Employer & Nonemployer Businesses

In 2023, the number of employer business establishments in Cochise County was up by 27 or 1.2% to 2,189. The number of employer businesses in 2023 was at its highest level since 2014 and reflected the second consecutive year of growth following four straight years of decline. The number of paid employees at businesses countywide in 2023 was up by 77 or 0.3% to 26,077--the highest since 2019. Annual payroll grew by 2.8% from 2022 to 2023 reaching $1.18 billion, the highest on record (with records back to 2003).

See spreadsheets, below, for annual Cochise County employer business establishment data (number of employer businesses by industry, total number of employees, and first-quarter & annual total payroll).

Businesses for sale in Cochise County

In 2021, there were 7,401 nonemployer businesses in Cochise County, according to recently released data from U.S. Census Bureau. That was up by 429 or 6.2% from 2020 (in 2020, the first year of the COVID pandemic, the number of nonemployer business establishments in Cochise County dropped by 219 or 3.0% to 6,972). The 2020 decline in nonemployer businesses (e.g., sole proprietorships, independent contractors, gig workers) followed nine consecutive years of growth. 

Countywide nonemployer 'sales, value of shipments, or revenue' totaled $259.3 million in 2021, up 12.7% from 2020. The average per nonemployer business in Cochise County was $35,036 in 2021 ranging from a low of $16,366 in 'Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services' to a high of $71,701 in 'Real estate and rental and leasing' (includes equipment rental). 'Real estate and rental and leasing' accounted for the largest share of countywide nonemployer 'sales, value of shipments, or revenue' in 2021 at $45.6 million, followed by Construction ($33.2 million), Transportation and warehousing ($28.6 million), and Retail Trade ($28.3 million)..

See spreadsheets, below, for annual Cochise County nonemployer business establishment data (number of businesses and total sales/revenue).