Employment data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that from March 2024 to March 2025, only Pinal County among Arizona’s three largest counties saw employment growth, with a 2.2 percent increase. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund stated, “Pinal County had an over-the-year increase in employment of 2.2 percent.”
Maricopa County recorded the highest employment figure at 2,298,000 as of March 2025. These three largest counties—Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal—made up 84.9 percent of all covered employment in Arizona during this period. Nationally, the largest counties account for a significant portion of jobs as well.
All major counties in Arizona reported increases in average weekly wages over the year. The largest wage gain was observed in Pinal County at 5.0 percent, followed by Maricopa at 3.6 percent and Pima at 2.8 percent.
Despite these gains, average weekly wages across Maricopa ($1,510), Pima, and Pinal ($1,164) remained below the national average of $1,589.
For Arizona’s smaller counties—those with fewer than 75,000 employees in 2024—wage levels were also generally lower than the national average. Greenlee County had the highest average weekly wage among them at $2,111 while Navajo reported the lowest at $949.
Of all fifteen Arizona counties surveyed, three had average weekly wages under $1,000; four ranged between $1,000 and $1,099; another four fell between $1,100 and $1,199; and four registered wages of $1,200 or more.
Additional detailed data is available through tables accompanying the release and on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.
The next report covering second quarter data for 2025 will be published on December 3.
