In Maricopa County, Arizona, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Maricopa County, 22.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 70% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Maricopa County's score
In Maricopa County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 76.3. About one in four renters (23.9%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 82% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 63.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Maricopa 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.
Maricopa County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($90,919, 2024) and people with a disability (12.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.3 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 rent23.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.9% · fiscal year 202770th percentile
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- 63.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.3% · August 202554th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people185.9 · 202571st percentile
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- 53.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202560th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.3% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 47.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202655th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.0% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
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- 30.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.4% · 202425th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability12.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- People without health insurance10.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$90,919 · 202410th 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 Maricopa 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 Maricopa County, 16.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Maricopa County
Arizona
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Maricopa County had its largest rise, from 12.2% in 2004 to 17.5% in 2009.
In Maricopa County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 16.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Maricopa County, Arizona, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Maricopa County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.6% in 2010 to 9.1% in 2011.
The share of households in Maricopa County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 8.6%
Low on the chart: 6.5% 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, Maricopa County, Arizona.
How Maricopa County has changed
Maricopa County's population had its largest rise, from 2,475,159 in 1994 to 3,004,985 in 1999.
Maricopa County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 4,673,096, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 4,035,496. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Maricopa County, Arizona.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Maricopa County more than doubled to 2,289,324, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 1,548,950. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Maricopa County, Arizona.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.9% | 2024 10.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,746 | 2024 $90,919 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Maricopa County's history
1871
On February 12, 1871, the territorial legislature created Maricopa County by dividing Yavapai County. Wikipedia
2006
A thunderstorm in July 2006 did $150 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Hail in October 2010 did $1.8 billion in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Hail in October 2010 did $900 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Hail in October 2010 did $110 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 4,420,568, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1966
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Maricopa County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Maricopa County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Maricopa County, five score higher. Of the group, Maricopa County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Gila County gets the largest, at 43.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gila County, AZ | 80 | 19.1% | 43.0% |
| La Paz County, AZ | 76 | 18.7% | 43.0% |
| Yuma County, AZ | 71 | 16.6% | 28.2% |
| Pinal County, AZ | 70 | 11.0% | 26.2% |
| Pima County, AZ | 69 | 13.8% | 26.0% |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 56 | 10.4% | 16.1% |
| Yavapai County, AZ | 51 | 9.8% | 31.4% |
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 Maricopa County the poorest county in Arizona?
No, Maricopa County's poverty rate was 10.4% in 2024, 13th 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, Maricopa County ranks 13th of 15 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Maricopa 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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Administration of Resources and Choices (ARC)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Chicanos Por LA Causa, Phoenix
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Credit Advisors Foundation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Legal Services (CLS)
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 Maricopa 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 Maricopa County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.