Santa Cruz County economic data, statistics & info

Santa Cruz County's population as of Census 2020 was 47,669, up 0.5% from 2010. Santa Cruz County's population is expected to reach 50,794 in 2030 and 53,272 in 2060, according to projections by Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.

See spreadsheets for county, city, town & place data.

HOME PRICES & DAYS ON MARKET 

For the most recent housing market data and trends (median listing home price, median listing home price per square foot, median sold home price, sale-to-list price ratio, median days on market, and more), select a geography:

• Santa Cruz County
• Nogales
• Patagonia
• Rio Rico

NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION 

In 2023, there were 301 building permits issued for new single-family residential homes in Santa Cruz County, down 5.6% from 319 in 2022 (the most since 2007). Despite the decline, the number of building permits in 2023 was the second-highest since 2007. For the most recent monthly data for the current year, click here. 

TOURISM VISITOR COUNTS

• In the first 6 months of 2024, visits to Patagonia Lake State Park were down 5.8% from the same period of 2023. That followed annual increases of 14.1% in 2023 and 5.2% in 2022. 
• Visits to Tubac Presidio State Historic Park were down 23.1% in the first half of the year, after falling 5.4% in 2023 and 2.3% in 2022 (that followed a 39.7% COVID-related decline in 2020 and a 40.2% rebound in 2021). Annual visits in 2023 were down 22.1% from 2019, the year prior to the pandemic. 
• Visits to Tumacacori National Historic Park were up 1.7% in the January-through-June comparisons, after falling 2.4% for the year in 2023 (that followed increases of 16.3% in 2022 and 40.6% in 2021, rebounding from a 40.2% drop in 2020, the first year of the pandemic). Annual visits in 2023 were down 2.3% from the pre-pandemic year 2019.

See spreadsheets, below, for annual Santa Cruz County national and state park visitor counts by attraction.

TRAVEL IMPACTS

• According to research by Dean Runyan Associates for Arizona Office of Tourism, Santa Cruz County's travel industry (including business and leisure travel) generated $287.9 million in direct spending countywide in 2023, up 10.7% from 2022 (that followed annual increases of 61.2% in 2021 and 36.4% in 2022, rebounding from a 49.5% COVID-related drop in 2020, the first year of the pandemic). Travel-related direct spending in 2023 was at its highest level since 2014. Santa Cruz County's travel industry supported 1,900 jobs countywide in 2023 (up 4.7% from the year prior) with household earnings of $58.1 million (up 9.3% from 2022), according to the study.

BORDER CROSSINGS

• Pedestrian crossings: In 2024, pedestrian crossings into the United States at the Nogales Port of Entry totaled 3.3 million, up 11.0% from the year prior. That followed annual growth of 23.7% in 2021, 46.1% in 2022, and 14.4% in 2023 (after a COVID-related drop of 58.5% in 2020, the first year of the pandemic). Despite strong increases in recent years, pedestrian crossings through the Nogales port in 2024 were still down 4.7% from 2019, the year prior to the pandemic.
• Vehicle passenger crossings: The number of vehicle passengers entering the United States through the Nogales port in 2024 totaled 7.4 million, up 2.9% from the year prior. That followed growth of 31.2% in 2021, 51.6% in 2022, and 0.8% in 2023 (that was after a COVID-related decline of 47.3% in 2020). Vehicle passenger crossings through the Nogales port in 2024 were up 8.8% from 2019, the year prior to 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 Nogales Port of Entry.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

•  In 2024, the value of international trade (imports and exports) passing through Santa Cruz County's Nogales port of entry totaled $34.5 billion, up 8.2% from the year prior. That followed growth of 10.6% in 2021, 16.4% in 2022, and 9.7% in 2023 (after a COVID-related decline of 15.8% in 2020, the first year of the pandemic). The total value of trade through the Nogales port in 2024 was up 28.7% from 2019, the year prior to the pandemic. 
• In 2024, exports totaled $10.9 billion, up 5.0% from 2023, while imports came in at $23.6 billion, up 9.8%. 

See downloadable spreadsheets below for current and historical international trade data (imports, exports, and total trade) for the Nogales port of entry.