Pima County economic data, statistics & info

UNEMPLOYMENT: The annual unemployment rate in Pima County in 2022 was 3.8%, down from 5.1% in 2021 and 7.6% in 2020, the first year of the COVID pandemic. Municipality unemployment rates in 2022 were:

• Marana: 2.9% (down from 3.5% in 2021 and 5.5% in 2020)
• Oro Valley: 3.6% (down from 4.1% in 2021 and 6.4% in 2020)
• Sahuarita: 4.0% (down from 4.4% in 2021 and 6.2% in 2020)
• South Tucson: 8.7% (down from 11.5% in 2021 and 16.5% in 2020)
• Tucson: 4.0% (down from 5.7% in 2021 and 8.4% in 2020)

NONFARM PAYROLL EMPLOYMENT: The number of nonfarm jobs in Pima County was up by 12,200 in 2022, for job growth of 3.2% (based on average monthly job numbers). The private sector added 10,500 jobs (3.4%) while government added 1,800 jobs (2.4%).

WAGES: The average annual wage in Pima County in 2022 was $56,206 ($27.02 hourly), which was 95.9% of the Arizona statewide average wage of $58,620 ($28.18 hourly) and 90.8% of the national average wage of $61,900 ($29.76 hourly). Pima County's average wage in 2022 was up 6.1% from 2021. 

In 2022, Pima County's retail sales were up 5.9%, following growth of 16.6% in 2021. Restaurant & bar sales were up 15.9% in 2022, on the heels of a 23.8% increase in 2021 (following a COVID-related drop of 14.3% in 2020, the first year of the pandemic). Pima County's hotel/motel receipts were up 37.6% in 2022, after rebounding 35.3% in 2021 (from a COVID-related decline of 33.0% in 2020).

TOURISM VISITOR COUNTS: In 2022, visits to Catalina State Park in Pima County were down 0.3%. Annual visits were up 6.1% in 2021, after falling 3.1% in 2020, the first year of the COVID pandemic. Visits to Saguaro National Park were down 15.9% in 2022. Annual visits were up 41.7% in 2021, following a COVID-related decline of 25.3% in 2020. In 2022, visits to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument fell by 30.1%, following a 0.3% decline in 2021 and a 27.2% drop in 2020, the first year of the pandemic.

TRAVEL IMPACTS: According to research by Dean Runyan Associates for Arizona Office of Tourism, Pima County's travel industry (including business and leisure travel) generated $3.3 billion in direct spending countywide in 2022, up 17.5% from 2021 (the year 2021 saw a 73.2% increase, rebounding from a 49.2% COVID-related drop in 2020, the first year of the pandemic). Travel-related direct spending in 2022 was at a record high (with records back to 1998, not adjusted for inflation). Pima County's travel industry supported 21,700 jobs countywide in 2022 (up 7.7% from the year prior) with household earnings of $812.0 million (up 14.4% from 2021), according to the study.

BORDER CROSSINGS: In 2022, pedestrian border crossings from Mexico into the US at the Lukeville port of entry in Pima County more than doubled from the year prior, up 102.2% after increasing 68.1% in 2021. This was after falling 59.4% in 2020 due to COVID travel restrictions. After a strong rebound, pedestrian crossings in 2022 were at their highest level since 2009 (after setting a record low in 2020, with records back to 1996). The number of vehicle passengers crossing into the US at Lukeville was up 18.2% in 2022, on the heels of a 55.4% jump in 2021. The rebound came after a 52.3% decline in 2020 (setting a new record low that year). Despite the rebound, personal vehicle crossings in Lukeville in 2022 remained below pre-COVID levels. At the much smaller Sasabe port of entry, also in Pima County, pedestrian crossings in 2022 were down 7.2% after jumping 77.7% in 2021 and 6.5% in 2020 (despite the COVID pandemic). Vehicle passenger numbers through Sasabe were up 3.8% in 2022 after increasing 21.7% in 2021 (following a 26.5% COVID-related drop in 2020, the first year of the pandemic). (See downloadable spreadsheets below for current and historical border crossing data for bus passengers, buses, pedestrians, personal vehicle passengers, personal vehicles, truck containers [empty and loaded], and trucks at the Lukeville and Sasabe ports of entry.)

INTERNATIONAL TRADE: In 2022, the value of international trade (imports and exports) passing through Pima County's Lukeville and Sasabe ports of entry totaled $8.2 million, up 26.5% from 2021. Exports totaled $5.1 million, up 42.4%, while imports came in at $3.1 million, up 7.1%.

BANK DEPOSITS: In 2022, bank deposits in Pima County (as of June 30) were up 11.7% from 2021. The year 2022 was the third straight year of double-digit percent increases in deposits with growth of 20.0% in 2020 and 10.0% in 2021, respectively. The 20% jump in deposits in 2020 was the fastest rate of increase on record (with records back to 1994). Deposits in recent years were helped along by economic stimulus payments and other COVID programs.

BANKRUPTCY FILINGS: In 2022, there were 1,331 bankruptcy filings in Pima County, down 4.7% from 2021. Filings fell steeply in 2020 and 2021, helped along by COVID programs, including mortgage relief and the eviction moratorium. Bankruptcy filings in Pima County peaked at 2,481 in 2019, the year before the start of the pandemic.