Unemployment in Cochise County, Arizona, is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Cochise County, 6.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cochise County's score
In Cochise County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 88.8. Income and the safety net comes next, at 64.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cochise County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Cochise County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (5.3%, August 2025) and people with a car or retail loan behind (5.0%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202692nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 64.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.9% · 202464th percentile
- People with a disability19.2% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance8.3% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,975 · 202468th percentile
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- 58.6 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.9% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.7% · fiscal year 202768th percentile
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- 53.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.9% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people134 · 202553rd percentile
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- 47.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.9% · second quarter of 202648th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Cochise County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Cochise County, 24.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cochise County
Arizona
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cochise County had its largest rise, from 22.2% in 2004 to 27.9% in 2009.
In Cochise County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about six times its 1969 level, but pay from work still brings in 17% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Cochise County, Arizona, benefit checks' share of income grew to about six times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 38.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cochise County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 16.7% in 2019 to 14.9% in 2020.
The share of households in Cochise County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen to 14.9%
Low on the chart: 11.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cochise County, Arizona.
How Cochise County has changed
Cochise County's population had its largest rise, from 60,500 in 1969 to 76,165 in 1974.
Cochise County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 125,773
High on the chart: 130,081 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cochise County, Arizona.
The number of jobs located in Cochise County had its largest rise, from 31,440 in 2000 to 36,799 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Cochise County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 7% since
High on the chart: 37,401 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cochise County, Arizona.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.8% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,959 | 2024 $60,975 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 6.0% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Cochise County's history
1880
Copper, gold, and silver mining in Bisbee. Wikipedia
1881
Created February 1, 1881 from the eastern portion of Pima County. Wikipedia
1975
Phelps Dodge Corporation halted its Bisbee copper-mining operations. Wikipedia
1997
A flash flood in August 1997 killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A flash flood in July 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in August 2006 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 131,346. The 2020 Census counted 125,447, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2018
A flash flood in August 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cochise County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cochise County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Cochise County, in Arizona and New Mexico, two score higher. Of the group, Cochise County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (38.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz County, AZ | 88 | 17.4% | 27.4% |
| Hidalgo County, NM | 80 | 24.0% | 35.5% |
| Cochise County, AZ | 71 | 14.5% | 38.4% |
| Pima County, AZ | 69 | 13.8% | 26.0% |
| Graham County, AZ | 60 | 19.3% | 36.9% |
| Greenlee County, AZ | 28 | 9.8% | 25.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Cochise County the poorest county in Arizona?
No, Cochise County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 10th highest of 15 in Arizona (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Apache County, at 29.3%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Cochise County ranks 8th of 15 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cochise County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Southern Arizona Legal Aid (SALA)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Cochise County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Cochise County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.