City of Sedona Population Growth

Posted on by Donna Joy

The misuse of incorrect City of Sedona population has been used to push the city community plan and projects through using incorrect numbers, claiming we need “workforce housing” along with pointing fingers at the state for allowing Short Term Rental while ignoring the details.

By studying the numbers and the other city government actions the public can get a better idea of what is what.

City of Sedona POPULATION

There are a abundance of online data trackers that show us the population of the City of Sedona.

Source: Neilsberg

Sedona, AZ Population by Year – 2024 Update | Neilsberg
https://www.neilsberg.com/insights/sedona-az-population-by-year/

Sedona, AZ Annual Population and Growth Analysis Dataset: A Comprehensive Overview of Population Changes and Yearly Growth Rates in Sedona from 2000 to 2023 // 2024 Edition Last updated July 30, 2024 I choose these date as the City of Sedona started to shift priorities to Tourism by placing a non governmental group, a regional business association a critical position inviting them to direct city council and regular annual funding without any performance metrics.

YearPopulationYear on Year ChangeChange in Percent
200010,227––
200110,4071801.76%
200210,7062992.87%
200310,8521461.36%
200411,0231711.58%
200511,1891661.51%
200611,286970.87%
200711,4311451.28%
200811,5531221.07%
200911,570170.15%
201010,035-1,535-13.27%
201110,000-35-0.35%
201210,017170.17%
201310,090730.73%
201410,2311411.40%
201510,276450.44%
201610,358820.80%
201710,347-11-0.11%
201810,34920.02%
201910,349––
20209,693-656-6.34%
20219,760670.69%
20229,796360.37%
20239,819230.23%

Another view is the Census Numbers population by year Sedona
About BiggestUsCities.com

Source: United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau. In many cases the data is a combination of many different sources, such as from current or historic Population Estimates, current or historic American Community Surveys, and other Census datasets.

Sedona Population History 1990 – 2023

Sedona Population By Year

Population Graph For Sedona, 1990 - 2022
YearPopulationRank in USGrowth Rate
20239,8193,2110.2%
20229,7963,2050.3%
20219,7633,2010.7%
20209,6973,198-0.3%
201010,0312,971-0.2%
200010,2522,7092.7%
19907,8402,969–


Connecting the Dots: Population, Census Data, Government Growth, and Taxes

My initial focus was on the timeline when the City of Sedona began to prioritize tourism. This shift involved placing a non-governmental entity, a regional business association, in a pivotal role, allowing them to guide the city council and receive annual funding without any performance metrics. The city asserted that they were unable to handle the task on their own, labeling this group as the experts while ignoring state tourism policies.

Discover more through information that is grounded in facts and data.

I began with the population data for Sedona, utilizing two reliable sources: Neilsberg and Census figures. City of Sedona Population Growth – Donna Joy

Utilizing same two reliable sources: Neilsberg and Census figures I expanded to include nearby municipalities, The City of Cottonwood and the Town of Camp Verde Population Sedona Area Cities – Towns – Donna Joy

Then I moved on to more census numbers for all three locations. Communities are always evolving, and understanding these changes can provide valuable insights. By examining census data, we can learn more about our identities, discover which communities are expanding, and explore the differences and transformations within these communities. A view of Sedona area communities 2023 Census – Donna Joy

What unique actions has the City of Sedona taken that set it apart from the City of Cottonwood and the Town of Camp Verde?


In 2013, the City of Sedona increased the sales tax and established a no-bid contract with the regional Sedona Chamber of Commerce. This agreement allocated 55% of the city’s bed taxes without restrictions to the Chamber and its members.

The City of Sedona has invested millions of public funds into an NGO that purports to function as a Tourism Bureau. However, the membership distribution of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce largely extends beyond the city limits and is not limited to the tourism sector. This investment was made without any restriction’s contracts of assets on the use of public money.
Tourism has not seen any improvement under the tourism-first agenda, and the situation for residents has remained stagnant.

Tourism First Agenda
City of Sedona Population & Tourism
1997-population 9,760 Tourism = 3.5m
2020-population 9,684 Tourism = 3.5m
Source: Sedona Community Profiles

In 2017, the Sedona City Council approved a new “Sunset” half-cent sales tax with a vote of 6-1. This revenue was earmarked to fund approximately $35 million in traffic mitigation construction over the following decade. In 2021, the City Council transitioned this sunset tax into a permanent sales tax increase.

What’s next?

more to come…….
What factors have contributed to Sedona’s politically charged atmosphere due to the tourism-first agenda and how has the unrestricted public funding provided to an NGO- Sedona Chamber of Commerce changed Sedona?

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Donna Joy ~ 
A retired Entrepeneur, Creator, Business owner, Culinary Artist, Chef & Chief Operating Disruptor. 

♥ Donna Joy
donna@donnajoys.com

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Donna Joy ~ A retired Entrepeneur, Creator, Business owner, Culinary Artist, Chef & Chief Operating Disruptor. 
♥ Donna Joy

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