Unemployment in Mohave County, Arizona, is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Mohave 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 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mohave County's score
In Mohave County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 87.2. Income and the safety net comes next, at 69.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mohave 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.
Mohave County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.2 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 working27.1% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
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- 69.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.0% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability21.9% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- People without health insurance9.5% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,016 · 202467th percentile
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- 67.8 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 rent19.2% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.2% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
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- 63.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202568th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.1% · second quarter of 202660th percentile
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- 60.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.0% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people153.8 · 202561st 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 Mohave 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 Mohave County, 32.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mohave County
Arizona
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Mohave County had its largest rise, from 24.7% in 2004 to 32.8% in 2009.
In Mohave County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 36.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Mohave County, Arizona, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mohave County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.8% in 2011 to 15.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Mohave County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 10.0% 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, Mohave County, Arizona.
How Mohave County has changed
Mohave County's population had its largest rise, from 87,040 in 1989 to 122,906 in 1994.
Mohave County's population grew to about nine times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 226,479, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 202,280. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mohave County, Arizona.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Mohave County doubled to 56,245, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 52,336. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mohave County, Arizona.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.4% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,839 | 2024 $61,016 |
The table uses 5.1% 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 Mohave County's history
1864
Mohave County was one of four original Arizona Counties created by the 1st Arizona Territorial Legislature, with territory originally defined as being west of longitude 113° 20' and north of the Bill Williams River. Wikipedia
1997
A flash flood in August 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in July 2007 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A flash flood in July 2012 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flash flood in September 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 213,267, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mohave County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mohave County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Mohave County, in Arizona, Nevada, California and Utah, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mohave County ranks 2nd of the nine; La Paz County is highest, at 43.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County, NV | 87 | 12.5% | 17.5% |
| Mohave County, AZ | 83 | 14.6% | 36.3% |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 81 | 12.6% | 23.6% |
| La Paz County, AZ | 76 | 18.7% | 43.0% |
| Coconino County, AZ | 66 | 15.2% | 20.8% |
| Yavapai County, AZ | 51 | 9.8% | 31.4% |
| Lincoln County, NV | 50 | 13.2% | 28.3% |
| Washington County, UT | 38 | 9.3% | 21.5% |
| 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 Mohave County the poorest county in Arizona?
No, Mohave County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 9th 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, Mohave County ranks 4th of 15 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mohave 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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Western Arizona Council of Governments (WACOG) - Kingman Branch Office
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 Mohave 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 Mohave County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.