The local economy of Arizona and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
4.9%
+0.5 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Greenlee County 3.6%, highest Yuma County 19.0%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,495
+4.5%vs a year ago
3,249,138 jobs at 227,835 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
47,257
-12.0%this year vs last year
Most in Maricopa County 29,326, Pinal County 7,578.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+26,663
+4.7 per 1,000residents
205,637 moved in and 178,974 moved out. Most newcomers came from California.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Arizona gas price
$4.71
+$1.20vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Pima County $4.46, highest Coconino County $4.87. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Arizona, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
163K
+1.9%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
2.89M
+3.7%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (15.1%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$178.8B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$61,860
Highest sector: Utilities $118,211.
Per employee per year
Share of Arizona's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 262,256 | $25,093 |
| Employment Services | 142,804 | $49,157 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 98,838 | $86,777 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 77,421 | $92,416 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 64,403 | $72,120 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 57,260 | $34,034 |
| Offices of Physicians | 54,888 | $105,220 |
| Grocery Stores | 53,946 | $33,699 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 51,896 | $43,266 |
| Individual and Family Services | 51,309 | $32,630 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 50,372 | $38,966 |
| Insurance Carriers | 50,176 | $85,790 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Arizona, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Arizona is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Arizona, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Arizona was 4.9% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 4.4% a year earlier. 3,519,568 people were employed out of a labor force of 3,701,822. Among its counties, Greenlee County had the lowest rate (3.6%) and Yuma County the highest (19.0%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Arizona was $1,495 in Q1 2026, up 4.5% from a year earlier, across 3,249,138 jobs at 227,835 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 4,266 new homes in Arizona in August 2026 (2,097 single-family and 2,116 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 29,734, down 12.0% from the same months last year, and 47,257 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Maricopa County (29,326), Pinal County (7,578), Pima County (4,828) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 205,637 people moved to Arizona and 178,974 moved away, a net gain of 26,663 (+4.7 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from California, Texas, Washington, and most people who left went to California, Texas, Washington.
Regular gasoline in Arizona averaged $4.71 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.20 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.20. Among its counties, Pima County had the lowest regular price ($4.46) and Coconino County the highest ($4.87).
Health Care and Social Assistance (434,866 employees), Retail Trade (358,161 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (343,720 employees) were the largest sectors in Arizona in 2023. In all, 162,845 business locations employed 2,890,429 people at an average pay of $61,860 a year.