Overview
Pima County is home to 1,049,947 people (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), making it one of the largest counties in the United States, with a population higher than 99% of all U.S. counties. The county seat is Tucson, Arizona's second-largest city.
The county's median household income sits at $67,929 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), placing it above 62% of U.S. counties but below the national median of roughly $75,000. Its median home value of $286,900 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023) ranks higher than 83% of counties nationwide. With a labor force of 502,936 (BLS LAUS, 2025) and an average adjusted gross income of $74,443 per tax return (IRS SOI, 2021), Pima County carries the economic weight of a mid-sized metro area.
The poverty rate is 14.0% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), above the national average. That rate, paired with relatively moderate incomes and rising home values, sets up a tension that runs through much of the county's data.
Demographics
Pima County's median age is 39.7 years (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), younger than about two-thirds of U.S. counties. The University of Arizona, located in Tucson, likely contributes to that figure.
The population is 51.2% white, 36.1% Hispanic or Latino, 3.3% Black, 2.9% Asian, and 2.0% Native American (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). The Hispanic share ranks higher than 94% of U.S. counties, reflecting the county's position along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Native American population, while small in percentage terms, ranks above 90% of counties nationally, consistent with the Tohono O'odham Nation's presence in the region.
More than a third of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, at 35.9% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). That's above 88% of U.S. counties and among the top in Arizona, again reflecting the university's pull.
Education
Pima County's graduation rate is 70.0% (Education Data Portal, 2019), a number that stands out for the wrong reasons. It falls below roughly 97% of U.S. counties and ranks last among Arizona counties in this dataset. The national average is approximately 87%. This is the single weakest metric in the county's profile.
Per-pupil spending was $11,910 (Education Data Portal, 2020), well below the national average of about $15,000 and lower than 84% of U.S. counties. The student-teacher ratio of 16.4:1 (Education Data Portal, 2021) is slightly above the national average of 15.5:1 but sits in the middle of Arizona's range.
Total enrollment reached 141,318 students (Education Data Portal, 2021), placing the county in the top 2% nationally by school district size. Low spending per student in a district this large raises questions about resource allocation.
Economy & Employment
The unemployment rate is 4.1% (BLS LAUS, 2025), with 20,760 residents out of work in a labor force of 502,936. That rate is higher than about 60% of U.S. counties, slightly elevated but not an outlier.
Median household income of $67,929 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023) places Pima County in the upper-middle range nationally but in the upper third within Arizona. Per capita income reaches $38,564 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), higher than 74% of U.S. counties.
The gap between median household income and per capita income suggests many households rely on multiple earners. Average AGI of $74,443 per return (IRS SOI, 2021) and average total income of $75,103 (IRS SOI, 2021) roughly align with the Census household figures, though the IRS data is two years older.
The 14.0% poverty rate (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023) means roughly 147,000 residents live below the poverty line. Pima County's poverty rate is higher than 58% of U.S. counties and sits in the bottom third of Arizona counties. A county with above-average education attainment and below-average poverty performance presents an unusual combination.
Housing & Cost of Living
Median home value in Pima County was $286,900 (Census ACS, 2023), higher than 83% of U.S. counties. Median household income ranks above only 62% of counties. Housing costs are outrunning incomes here, and the gap is visible across both ownership and renting.
Renters face the same pressure. Median gross rent was $1,154 (Census ACS, 2023), also higher than 83% of counties. HUD's 2025 Fair Market Rents put a two-bedroom at $1,373 and a three-bedroom at $1,924. At the county's median income of $67,929, a two-bedroom at FMR runs about 24% of gross monthly pay. A three-bedroom requires roughly $77,000 to stay under 30%. The county median falls short of that.
Supply is tighter than it looks. The vacancy rate is 9.3% (Census ACS, 2023), lower than 76% of U.S. counties. Three-quarters of counties carry more vacancy relative to their housing stock. With 475,378 total units and 44,413 vacant (Census ACS, 2023), some of that slack reflects Tucson's seasonal and student population rather than soft demand.
The county's 14% poverty rate (Census ACS, 2023) makes the ownership math harder still. At $286,900, the median home is well beyond reach for a significant share of residents. If values continue rising faster than incomes, the divide between owners and renters will deepen.
Health & Wellness
Obesity affects 32.2% of adults in Pima County (CDC PLACES, 2023), a rate lower than 88% of U.S. counties. For a county of its size, that's a relatively favorable number. Diabetes prevalence is 9.5% (CDC PLACES, 2023), also below the national midpoint and lower than most Arizona counties.
High blood pressure affects 30.1% of adults (CDC PLACES, 2023), below the national median. Depression prevalence is 23.6% (CDC PLACES, 2023), near the national midpoint. Poor mental health days affect 17.3% of adults, lower than about 76% of counties.
The uninsured rate is 13.0% (CDC PLACES, 2023), higher than 72% of U.S. counties. That's a significant gap. Arizona expanded Medicaid under the ACA, but coverage still hasn't reached a large share of Pima County's population.
Annual checkup rates sit at 73.3% (CDC PLACES, 2023), below about 69% of U.S. counties. Cholesterol screening reaches 84.0% (CDC PLACES, 2023), above the national midpoint. Preventive care usage is mixed: screening rates are reasonable, but routine visit rates lag behind.
Poor physical health affects 13.0% of adults (CDC PLACES, 2023), near the lower end nationally. The county's health profile overall skews better than most of the country on chronic conditions but worse on insurance coverage and routine care access.
Climate & Natural Disasters
Pima County is one of the driest counties in the country. Annual precipitation averages just 8.8 inches (NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025), lower than 99% of U.S. counties. That's not a rounding error. It's a defining condition for how people live and what risks they face here.
Temperatures run hot. The average high is 82.5°F (NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025), higher than 97% of U.S. counties, and lows average 53.7°F. The overall annual average of 67.7°F (NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025) ranks above 91% of U.S. counties. Snowfall is negligible at 2.6 inches per year (NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025).
The natural disaster record reflects that climate. FEMA has declared 14 disasters in the county (FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026), lower than 80% of U.S. counties. That's relatively low. But the breakdown matters: nine of those declarations were flood events, running from 1966 through 1993. The Santa Cruz River and its tributaries can turn dangerous fast when monsoon storms hit sun-baked ground.
Fire has replaced flood as the more recent threat. Three fire-related FEMA declarations have been issued since 2003, including a fire management declaration in June 2020. The combination of heat, drought conditions, and dry vegetation makes wildfire a persistent risk for communities on the county's edges and in the surrounding mountain ranges.
Climate projections consistently point toward hotter, drier summers in the Sonoran Desert. For a county that already sits at both extremes nationally, that trajectory matters for water supply planning, wildfire preparedness, and the basic livability math for people considering a move here.
Financial Profile
Average adjusted gross income was $74,443 per return in 2021 (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021), higher than 76% of U.S. counties. That's above the midpoint but not at the level of the Sun Belt's higher-income metros. Total AGI across the county reached $36.6 billion (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021), reflecting a large tax base: 491,310 returns filed that year, ranking 98th nationally (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021).
Where the income profile gets more distinctive is in its retirement concentration. Pima County had 255,805 Social Security beneficiaries in 2024 (SSA OASDI, 2024), higher than 99% of U.S. counties. Tucson has drawn retirees for decades, and the financial profile reflects that. A significant share of household income here flows through fixed benefits rather than wages.
Banking activity is thin relative to the county's scale. FDIC data shows 6 bank branches holding $465.6 million in deposits (FDIC Summary of Deposits, 2023), ranking 36th and 46th nationally on those measures. For a county with nearly half a million tax returns, both figures are low.
The income picture points in two directions at once: a broad, middle-income working base and a large retiree population reliant on Social Security. As housing costs rise and fixed benefits lose purchasing power, that second group faces a tighter squeeze each year.
Key Comparisons
Pima County's data tells different stories depending on which benchmarks you use.
Against the nation, the county performs well on education attainment (88th nationally), obesity rates (lower than 88% of counties), and commute times (shorter than 60%). It performs poorly on graduation rates (bottom 3%), per-pupil spending (bottom 16%), and the uninsured rate (higher than 72% of counties).
Within Arizona, Pima County ranks in the upper third for income, education, and most health metrics. It ranks last for high school graduation rates and in the bottom tier for per-pupil spending. Its vacancy rate is among the lowest in the state, suggesting tighter housing conditions than most Arizona counties.
The core tension in Pima County's profile: it has a well-educated adult population but significantly underperforms on K-12 outcomes. A county where 35.9% of adults hold bachelor's degrees but only 70% of students graduate high school is one where educational attainment may be driven more by in-migration than by local schools. That gap between adult education and K-12 performance is one of the widest in the dataset.
Housing costs are moderate by national standards but rising. A median home value of $286,900 paired with a median income of $67,929 yields a price-to-income ratio of about 4.2, above the traditional 3.0 affordability benchmark.
Data Sources
- Census ACS 5-Year, 2023: Population, income, housing, demographics, education attainment, commute times, poverty rate
- BLS LAUS, 2025: Unemployment rate, labor force, employment counts
- CDC PLACES, 2023: Health metrics including obesity, diabetes, mental health, insurance coverage, preventive care
- HUD Fair Market Rents, 2025: Fair market rent by bedroom count
- FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026: Disaster declarations and history
- IRS Statistics of Income, 2021: Tax returns, adjusted gross income, total income
- FDIC Summary of Deposits, 2023: Bank branch counts and total deposits
- NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025: Temperature and precipitation averages
- SSA OASDI, 2024: Social Security beneficiary counts
- USDA Census of Agriculture, 2022: Data not available for Pima County
- Education Data Portal, 2021: Per-pupil spending, enrollment, student-teacher ratio, graduation rate