Labor market

• The number of nonfarm jobs in Cochise County was up by 600 in the 12 months ended October for job growth of 1.8%. All the gains were in the private sector, which added 700 jobs (3.0%). Those were partly offset by the loss of 100 government jobs (-1.0%). Within government, all the losses were federal jobs (-2.1%). State and local government jobs in Cochise County held steady in the 12 months ended October.
• Within Cochise County’s private sector, goods-producing jobs were up by 300 (11.5%) in the October comparisons with the gain of 200 construction and mining jobs (10.5%) and 100 manufacturing jobs (14.3%).
• Countywide private-sector, service-providing jobs were up by 400 (1.9%) from October 2021 to October 2022, with the gain of 200 jobs (4.7%) in educational and health services, 100 jobs (2.8%) in leisure and hospitality, and 100 jobs (14.3%) in other services. Job numbers held steady in trade, transportation, and utilities, along with the information industry, financial activities, and professional and business services in the 12 months ended in October.
• In month-to-month comparisons, Cochise County nonfarm job numbers were up by 100 from September to October this year. All the gains were in the private sector, which added 200 jobs, all of which in the service subsector. Within private-sector services, the trade, transportation, and utilities industries added 100 jobs and leisure and hospitality jobs grew by 100. Job numbers held steady from September to October in construction and mining; manufacturing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; and other services.
• Cochise County’s government sector dropped 100 jobs from September to October, all of which were in state and local government. Federal government job numbers stabilized at September levels in October. 

• Cochise County’s unadjusted unemployment rate in October 2022 was 4.5%, the same level as September but up from 3.8% in October 2021, according to data from Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.
• At the state level, Arizona’s unadjusted unemployment rate in October was 4.1%, down from 4.2% in September this year but up from 3.7% in October a year ago.
• The U.S. unadjusted unemployment rate in October was 3.4%, up from 3.3% in September 2022, but down from 4.3% in October last year.

Municipal-level unemployment rates for October 2022 were:

• Benson, 2.8%, unchanged from September 2022 but up from 2.3% in October 2021.
• Bisbee, 2.0%, the same as September this year but up from 1.7% in October a year ago.
• Douglas, 8.9%, unchanged from September but up from 7.6% in October last year.
• Huachuca City, 7.4%, the same as in September 2022, but up from 6.2% in October 2021.
• Sierra Vista, 3.9%, unchanged from September this year but up from 3.0% in October 2021.
• Tombstone, 3.8%, down from 4.0% in September but up from 3.3% in October last year.
• Willcox, 4.8%, up from 4.7% September 2022 and 4.0% in October 2021.