In Coconino County, Arizona, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Coconino County, 27.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Coconino County's score
In Coconino County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 91.0. Jobs come next, at 67.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Coconino 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.
Coconino County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (55.4, 2025) and people with a disability (13.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.0 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent25.9% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.8% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 67.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.5% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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- 56.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.9% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.6% · second quarter of 202644th percentile
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- 49.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.2% · 202466th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.0% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- People without health insurance11.0% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,564 · 202430th percentile
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- 34.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.1% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people55.4 · 202511th 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 Coconino 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 Coconino County, 14.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Coconino County
Arizona
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Coconino County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Coconino County, Arizona, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Coconino County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.8% in 2010 to 10.8% in 2011.
The share of households in Coconino County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.9% 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, Coconino County, Arizona.
How Coconino County has changed
Coconino County's population had its largest rise, from 48,200 in 1969 to 64,831 in 1974.
Coconino County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 145,161
High on the chart: 145,975 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Coconino County, Arizona.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Coconino County nearly doubled to 66,297, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 66,297. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Coconino County, Arizona.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.5% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.6% | 2024 15.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,450 | 2024 $74,564 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Coconino County's history
1891
Coconino County was formed in 1891 with its seat designated as Flagstaff. Wikipedia
1997
A flash flood in August 1997 killed 11 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flash flood in September 1997 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in August 2001 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Lightning in July 2013 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 145,101, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1970
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Coconino County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Coconino County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Coconino County, in Arizona and Utah, three score higher. Of the group, Coconino County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Navajo County gets the largest, at 45.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navajo County, AZ | 89 | 22.7% | 45.8% |
| Mohave County, AZ | 83 | 14.6% | 36.3% |
| Gila County, AZ | 80 | 19.1% | 43.0% |
| Coconino County, AZ | 66 | 15.2% | 20.8% |
| San Juan County, UT | 62 | 19.5% | 29.6% |
| Yavapai County, AZ | 51 | 9.8% | 31.4% |
| Kane County, UT | 17 | 8.8% | 24.7% |
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 Coconino County the poorest county in Arizona?
No, Coconino County's poverty rate was 15.2% in 2024, 8th 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, Coconino County ranks 11th of 15 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Coconino 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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Housing Solutions of Northern Arizona, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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DNA-People's Legal Services
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 Coconino 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 Coconino County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.