Phoenix now the 5th-largest city in the US, census says

Phoenix, Arizona has reclaimed the fifth spot from Philadelphia as one of the largest cities in the country. (Bdingman | Dreamstime.com)

Phoenix has officially edged out Philadelphia to become the fifth biggest city in the U.S.

The total population of the city is 1,615,017, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. The new population count allowed the city to surpass Philadelphia, its closest population rival, for the first time since dropping behind in 2010.

Phoenix is also the quickest-growing city in the country, according to the Census Bureau. The city added an average of 88 people per day between July 2015 and July 2016.

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"It's a positive thing, people are voting with their feet and coming to Phoenix," Mayor Greg Stanton told AZ Central.

But Phoenix isn’t the only expanding area in the state. Maricopa County has the highest annual population increase among counties in the U.S., according to recent census statistics.

Overall, New York has the highest population among all cities in the U.S. with 8,537,673. Los Angeles is second (3,976,322), Chicago is third (2,704,958) and Houston is fourth (2,303,482).

Phoenix beat Philly (1,567,872) by less than 100,000 people.