population is projected to be 358,000 by 2035.

Geography

Goodyear is approximately west of downtown Phoenix. Nearby cities include Avondale, Litchfield Park, Tolleson and Buckeye. From the original town center, the Goodyear city limits extend north to a border with Glendale and south-southeast into the Rainbow Valley to an area south of Arizona State Route 238.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The Gila River passes through the city. The largest master-planned community is Estrella, south of the Gila River, located near the Estrella Mountains.
The Estrella Mountain Regional Park covers almost, most of which is still desert. It contains eight trails over in combined length, two baseball fields, and a track.

Climate

Goodyear has a hot desert climate due to its location in the Sonoran Desert. The city receives somewhere around ten inches of rain annually. The city has more than 300 sunny days per year.
Winters are sunny with mild temperatures—nighttime lows averaging between and daytime highs ranging from. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Goodyear is. Summers are very hot, with daily high temperatures at or above for the entirety of June, July, and August, as well as many days in May and September. An occasional heat wave will spike temperatures over briefly. Nighttime lows in the summer months average between, with an occasional overnight low above not uncommon. The highest recorded temperature in Goodyear is.
Snow is rare in the area, occurring once every several years. Lows in the winter occasionally dip below freezing, which may damage some desert plants such as saguaros and other cacti. In the summer, the North American Monsoon can hit the Phoenix area in the afternoon and evening, causing thunderstorms and heavy rain even from a sunny morning. Dust storms are occasional, mainly during the summer.

Demographics

According to realtor website Zillow, the average price of a home as of June 30, 2025, in Goodyear is $472,852.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 38,956 estimated households in Goodyear with an average of 2.76 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $105,160. Approximately 7.4% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line. Goodyear has an estimated 58.2% employment rate, with 41.4% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 95.1% holding a high school diploma.
The median age in the city was 39.2 years.

Race / ethnicity	Pop. 1980	Pop. 1990	Pop. 2000	Pop. 2010
White alone	2,291	3,837	13,206	38,064	49,748
Black or African American alone	155	425	962	4,132	6,876
Native American or Alaska Native alone	27	123	175	638	860
Asian alone	23	82	315	2,729	3,763
Pacific Islander alone	—	—	14	96	246
Other race alone	2	11	18	76	474
Mixed race or multiracial	—	—	288	1,404	4,027
Hispanic or Latino	249	1,780	3,933	18,136	29,300
Total	2,747	6,258	18,911	65,275	95,294

The most reported ancestries in 2020 were:

As of the 2020 census, there were 95,294 people, 32,452 households, 25,165 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 36,205 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 59.24% White, 7.65% African American, 1.37% Native American, 4.15% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 12.32% from some other races and 14.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 30.75% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 65,275 people, 21,491 households, _ families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 25,027 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 71.89% White, 6.70% African American, 1.30% Native American, 4.34% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 11.68% from some other races and 3.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 27.78% of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 18,911 people, 6,179 households, and 4,986 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 6,771 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 78.13% White, 5.20% African American, 1.06% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 10.87% from some other races and 2.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 20.80% of the population.
There were 6,179 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.1% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were non-families. 14.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $57,492, and the median income for a family was $60,707. Males had a median income of $40,702 versus $28,410 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,506. About 3.6% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.