The Pinal County Press Pinal Growth Spurt Continues to Lead State

For the second consecutive year Pinal County has the fastest growth rate in Arizona, while Maricopa County has again added the most new residents of any county in the U.S.

According to new Census Bureau estimates, Pinal County grew by 3.6% during the year ending July 1, 2022, adding just over 16,000 residents. This was actually a slowdown over the previous year, when the bureau reported the county grew 4.4%.

Its immediate neighbor to the north, Maricopa County, led the entire country in terms of sheer numeric growth with 56,831 additions, most of them coming from another part of the state or country. This amounts to about 2,000 more than the previous year’s gain and was about 11,000 more than the runner-up, Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston.

Lucid Continued from page 12

“Our key focus right now is making sure we’re communicating the right information and making sure there isn’t misinformation out there about Lucid, and there’s good information out there to its employees for them to try to find a job,” he said. Other employers currently hiring include Abbott Nutrition, Hexcel and Frito Lay, he said.

Lucid estimated it would be taking a charge of $24 million to $30 million to execute the restructuring, much of it going toward severance packages to include payments, continuation of health insurance coverage and career transition resources. The restructuring is expected to be complete by the end of June.

It is the fourth-largest county in the nation at 4.5 million behind Los Angeles, Cook (Chicago) and Harris counties.

New city and town population estimates will be released later this year but will not include unincorporated

San Tan Valley, the county’s biggest population center at about 100,000.

Last year the bureau reported Queen Creek, Casa Grande and Maricopa were among the nation’s 10 fastest-growing cities with populations of 50,000 or more.

Arizona’s Fastest-Growing Counties, 2021-22

Rawlinson said in his message Lucid will continue to pursue its growth plans, including the release of the Gravity luxury SUV electric vehicle targeted for 2024: “I am confident that we have the most advanced technology, we have the right operational infrastructure and know-how to deliver, and we have a track record of tenacity that will make us stronger.”

The company began building its Casa Grande plant at the end of 2020, four years after the company selected the site, after getting a $1 billion infusion from the Saudi Arabian government through an investment fund. The first Lucid Air sedans were delivered in October 2021, and they were quickly named MotorTrend’s Car of the Year for having the longest EPA-verified range per charge in the industry at up to 520 miles, as well as advanced design. Currently available Air models sell for $111,000 to $158,000, before tax credits or other incentives.

Lucid released its fourth-quarter and full-year 2022 results in February, with 7,185 cars produced and 4,369 delivered. Annual revenue was $608 million, but it reported a $1.3 billion loss and projected further losses in upcoming years.