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 2022, there were 7,619 nonemployer businesses in Cochise County (e.g., sole proprietorships, independent contractors, gig workers), according to recently released data from U.S. Census Bureau. That was up by 647 or 9.3% from 2020, the first year of the COVID pandemic. That year, the number of nonemployer businesses in Cochise County fell by 219 or 3.0% from the year prior, to 6,972. That followed 9 consecutive years of growth. Countywide nonemployer 'sales, value of shipments, or revenue' totaled $305.2 million in 2022, up 32.7% from 2020.

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