Unemployment in Pima County, Arizona, is higher than in 78% of U.S. counties
In Pima County, 4.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 78% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pima County's score
In Pima County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 80.3. About one in four renters (24.9%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 86% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 64.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pima 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.
Pima County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($71,993, 2024) and people with a disability (15.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.3 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 rent24.9% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.4% · fiscal year 202774th percentile
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- 64.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202678th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
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- 60.6 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 people169.7 · 202566th percentile
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- 52.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.8% · second quarter of 202644th percentile
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- 48.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.8% · 202455th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.8% · 202453rd percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance8.6% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,993 · 202435th 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 Pima 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 Pima County, 21.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pima County
Arizona
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pima County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Pima County, Arizona, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pima County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 8.9% in 2009 to 13.4% in 2012, 1.5 points each year.
The share of households in Pima County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 8.9% 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, Pima County, Arizona.
How Pima County has changed
Pima County's population had its largest rise, from 345,000 in 1969 to 443,741 in 1974.
Pima County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 1,080,149, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 997,906. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pima County, Arizona.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Pima County rose by more than half to 387,065, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 297,784. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pima County, Arizona.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.4% | 2024 13.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,839 | 2024 $71,993 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Pima County's history
2003
A wildfire in June 2003 did $66 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A wildfire in July 2003 did $66 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in August 2008 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 1,043,433, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A thunderstorm in July 2024 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pima County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pima County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Pima County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pima County ranks 6th of the seven; Cochise County is highest, at 38.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz County, AZ | 88 | 17.4% | 27.4% |
| Yuma County, AZ | 71 | 16.6% | 28.2% |
| Cochise County, AZ | 71 | 14.5% | 38.4% |
| Pinal County, AZ | 70 | 11.0% | 26.2% |
| Pima County, AZ | 69 | 13.8% | 26.0% |
| Graham County, AZ | 60 | 19.3% | 36.9% |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 56 | 10.4% | 16.1% |
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 Pima County the poorest county in Arizona?
No, Pima County's poverty rate was 13.8% in 2024, 11th 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, Pima County ranks 10th of 15 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pima 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-tucson
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Pima County Community Land Trust (PCCLT)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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.
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 Pima County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.