thumb|Old Maricopa Jail House. Served as a "drunk tank" from the 1910s to the 1960s.
Maricopa is a city in Kern County, California. Maricopa is located south-southeast of Taft, at an elevation of .
History
The first post office opened in 1901,
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Maricopa city, California – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|914
|854
|style='background: #ffffe6; |626
|82.27%
|74.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |61.01%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|0
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |13
|0.00%
|0.09%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.27%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|21
|23
|style='background: #ffffe6; |27
|1.89%
|1.99%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.63%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|5
|16
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6
|0.45%
|1.39%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.58%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2
|0.00%
|0.09%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.19%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|21
|27
|style='background: #ffffe6; |49
|1.89%
|2.34%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.78%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|150
|232
|style='background: #ffffe6; |303
|13.50%
|20.10%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |29.53%
|-
|Total
|1,111
|1,154
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,026
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Maricopa had a population of 1,026 and a population density of . The median age was 37.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.9 males.
The age distribution was 263 people (25.6%) under the age of 18, 79 people (7.7%) aged 18 to 24, 233 people (22.7%) aged 25 to 44, 275 people (26.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 176 people (17.2%) who were 65years of age or older.
Income and poverty
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $38,676, and the per capita income was $20,492. About 13.4% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010 census
At the 2010 census Maricopa had a population of 1,154. The population density was . The racial makeup of Maricopa was 958 (83.0%) White, 1 (0.1%) African American, 27 (2.3%) Native American, 16 (1.4%) Asian, 2 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 112 (9.7%) from other races, and 38 (3.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 232 people (20.1%).
The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.
There were 414 households, 157 (37.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 191 (46.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 66 (15.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 34 (8.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 50 (12.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 2 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 91 households (22.0%) were one person and 33 (8.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.79. There were 291 families (70.3% of households); the average family size was 3.20.
The age distribution was 306 people (26.5%) under the age of 18, 112 people (9.7%) aged 18 to 24, 252 people (21.8%) aged 25 to 44, 349 people (30.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 135 people (11.7%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 39.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.4 males.
There were 466 housing units at an average density of 310.3 per square mile, of the occupied units 268 (64.7%) were owner-occupied and 146 (35.3%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.8%. 704 people (61.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 450 people (39.0%) lived in rental housing units.
Government misconduct
Maricopa Fire Department was established in 1910 with Chief F. W. Ball serving as the first fire chief. Maricopa Hospital opened on April 22, 1911, and the city was incorporated on July 25, 1911. Gary Biggerstaff was the chief of police when budget problems forced the city to close its police department in 1998. The Kern County Sheriff's Department provided police services to the citizens of Maricopa from 1998 until 2006 when the city reopened its police department in the old building.
As reported in the Los Angeles Times on July 4, 2011, the Maricopa Police Department has become embroiled in a local controversy playing out through large signs posted on the city's main thoroughfare. The police have been accused of racial profiling and "over-enforcement" regarding traffic violations and frequent towing of vehicles driven by drivers without proof of insurance or with license or license plate infractions. In mid-2011, American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Jennie Pasquarella is quoted as saying, "Maricopa has been a shining example of impoundments gone wrong," and "They're essentially creating a racket to steal people's cars."
The damage done during this era to the city of Maricopa's reputation persists, as recently as May 2022, Reason magazine reported that, "...the town of Maricopa gained a reputation for targeting drivers, especially farm workers, in the hopes that they'd be undocumented immigrants, thus allowing the small police department to impound their cars without much fuss."
Transportation
Maricopa lies at the junction of Route 166 and Route 33.
The City of Taft operates Taft-Maricopa Area Transit, with buses serving Taft and Maricopa.