Gila (pronounced “HEE-la”) Bend is located 45 minutes southwest of Phoenix in Maricopa County. The town was founded in 1872, and is rich in historic western and ancient Native American ties. This growing town is poised for future world-class, yet sustainable, economic development.
Gila Bend’s strategic location serves as the major crossroad between San Diego, Mexico, Tucson and the Phoenix Metropolitan area. A quickly emerging manufacturing and distribution sector is blossoming due to the town’s increasingly advantageous positioning and draws from the 1.6 million residents of the Phoenix west valley. There is a strong presence in the agribusiness and energy generation industries. Gila Bend houses six sustainable and growing dairies with over 90,000 acres in cultivation of alfalfa, cotton and grain. Residents have access to a robust water aquifer able to meet the highest-level of demands for agriculture and energy generation. The 367 MW utility-scale solar system, in addition to the gas-fired generation station, makes Gila Bend a leading source of reliable and responsible energy. Gila Bend continually seeks to take advantage of tools to leverage its competitive advantage. This can be exemplified with the adoption of its solar field overlay, allowing for a truly expedited permitting process.
Outdoor assets include 500,000 acres of scenic landscape, three archaeological sites, historical trails and various choices for outdoor adventures. Local attractions include the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site, Gatlin Archeological Site, Fortaleza, Gillespie Dam Bridge, Butterfield Stage Route, Juan Bautista de Anza Historic Trail and the Sonoran Desert National Monument. Additionally, the town is two-and-a-half hours from the popular beach destination Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), Mexico. Gila Bend is also within a five hour or less drive-time of the scenic attractions that the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, San Diego, Flagstaff and Pinetop-Lakeside have to offer.
Gila Bend has 13-acres of developed parks and lighted fields, an airport, a 12,000-square foot Town Museum and Office of Tourism, a 20-acre public shooting range, a 5-acre rodeo ground, a public pool and a town office. The town promotes community vitality through its robust Family Resource Center and county-leading senior center which provide a wide-range of activities and programs for the 60-and-over age group.
| Founded | 1872 | Incorporated | 1962 |
| Elevation | 737 ft. | Location | Maricopa County |
| Phoenix | 68 miles | San Diego | 286 miles |
| Tucson | 124 miles | Los Angeles | 375 miles |
| Las Vegas | 318 miles |
| 2000 | 2010 | 2023 (est.) | |
| Gila Bend | 1,980 | 1,932 | 1,893 |
| Maricopa County | 3,072,149 | 3,824,058 | 4,507,419 |
| State of Arizona | 5,130,632 | 6,401,569 | 7,285,370 |
Office of Economic Opportunity
Arizona Dept. of Revenue & Arizona Tax Research Foundation
| Gila Bend | 3.50% |
| Maricopa County | 0.70% |
| State | 5.60% |
Arizona Dept. of Revenue & Arizona Tax Research Foundation
| 2000 | 2010 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civilian Labor Force | 839 | 738 | 944 |
| Unemployed | 47 | 57 | 8 |
| Unemployment Rate | 5.6% | 7.7% | 0.8% |
Office of Economic Opportunity
| Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Less than high school | 374 | 28.7% |
| High school or equivalent, no college | 454 | 34.8% |
| Some college or Associate degree | 320 | 24.6% |
| Bachelor’s degree or advanced degree | 155 | 11.9% |
American Community Survey
| Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, & mining | 148 | 16.4% |
| Professional, scientific, & administrative services | 120 | 13.3% |
| Arts, entertainment, food & recreation services | 115 | 12.7% |
| Education, health care & social assistance | 114 | 12.6% |
| Transportation, warehousing, & utilities | 114 | 12.6% |
| Finance, insurance & real estate | 92 | 10.2% |
| Retail trade | 81 | 9.0% |
| Manufacturing | 50 | 5.5% |
| Construction | 46 | 5.1% |
| Other services, except public administration | 22 | 2.4% |
| Information | 0 | 0.0% |
| Public administration | 0 | 0.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 0 | 0.0% |
American Community Survey
This profile was prepared by the Arizona Commerce Authority in cooperation with local sources. For further information, please contact: