Labor market

• The number of nonfarm jobs in Cochise County was down by 800 or 2.3% in the 12 months ended March 2025, according to data from Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. The private sector lost 800 jobs (-3.3%) while the number of government jobs overall was unchanged. Within government, the gain of 100 federal jobs (2.3%) was offset by the loss of 100 jobs at the state and local levels (-1.5%).
• Within Cochise County’s private sector, the number of goods-producing jobs held steady overall in the 12 months ended March with the addition of 100 manufacturing jobs (12.5%) offset by the loss of 100 jobs in construction and mining (-4.5%).
• Countywide private-sector, service-providing job numbers were down by 800 (-3.7%) from March 2024 to March 2025. Within private sector services, gains of 200 jobs in educational and health services (4.2%) and 100 in the information industry (25.0%) were more than offset by the loss of 700 professional and business services jobs (-16.3%) and 400 jobs in leisure and hospitality (-10.5%). Job numbers were unchanged in trade, transportation, and utilities; financial activities; and other services in the 12 months ended March. 
• In month-to-month comparisons, Cochise County job numbers held steady across industries and levels of government from February to March this year.

See spreadsheets, below, for monthly and annual Cochise County nonfarm job numbers by industry/sector.

Cochise County’s unadjusted unemployment rate in March 2025 was 4.8%, unchanged from February 2025 but up from 3.6% in March a year ago.

At the state level, Arizona’s unadjusted unemployment rate in March was 4.0%, up from 3.9% in February and 3.0% in March 2024. 

The U.S. unadjusted unemployment rate in March was 4.2%, down from 4.5% in February but up from 3.9% in March 2024.

Cochise County city and town unemployment rates in March 2025 were: 

• Benson, 6.0%, up from 5.9% in February
• Bisbee, 6.8%, up from 6.7% in February
• Douglas, 7.7%, up from 7.6% in February 
• Huachuca City, 8.2%, up from 8.1% in February
• Sierra Vista, 4.3%, unchanged from February
• Tombstone, 0.4%, the same level as February
• Willcox, 8.8%, up from 8.7% in February 

See spreadsheets, below, for monthly and annual Cochise County, city, and town labor market data (civilian labor force, employment, unemployment & unemployment rate).