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 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% 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. Unemployment averaged 7.1%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 97% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 75.4.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Santa Cruz County does better than most counties on one measure: people with a disability (13.3%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Santa Cruz County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 91.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.0% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average7.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202697th percentile
-
- 75.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.4% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.6% · Q4 202570th percentile
-
- 71.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line26.5% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability13.3% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,125 · 202477th percentile
- People below the poverty line17.4% · 202477th percentile
- People without health insurance15.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
-
- 66.6 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.9% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
-
- 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
-
Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Santa Cruz County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
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 in 2024, pay from work was 57 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 27 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Santa Cruz County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 27 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Santa Cruz County, Arizona: 27.4% and 56.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 27.4% of all personal income in Santa Cruz County, Arizona (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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.
How Santa Cruz County has changed
The number of people living in Santa Cruz County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 13,700 to 50,508. The number of jobs located there grew by about 29% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 13.4% in 1990 to 6.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 13,700 | 2024 50,508 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 10,623 | 2024 13,675 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.4% | 2025 6.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.2% | 2024 17.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $20,217 | 2024 $57,125 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 8.5% | 2024 27.4% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Santa Cruz County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 47,669, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Flash flood: $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flash flood: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1977
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Santa Cruz County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 89 | 17.4% | 27.4% |
| Cochise County, AZ | 71 | 14.5% | 38.4% |
| Pima County, AZ | 70 | 13.8% | 26.0% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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.
Santa Cruz County in photographs
Places in Santa Cruz County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Santa Cruz County courthouse, located at east corner of Court Street and Morley Avenue in Nogales, Arizona; seen from the northwest, from Morley.
S.R.
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenlund/ via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Santa Cruz County, Arizona: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Santa Cruz County, Arizona?
17.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 26.5%.
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.
What is the population of Santa Cruz County, Arizona?
About 50,508 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 47,669, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Santa Cruz County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
-
DNA People's Legal Services
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- 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.