Labor market

• According to data from the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity, Cochise County nonfarm employment averaged 33,317 jobs from January through June 2026, down 3.7% from the same months in 2025.
• The decline in Cochise County employment has been broad but concentrated in service-providing industries and government. Total nonfarm employment averaged 1,283 fewer jobs in the first six months of 2026 than during the same period in 2025, with service-providing industries accounting for nearly all of that decrease. Service-providing employment averaged 30,633 jobs through June 2026, down 4.0% from 31,900 during the same months in 2025.
• Private-sector employment in Cochise County also moved lower in early 2026. Total private employment averaged 23,250 jobs through June, down 2.9% from the same period in 2025. Private service-providing employment averaged 20,567 jobs, down 3.1%, while goods-producing employment was essentially flat at 2,683 jobs, down just 0.6%. Manufacturing held steady at 600 jobs, while mining and construction edged down 0.8%.
• Several private industries posted year-over-year job losses in early 2026. Professional and business services averaged 3,483 jobs, down 7.5% from the same months in 2025. Information employment fell sharply to 700 jobs, down 27.6%. Leisure and hospitality averaged 3,400 jobs, down 4.2%, while financial activities slipped 1.6% and private education and health services declined 0.7%.
• A few sectors moved against the broader downward trend. Trade, transportation, and utilities averaged 6,517 jobs through June 2026, up 0.8% from the same months in 2025. Other services averaged 783 jobs, up 4.4%. Those gains helped offset some losses elsewhere but were not large enough to reverse the overall decline in Cochise County employment.
• Government employment was another major source of weakness in Cochise County. Government averaged 10,067 jobs through June 2026, down 5.6% from the same period in 2025. Federal government employment averaged 3,800 jobs, down 11.6%, while state and local government averaged 6,267 jobs, down 1.6%. Government accounted for about 30.2% of total nonfarm employment in the 2026 year-to-date period.
• Looking at the longer trend, Cochise County employment has softened after reaching an annual average of 35,242 jobs in 2024. Total nonfarm employment fell 3.4% in 2025 to an annual average of 34,033 jobs and declined another 3.7% in the first half of 2026 to 33,317 jobs. Compared with the 2024 average, the 2026 year-to-date average is 5.5% lower.
• The recent data indicate that Cochise County's labor market remained under pressure during the first half of 2026. Losses were concentrated in service-providing industries, government, professional and business services, information, and leisure and hospitality, while goods-producing industries remained relatively stable and modest gains occurred in trade, transportation and utilities and other services. Overall employment remained below both 2025 and 2024 levels.

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

• According to data from the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity, Cochise County’s labor market weakened during the first half of 2026. The county’s unadjusted unemployment rate averaged 6.0% from January through June, up from 4.9% during the same months of 2025, 4.1% during the same period in 2024, and 4.4% during the first half of 2023. The 6.0% average was the highest first-half unemployment rate in Cochise County since 2020. Arizona averaged 4.7% and the United States averaged 4.4% during the first six months of 2026, leaving Cochise County above both the state and national rates.
• Cochise County’s labor force averaged about 45,630 actual and potential workers during the first half of 2026, down 4.9% from roughly 47,960 during the same period of 2025. Employment averaged approximately 43,225 workers, down 5.2% from about 45,587 a year earlier, while the number of unemployed workers increased 14.7% from about 2,388 to 2,739. As a result, Cochise County's year-to-date unemployment rate rose to 6.0%, reflecting weaker labor market conditions than one year earlier.
• Among Cochise County communities, Willcox recorded the highest average unemployment rate during the first half of 2026 at 10.7%, up from 8.9% during the same months of 2025 and 7.8% during the first half of 2024. Huachuca City averaged 10.0%, compared with 8.4% during the first half of 2025, while Douglas averaged 9.3%, up from 7.8%. Bisbee averaged 8.3%, compared with 6.9% a year earlier, and Benson averaged 7.1%, up from 6.2%. Sierra Vista remained the lowest among the county’s larger communities at 5.8%, but that was still above its 4.7% average during the first half of 2025. Tombstone continued to have exceptionally low unemployment, averaging 0.5%.
• The increase in unemployment became more pronounced as 2026 progressed. Cochise County’s unemployment rate rose from 5.4% in April to 5.8% in May and 6.9% in June, compared with 4.7%, 5.1%, and 5.4%, respectively, during the same months of 2025. Arizona’s unemployment rate increased to 5.5% in June 2026 from 4.6% in June 2025, while the U.S. rate was 4.4%, unchanged from one year earlier.
• June unemployment rates remained highest in Willcox at 12.1%, compared with 9.8% in June 2025. Huachuca City registered 11.4%, up from 9.1%, while Douglas increased to 10.6% from 8.5%. Bisbee rose to 9.5% from 7.5%, and Benson increased to 8.3% from 6.6%. Sierra Vista’s unemployment rate climbed to 6.5% from 5.2%, while Tombstone remained low at 0.7%, compared with 0.4% a year earlier. Every Cochise County community recorded a higher unemployment rate than during the same month of 2025.
• Arizona’s labor market also softened compared with recent years, but not to the same extent as Cochise County. Arizona’s unemployment rate averaged 4.7% during the first half of 2026, compared with 4.2% during the same period of 2025 and 3.4% during the first half of 2024. The U.S. unemployment rate averaged 4.4% through June 2026, compared with 4.2% during the same months of 2025 and 3.9% during the first half of 2024. While unemployment has increased statewide and nationally, the increase in Cochise County has been larger and has pushed the county further above both Arizona and U.S. averages.
• Looking at the longer trend, Cochise County had largely recovered from the elevated unemployment levels that followed the pandemic, with first-half unemployment averaging 4.4% in 2022, 4.4% in 2023, and 4.1% in 2024. The rise to 6.0% in 2026 marks a notable reversal and represents the county’s weakest year-to-date labor market conditions since 2020.

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