Unemployment in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties
In Santa Cruz County, 7.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Santa Cruz County's score
In Santa Cruz County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.0. Income and the safety net comes next, at 71.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Santa Cruz 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.
Santa Cruz County does better than most counties on one measure: people with a disability (13.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year7.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202697th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.0% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
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- 71.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.4% · 202477th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.5% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability13.3% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- People without health insurance15.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,125 · 202477th percentile
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- 70.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.4% · second quarter of 202654th percentile
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- 66.6 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 rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.9% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
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- 66.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.5% · August 202558th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people199.4 · 202574th 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Santa Cruz County
Arizona
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Santa Cruz County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Santa Cruz County, Arizona, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Santa Cruz County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (11.5% in 2009) to 15.7% in 2010.
The share of households in Santa Cruz County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen to 23.9%
Low on the chart: 11.5% 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, Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
How Santa Cruz County has changed
Santa Cruz County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size, reaching 50,508, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 28,781. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Santa Cruz County rose by about a third to 14,194, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 14,194. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.4% | 2025 6.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.2% | 2024 17.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,217 | 2024 $57,125 |
The table uses 6.8% for 2025; the score uses 7.1% 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 Santa Cruz County's history
1853
Gadsden Purchase 1853 made Nogales part of United States. Wikipedia
1899
Formed March 15, 1899, out of what was then Pima County. Wikipedia
2004
A flash flood in July 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in July 2008 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 47,669, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in July 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Santa Cruz County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Santa Cruz County beside its neighbors
Santa Cruz County scores higher than all two counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Santa Cruz County ranks 2nd of the three; Cochise County is highest, at 38.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz County, AZ | 88 | 17.4% | 27.4% |
| Cochise County, AZ | 71 | 14.5% | 38.4% |
| Pima County, AZ | 69 | 13.8% | 26.0% |
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 Santa Cruz County the poorest county in Arizona?
No, Santa Cruz County's poverty rate was 17.4% in 2024, 6th 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, Santa Cruz County ranks 3rd of 15 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Santa Cruz 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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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.
Download the CSV for Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.