Pima County, Arizona
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Pima County. Population: 1,063,162 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Pima County, AZ registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 56.3 — 1122nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Arizona, it ranks 10th of 15 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Pima County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverDebt & Delinquency
Community Vulnerability
Employment & Wages
Income & Poverty
How Pima County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pima County, AZ | 56.3 | Elevated | — |
| Santa Cruz County, AZ | 66.5 | Serious Stress | +10.3 |
| Yuma County, AZ | 64.0 | Elevated | +7.7 |
| Cochise County, AZ | 63.0 | Elevated | +6.7 |
| Pinal County, AZ | 55.9 | Elevated | -0.4 |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 50.1 | Elevated | -6.2 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside County, CA | 56.0 | Elevated | -0.2 |
| Tarrant County, TX | 56.6 | Elevated | +0.3 |
| Kings County, NY | 56.8 | Elevated | +0.5 |
| Miami-Dade County, FL | 57.5 | Elevated | +1.2 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | 54.6 | Elevated | -1.7 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Pima County as a CSV file.
Resources
Pima County scores in the Elevated zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Pima County, Arizona?
Pima County has a County Distress Index score of 56.3 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,122nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 10th in Arizona out of 15 counties.
What drives financial distress in Pima County?
The primary driver of distress in Pima County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 80.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Pima County compare to neighboring counties?
Pima County (56.3) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Santa Cruz County, AZ (66.5); Yuma County, AZ (64.0); Cochise County, AZ (63.0).
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Pima County?
Pima County, Arizona has a population of approximately 1,063,162 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.