Pima County
Pima County, located in southern Arizona, covers an area of approximately 9,200 square miles. The April 1, 2000, Census population count was 843,746, of which 305,059 resided in the unincorporated area. The majority of the population lives in the eastern half of the county, which contains all of the five incorporated jurisdictions, two Native American tribal reservation areas and a large, urbanized unincorporated area. Approximately 85 percent of the county’s land is federal, state or Native American owned.
In 2005, Pima County and the jurisdictions issued 12,509 new residential building permits, the highest number ever issued in a single year. In 2007, the figure was 5,297. The July 1, 2007, population estimate is 1,003,235, of which 360,365 live in unincorporated areas. Having passed the 1 million mark late in 2006, the unofficial estimates for 2008 are 1,023,320 and 367,501, respectively.
City of Tucson
The Census 2000 population of Tucson was 486,699, making it the 30th largest city in the nation. From incorporation in 1877, the city has grown from 2 square miles to over 227 square miles in area, the center of a metropolitan area of over 400 square miles. The second largest city in Arizona, Tucson’s mid-2007 population was 541,132 and the unofficial estimate for 2008 is 548,880.
Town of Oro Valley
Oro Valley is located approximately six miles north of Tucson and is part of the metropolitan region. Incorporated in 1974, it has expanded from 2.6 square miles to over 35 square miles. The Census 2000 population was 29,700 and the July 2007 official estimate was 42,551. The unofficial estimate for July 2008 is 43,610.
Town of Marana
Marana is located to the northwest of Tucson along I-10. Since incorporation in 1977 the town has grown from 10 to 118 square miles. Historically, a center of farming and ranching, its economy still has a large agricultural component. With a growth rate of 520 percent between 1990 and 2000, Marana experienced the highest growth rate of any Arizona city. The Census 2000 population was 13,556 and the July 2007 estimate was 32,274. The unofficial estimate for July 1, 2008, is 34,066.
Town of Sahuarita
Sahuarita, incorporated in 1994, is the newest jurisdiction in Pima County. It is located in the Santa Cruz Valley approximately 20 miles south of Tucson, and covers an area of about 30 square miles. The Census 2000 population of Sahuarita was just 3,242 increasing to an official estimate of 21,110 in July 2007. The unofficial estimate for July 1, 2008, is 23,409.
City of South Tucson
The City of South Tucson, which incorporated in 1938, is one square mile in area and is surrounded entirely by the City of Tucson. The highest population attained was approximately 7,000 in 1960. The Census 2000 count was 5,490 and the July 2006 official estimate, 5,805. The unofficial estimate for July 2007 is 5,854.
Tribal Lands
Pima County is home to two Native American Tribes: The Pascua Yaqui and the Tohono O’odham.
The Pascua Yaqui have a small reservation of 1.87 square miles to the southwest of the City of Tucson, but the people live throughout the county as well as locations in Pinal and Maricopa counties. The Census 2000 count for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona was 3,315; total tribal membership is estimated at 6,136.
The U.S. area (4,453 square miles and 10,787 persons) of the Tohono O’odham Nation covers much of western Pima County, portions of southwestern Pinal and southern Maricopa counties. The portion lying within Pima County totals 4,341 square miles. The capital city, Sells, had a Census 2000 population of 2,799. The Pima County portions of the Nation were enumerated in 2000 as having 9,545 persons. Total tribal enrollment is estimated as being over 23,890 persons.
Population Growth Pattern
The 1900 decennial census recorded 14,689 residents in Pima County. As new migrants arrived in Tucson they settled along the northern and southern corridors of State Highway 89/90; later arrivals moved steadily eastward. By 1970, development was constrained by federal lands to the east and development began to spread to the northwest. In 1970, the population center was located at Broadway Boulevard and Alvernon Way, it moved north to Sixth Street and Tucson Boulevard by 1980 and by 1990 was located near Sam Hughes Elementary School at Third Street and Norton Avenue. The northwestern growth continued through the 1990s and by 2000 the population was centered on the University of Arizona around First Street and Cherry Avenue. The earlier north-south pattern of expansion appears to be recurring and future development is expected to be strongly oriented around I-10 and I-19 corridors.
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Population Composition and Characteristics
The following data are from the 2006 American Community Survey:
Age and Sex
The 2006 population of Pima County had a median age of 36.6, slightly higher than the United States at 36.4. The age structure almost mirrors that of the general U.S. population, but with a slightly higher proportion aged over 65 (14.5 percent vs. 12.4 percent). Approximately 51 percent of the population is female and 49 percent male, reflecting the national structure and the higher survival rates of women relative to men.
Movement and Migration
In-migration is the primary driver of Arizona’s rapid population growth. In 2006, 78 percent of people (who were at least one-year old) were living in the same residence as one-year earlier. This indicates the county’s residents are more mobile than the U.S. population in general, which had a value of 83 percent for the same measure. During the past year, 15 percent of the population had moved within the county, 2 percent had moved to Pima County from another county within Arizona, 4 percent had moved from another state, and 1 percent had arrived from another country. This rate of in-migration to Pima County from other states is twice that of the national average.
Ethnicity and Race
According to the American Community Survey (2006), 32 percent of Pima County’s population is Hispanic and 52 percent is White-Nonhispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Of people reporting one-race alone, 73 percent are White; 3 percent are Black or African American; 3 percent are American Indian; 2.5 percent are Asian; less than 0.2 percent are Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; and 18 percent are of some other race.
Nativity and Language
In 2006, 13 percent of the people living in Pima County were foreign born; this is a slightly lower proportion than Arizona as a whole, 15 percent; and the same as the United States as a whole. The majority of Pima County residents are native U.S. citizens, 87 percent. Only 38 percent of the county’s 2006 residents were born in Arizona, reflecting the tendency for inmigration from other states, compared with 59 percent of U.S. residents who were born in their state of residence.
Among people aged at least five-years old living in the United States in 2006, 20 percent spoke a language other than English at home. This figure is much higher for Pima County at 28 percent. Spanish was spoken by 84 percent of the county residents speaking another language at home and 16 percent spoke another language; of these, only 35 percent reported that they did not speak English "very well" compared to 44 percent at both the state and national levels.
Households and Families
In 2006, there were 371,000 households in the county with an average household size of 2.5 people. Families make up 62 percent of these households - 45 percent being married-couple families and 17 percent other types of families. Nonfamily households make up 38 percent of the county’s households – primarily people living alone.
Education
In 2006, 86 percent of Pima County’s population aged 25 and over had at least graduated from high school and 30 percent had a bachelor’s degree or higher. This indicates that the county’s population is better educated than both the state and the nation as a whole, both of which have rates of 84 percent for high school graduates and 26 percent and 27 percent with bachelor’s degrees, respectively.
Economic Profile
In 2007, the civilian labor force of Pima County averaged 451,862 people. The Tucson metropolitan area average unemployment rate is lower than that of the state. The influences of tourism, education and retirement are reflected by a relatively high proportion of jobs in the service, retail trade and government sectors, and a lower proportion in manufacturing, wholesale trade, and financial, insurance and real estate. In 2007, Raytheon Missile Systems is the region’s largest employer, closely followed by the University of Arizona.
Income and Poverty
As of 2006, median household income in Pima County was $42,984, slightly lower than that of the United States and the state at $48,451 and $47,265, respectively. Seventy-seven percent of the households received earnings and 20 percent received retirement income other than Social Security. Thirty percent of households received Social Security, with an average income from Social Security of $14,446. These income sources are not mutually exclusive.
The 2006 American Community Survey indicates that 15 percent of Pima County residents were in poverty; this is slightly higher than the state and national averages. Of related children under 18, 20 percent were below the poverty level; again, higher than the state and national averages of 19 percent and 18 percent, respectively. The county’s elderly population fares slightly better – with 7 percent of people age 65 and older were below the poverty level, compared with 8 percent and 10 percent of those at the state and national levels. Eleven percent of all Pima County families had incomes below the poverty level, rising to 28 percent of families with a female householder and no husband present; these levels are on par with state and national figures.
Housing Characteristics
In 2006, Pima County had 418,000 housing units, 11 percent of which were vacant. Sixty-six percent were in single-unit structures, 23 percent in multi-unit structures, and 11 percent were mobile homes. The proportion of these is typical for the state, with a higher proportion of mobile homes than the nation as a whole. The county has a high proportion of new housing -- with 25 percent built since 1990 compared to 23 percent at the national level -- which reflects the recent, rapid population growth. Of the 371,000 occupied housing units in Pima County, 66 percent were owner occupied and 34 percent were renter occupied.
Housing Costs
In general, Pima County residents seem to enjoy fairly low housing costs – at least until those costs are compared to incomes. The median monthly housing costs for Pima County mortgaged owners was $1,238 and for non-mortgaged owners, $331. This is lower than the national costs at $1,402 and $399, respectively. Renters, on average, paid monthly housing costs of $658 – significantly lower than the costs of renters at the state and national levels, $762 and $763.
People paying 30 percent or more of household income on housing are considered to be housing-cost burdened – that is, a disproportionately large amount of income is being spent on housing. Thirty-five percent of owners with mortgages, 12 percent of owners without mortgages, and 51 percent of renters are housing-cost burdened; these proportions are similar at the state and national levels.
Contact Information:
Pima Association of Governments
177 N. Church Ave., Suite 405
Tucson, Arizona 85701
Phone: (520) 792-1093
Fax: (520) 620-6981 |