Unemployment in Yuma County, Arizona, is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Yuma County, 14.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Yuma County's score
In Yuma County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 83.2. Unemployment averaged 14.7%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 99% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 63.8.
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.
Yuma County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (13.6%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a car or retail loan behind (4.7%, August 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Yuma 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.
- 83.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.5% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average14.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202699th percentile
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- 63.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line23.1% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,906 · 202455th percentile
- People below the poverty line16.6% · 202473rd percentile
- People without health insurance14.0% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 59.2 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 income23.0% · fiscal year 202771st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
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- 56.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.4% · Q4 202562nd percentile
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- 54.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.4% · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people142.6 · 202557th percentile
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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 Yuma 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
Yuma County
Arizona
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Yuma County in 2024, pay from work was 58 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 28 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 6 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Yuma County, benefit checks rose from 6 to 28 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Yuma County, Arizona: 28.2% and 57.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 28.2% of all personal income in Yuma 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 Yuma County, 20.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Yuma County has changed
The number of people living in Yuma County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 59,800 to 220,310. The number of jobs located there grew by about 84% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 20.6% in 1990 to 14.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 59,800 | 2024 220,310 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 39,066 | 2024 71,978 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 20.6% | 2025 14.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.1% | 2024 16.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $20,972 | 2024 $64,906 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 6.4% | 2024 28.2% |
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 Yuma County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 203,881, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1982
Yuma County was one of four original Arizona counties created by the 1st Arizona Territorial Legislature; original boundaries remained until 1982 when La Paz County was created. Wikipedia
1993
Thunderstorm wind: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Thunderstorm wind: $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Thunderstorm wind: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Thunderstorm wind: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1983
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Yuma County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Yuma County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Yuma County, in Arizona and California, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Yuma County ranks 3rd of the five; La Paz County is highest, at 43.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial County, CA | 89 | 18.8% | 30.0% |
| La Paz County, AZ | 74 | 18.7% | 43.0% |
| Yuma County, AZ | 72 | 16.6% | 28.2% |
| Pima County, AZ | 70 | 13.8% | 26.0% |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 58 | 10.4% | 16.1% |
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 Yuma County the poorest county in Arizona?
No, Yuma County's poverty rate was 16.6% in 2024, 7th 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, Yuma County ranks 8th of 15 in the state.
Yuma County in photographs
Places in Yuma County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Plate 17.
Photo: Uncredited photograph/U.S. Department of Agriculture via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Center pivot irrigation on wheat growing in Yuma County, Arizona.
Photo: Laura Wilson farm , USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Yuma County, Arizona: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Yuma County, Arizona?
16.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 23.1%.
Is Yuma County the poorest county in Arizona?
No, Yuma County's poverty rate was 16.6% in 2024, 7th 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, Yuma County ranks 8th of 15 in the state.
What is the population of Yuma County, Arizona?
About 220,310 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 203,881, 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 Yuma 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.
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Western Arizona Council of Governments (WACOG)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Three Rivers Legal Services
Legal aid
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DNA People's Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 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 Yuma County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.