Yuma, AZ
Metro Area Profile
211,741 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Yuma, AZ metropolitan area.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 12 sourcesEmployment conditions sit below most comparable metro and micro areas measured: unemployment is 18.9% and the Opportunity signal places Yuma in the bottom 6%.
1,215 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 3% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.
Rent takes 29% of renter income here, below the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 3.0 times what its owners earn.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 18.9% — higher than in all but 1% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.
Unemployment has been rising for 4 consecutive months, most recently 18.9%.
Employment fell 3.0% over the past year, to 80,271 employed residents.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income ±$2,2592024 ACS 5-Year | $62,876 | Bottom 37%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$9962024 ACS 5-Year | $30,204 | Bottom 18%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 15.4% | Bottom 29%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±0.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 22.8 min | Top 36%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 16.8% | Bottom 9%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 77.7% | 53rd percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 80,271 | Top 31%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | +1.1% | Top 34%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | −3.0% | Bottom 11%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 98,942 | 73rd percentileof 835 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 71.3% | Bottom 20%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wage2025 OEWS | $55,390 | Bottom 21%of 392 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wage2025 OEWS | $44,170 | Bottom 16%of 392 | 2025 OEWS |
| Metro employment2025 OEWS | 68,880 | 33rd percentileof 392 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±0.3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.7% | 71st percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | +2.1% | Bottom 1%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 18.9% | Bottom 1%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year | 7.7% | 40th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Largest occupations — Yuma, AZ
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse | 4,420 | $34,610 |
| Cashiers | 1,880 | $31,790 |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,840 | $33,840 |
| General and Operations Managers | 1,800 | $79,990 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,800 | $30,580 |
| Registered Nurses | 1,640 | $94,320 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
36% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 36% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 21.4 students for every full-time teacher across 63 public schools, more than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis High School | Yuma Union High School District (4507) | 2,682 | 26.0 | 17% | 17% |
| Cibola High School | Yuma Union High School District (4507) | 2,434 | 25.4 | 47% | 37% |
| Gila Ridge High School | Yuma Union High School District (4507) | 2,249 | 24.7 | 37% | 42% |
| Kofa High School | Yuma Union High School District (4507) | 1,976 | 22.7 | 17% | 27% |
| Harvest Preparatory Academy · charter | Harvest Power Community Development Group Inc. (79501) | 1,068 | 18.4 | 28% | 25% |
| Yuma High School | Yuma Union High School District (4507) | 1,040 | 21.2 | 22% | 22% |
| Castle Dome Middle School | Yuma Elementary District (4499) | 939 | 25.4 | 28% | 34% |
| Mary A Otondo Elementary School | Yuma Elementary District (4499) | 893 | 24.1 | 44% | 48% |
| Desert View Academy · charter | Juniper Tree Academy (79064) | 881 | 20.0 | 64% | 66% |
| Desert Mesa Elementary School | Yuma Elementary District (4499) | 876 | 20.9 | 50% | 52% |
| Gowan Science Academy | Crane Elementary District (4501) | 816 | 26.3 | 70% | 75% |
| Cesar Chavez Elementary | Gadsden Elementary District (4505) | 766 | 30.6 | 39% | 42% |
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Arizona’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 12% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 88.1, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for this area is up 41% over five years, and flat over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,333 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.61% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,382, some 39% above the $993 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,382 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $55,300 a year, about 88% of the median household income here of $62,876.
The typical renter household here spends 29% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $993 a month.
A median home at $217,800 costs 3.0 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $72,476, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.
Prices here run about 12% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Price level for all consumption in this metropolitan area against a national average of 100. Housing dominates the spread between places; goods vary far less.
The figures above are measured against Yuma’s median household income of $62,876, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living index2023 | 88.1 | Top 12%of 386 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)2026 Q2 | 0.0% | 11th percentileof 372 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)2026 Q2 | +40.8% | 40th percentileof 372 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)2026 Q2 | +101.6% | 60th percentileof 372 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year | 3.0 | Bottom 34%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 71.0% | 57th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±1272024 ACS 5-Year | 95,200 | 76th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,053 | Bottom 30%of 818 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,892 | Bottom 21%of 818 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,382 | Bottom 23%of 818 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$362024 ACS 5-Year | $993 | Bottom 47%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$5,2022024 ACS 5-Year | $217,800 | 52nd percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$372024 ACS 5-Year | $1,333 | 26th percentileof 933 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$2,3732024 ACS 5-Year | $72,476 | Bottom 26%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.02%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.61% | 27th percentileof 932 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 28.5% | Top 43%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±8532024 ACS 5-Year | 10,457 | 92nd percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 11.0% | 88th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 5.7% | 26th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±8582024 ACS 5-Year | 15,859 | 83rd percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 7% since 2020, reaching 220,310 in 2024.
Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 220,310 residents in 2024, up 2.3% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.
At 5.7 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metro and micro areas.
Population, annual estimates
Weather & climate
7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 106°F and January a low of 43°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 4.0 inches.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 4.0" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 43°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 106°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 7 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 39°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, inland flooding and heat wave, with earthquake alone responsible for 57% of it.
Low or minimal exposure: drought, strong wind, volcanic activity, wildfire, landslide, lightning, hurricane, hail, tornado, winter weather, cold wave, ice storm, tsunami, coastal flooding, avalanche.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Death-certificate rates
- The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
- Air quality
- The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Yuma MCAS/Yuma Intl at 41 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 88.7% | Top 49%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 41 mi | Bottom 49%of 835 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 2 | Bottom 16%of 835 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year | 8.9% | Bottom 46%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuma MCAS/Yuma Intl | NYL | 41 mi | 13,300 ft |
| Phoenix Goodyear | GYR | 100 mi | 8,500 ft |
| Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl | PHX | 119 mi | 11,489 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
Customize your score
What matters to you?
Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.
Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.
Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.