New Employers Coming to the West Valley: Jobs Report 2026

If you've been waiting for the West Valley to "arrive," congratulations. It already did. You just may have missed the announcement.

The West Valley quietly became Arizona's job engine

Here's the thing nobody outside Maricopa County is really talking about: the West Valley is in the middle of the biggest employment boom in its history. We're not talking about a few hundred warehouse jobs at a new fulfillment center. We're talking about billions of dollars in capital investment, thousands of high wage manufacturing positions, semiconductor campuses, data centers, and advanced manufacturing megasites all landing within a 30 mile radius.

If you live or work between Buckeye and Surprise, you need to pay attention to what's happening right now. So let's break down who's coming, who's already breaking ground, and what it means for your wallet. 

1. Amkor Technology: 3,000 jobs and a $7 billion campus in Peoria

This is the big one. Amkor's advanced semiconductor packaging and test campus in Peoria was just named the Number One Deal in North America by Site Selection magazine. The project is expected to create approximately 3,000 high wage jobs with an average annual salary of $90,000. 

Let that sink in. A $7 billion investment. 750,000 square feet of cleanroom space. Production begins in early 2028, with the facility serving key customers including Apple and NVIDIA.

Once completed, it will be the first U.S. based high volume advanced packaging facility for a company that handles the finishing touches for semiconductor chips, making them ready to be used in phones, cars and computers.

My honest take: Peoria just punched massively above its weight. Three thousand jobs at $90K average is not a typo. That's $270 million in annual payroll flowing into West Valley households once this thing is fully staffed.

2. Grand View Arizona: The 2,500 acre mystery employer in Buckeye

We covered this in detail in our Buckeye development post, but the jobs angle deserves its own spotlight. JLL is marketing Grand View Arizona, a 2,500 acre mega site, as a sophisticated manufacturing campus that could have an economic impact of over $1 billion. JLL had no estimate for how many people might be employed at the site, since it depends on who sets up shop there, but projected that every job at Grand View will create 2 to 2.5 additional jobs elsewhere in the economy.

JLL expects Grand View to be attractive to manufacturers in industries like energy, aerospace, electric vehicles, battery technology, advanced automotive and transportation, biotech and life sciences, defense, artificial intelligence and autonomous transportation.

Translation: we don't know exactly which Fortune 500 will land here yet, but the runway is built and the lights are on.

3. Project Baccara: The $36 billion data center near Luke AFB

This one is controversial, so I'm going to be straight with you. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors gave the green light to Project Baccara, a massive data center complex near Luke Air Force Base, near Glendale and Surprise. The $36 billion development will include two 1 million square foot data centers and a 700 megawatt generating station.

On the jobs side: the developer says the project will create hundreds of permanent jobs plus thousands of construction jobs, with positions often going to Arizona students from data center academies at Glendale Community College and Estrella Mountain Community College.

For context on what data center jobs actually pay: Microsoft reports that average datacenter job compensation was $148,000 a year in 2023 compared with $98,000 in the region.

Now, I'm not going to pretend the community isn't pushing back hard. An online petition opposing the project has gained traction and residents have raised concerns about groundwater, pollution and air quality. Those are legitimate questions, and if you live nearby, they're worth following.

But strictly on jobs and tax revenue? Project Baccara is a major win for West Valley wages.

4. Microsoft's continued West Valley expansion

Microsoft has been quietly building out their data center footprint in El Mirage and Goodyear for years. By the end of 2026, Microsoft projects 763 full time employees and contractors will work across its operational facilities in Arizona. Since 2019, Microsoft has supported 93 projects with 60 partners in the Phoenix West Valley with a total investment of over $3 million. Microsoft datacenters provided $845 million in total regional economic activity that supports local government services from 2018 to 2023.

Smaller numbers than the headline grabbers above, but these are sticky, high paying tech jobs that keep adding up year after year.

5. Burlington Stores distribution center in Buckeye

Burlington Stores recently broke ground on a future distribution center in Buckeye. Distribution centers are not glamorous, but they are reliable. Each one of these facilities employs hundreds of people in stable warehouse and logistics roles with benefits. 

6. Established West Valley employers that keep growing

Don't sleep on the existing players. Companies like Campbell Soup Company in Goodyear, NASCAR at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, and SRP continue to hire across the region. Costco, DICK'S Sporting Goods distribution, and Walmart are all actively staffing across Goodyear, Avondale, and Buckeye.

The West Valley employment base is no longer just one or two big names. It's becoming layered and diversified, which is exactly what you want if you're trying to build a resilient regional economy.

The bigger picture: Arizona is adding jobs faster than almost anywhere

Zoom out for a second. Arizona is projected to add about 450,000 jobs between 2024 and 2034, representing a 1.2% annual growth rate that significantly outpaces the national projection of just 0.3%. I

And tech specifically? CompTIA estimates Arizona will add 4,021 new tech jobs in 2026, growing the state's tech labor force to more than 212,000 workers. Arizona's tech industry has an estimated impact of $39.3 billion on the state's economy.

The West Valley is taking a disproportionate share of those gains. That's not a guess. That's where the mega projects are landing.

What this means for you

If you're job hunting: Start watching Amkor, the data center academies at Glendale and Estrella Mountain Community Colleges, and the existing distribution centers. The training pipelines are being built right now for jobs that don't exist yet.

If you're a business owner: The customer base in your zip code is about to get a serious income boost. People making $90K to $148K spend differently than people making $45K. Position accordingly.

If you own a home in the West Valley: You're sitting on what's becoming one of the most strategically valuable employment corridors in the Southwest. Don't sell early just because someone offered you a number that felt big.

If you're commuting east every day: You may want to start watching for openings closer to home. The math on a shorter commute and a higher salary is pretty hard to argue with.

The bottom line

The West Valley isn't catching up to the rest of Metro Phoenix anymore. In a lot of ways, it's leading. Semiconductor manufacturing, data center infrastructure, advanced manufacturing megasites, and a hospital corridor are all converging at the same time.

The next five years out here are going to look nothing like the last five. And the jobs report we'll publish in 2027 is going to read very differently than this one.

Whether you're buying your first home, your forever home, or somewhere in between, I'd love to help. Call or text me at (623) 887-4572, email[email protected], or send a DM on Instagram@keys.credit. No pressure, no pushy sales pitch, just honest answers from someone who actually lives and works in the West Valley.

Keylani OrtizREALTOR® | Keys Real Estate Services Serving Buckeye, Goodyear, Surprise, and the entire West Valley Hablamos español