Santa Cruz County vs. Arizona
Comparative Trends Analysis:
Total Employment Growth and Change, 1969-2022
Introduction
Santa Cruz County vs. Arizona
Santa Cruz County:
2022 Jobs = 21,447
2022 Percent of State = 0.50%
Arizona:
2022 Jobs = 4,287,595
2022 Percent of U.S. = 2.02%
Employment numbers remain the most popular and frequently cited statistics used for tracking local area economic conditions and trends. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) employment estimates reported measure the number of full- and part-time wage and salary employees, plus the number of proprietors of unincorporated businesses. People holding more than one job are counted in the employment estimates for each job they hold. This means BEA employment estimates represent a job count, not a people count. Also, BEA employment is by place-of-work, rather than by place-of-residence. Jobs held by neighboring county residents who commute to Santa Cruz County to work are included in the employment count for Santa Cruz County.
Data Definition:
The BEA employment series for states and local areas comprises estimates of the number of jobs, full-time plus part-time, by place of work. Full-time and part-time jobs are counted at equal weight. Employees, sole proprietors, and active partners are included, but unpaid family workers and volunteers are not included. Proprietors employment consists of the number of sole proprietorships and the number of partners in partnerships. The description "by place of work" applies to the wage and salary portion of the series and, with relatively little error, to the entire series. The proprietors employment portion of the series, however, is more nearly by place of residence because, for nonfarm sole proprietorships, the estimates are based on IRS tax data that reflect the address from which the proprietor's individual tax return is filed, which is usually the proprietor's residence. The nonfarm partnership portion of the proprietors employment series reflects the tax-filing address of the partnership, which may be either the residence of one of the partners or the business address of the partnership. The employment estimates are designed to be consistent with the estimates of wages and salaries and proprietors' income that are part of the personal income series. The employment estimates are based on the same sets of source data as the corresponding earnings estimates and are prepared with parallel methodologies. Two forms of proprietors' income-the income of limited partnerships and the income of tax-exempt cooperatives-have no corresponding employment estimates.
Total Employment, 1969-2022
Total Employment, 1969-2022
Figure 1.
Figure 1 traces Santa Cruz County's annual total employment for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate total employment patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Santa Cruz County's total employment rose from 5,491 in 1969 to 21,447 in 2022, for a net gain of 15,956, or 290.58%.
Total Employment, 1969-2022
Total Employment, 1969-2022
Figure 2.
Figure 2 tracks Arizona's annual total employment for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate total employment patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Arizona's total employment rose from 711,344 in 1969 to 4,287,595 in 2022, for a net gain of 3,576,251, or 502.75%.
Total Employment Indices (1969=100): 1969-2022
Total Employment Indices (1969=100): 1969-2022
Figure 3.
Figure 3 portrays Santa Cruz County's total employment growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Arizona, the United States. The growth indices shown here express each region's total employment in 1969 as a base figure of 100, and the total employments in later years as a percentage of the 1969 base figure. This method allows for more direct comparison of differences in total employment growth between regions that may differ vastly in size.
Santa Cruz County's overall total employment growth was 290.58% over 1969-2022 trailed Arizona's increase of 502.75%, and topped the United States' increase of 133.32%.
Total Employment as a Percent of the Arizona Total: 1969-2022
Total Employment as a Percent of the Arizona Total: 1969-2022
Figure 4.
Another interesting and insightful way of comparing the total employment growth of Santa Cruz County is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Arizona's statewide total employment over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's total employment grew faster, or declined less, than Arizona's total employment, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly.
In 1969, Santa Cruz County's total employment totaled 0.77% of Arizona's total employment, while in 2022 it totaled 0.50% thereby yielding a -0.27% share-shift.
   
 
Total Employment Share-Shift
2022 vs. 1969
 
Share-
Shift*
 
2022
vs.
1969
-0.27%
=
0.50%
-
0.77%
 
   
Santa Cruz County Total Employment:
Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022
Santa Cruz County Total Employment:
Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022
Figure 5.
Figure 5 displays the short-run pattern of Santa Cruz County's total employment growth by tracking the year-to-year percent change over 1970-2022. The average annual percent change for the entire 53-year period is also illustrated on this chart to provide a benchmark for gauging periods of relative high--and relative low--growth against the backdrop of the long-term average.
On average, Santa Cruz County's total employment grew at an annual rate of 2.68% over 1970-2022. The county posted its highest growth in 1971 (10.79%) and recorded its lowest growth in 1982 (-6.20%). In 2022, Santa Cruz County's total employment grew by 2.68%
Santa Cruz County Total Employment:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022
Santa Cruz County Total Employment:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022
Figure 6.
Over the past five decades some counties have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 6 again shows the annual percent change in Santa Cruz County's total employment since 1970, but this time they are overlayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022.
During the 1970s, Santa Cruz County's annual total employment growth rate averaged 5.19%. It averaged 4.04% in the 1980s, 1.45% in the 1990s, 2.27% throughout the 2000s, 0.83% in the 2010s, 1.40% thus far this decade (2020-2022).
Total Employment Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Total Employment Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Figure 7.
Figure 7 compares the decade average growth rates for Santa Cruz County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Arizona and the nation. As the chart reveals, Santa Cruz County's average annual total employment growth recorded under Arizona's average in the 1970s (5.19% vs. 5.77%), trailed Arizona's average throughout the 1980s (4.04% vs. 4.19%), amounted to less than Arizona's average during the 1990s (1.45% vs. 3.77%), topped Arizona's average during the 2000s (2.27% vs. 1.87%), amounted to less than Arizona's average in the 2010s (0.83% vs. 1.99%), and trailed Arizona's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (1.40% vs. 2.97%).
Finally, relative to nationwide total employment growth trends, Santa Cruz County registered above the nation throughout the 1970s (5.19% vs. 2.21%), topped the nation over the 1980s (4.04% vs. 1.88%), fell under the nation throughout the 1990s (1.45% vs. 1.73%), recorded above the nation during the 2000s (2.27% vs. 0.74%), lagged the nation throughout the 2010s (0.83% vs. 1.51%), and fell below the nation over 2020-2022 (1.40% vs. 1.82%).
   
 
Total Employment Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change
 
 
 
2.68
5.19
4.04
1.45
2.27
0.83
1.40
2.68
 
3.49
5.77
4.19
3.77
1.87
1.99
2.97
4.91
 
1.62
2.21
1.88
1.73
0.74
1.51
1.82
4.78
 
   
Job Ratios (Employment/Population): 1969-2022
Job Ratios (Employment/Population): 1969-2022
Figure 8.
The job ratios shown in Figure 8 for Santa Cruz County, Arizona and the nation not only portray a number of important trends, they also serves as a thumbnail guide to evaluating an economy's capacity to generate enough jobs fast enough to absorb the increasing number of workers attendant to a growing population. The job ratio is the number of full-time and part-time jobs by place of work, divided by population.
Nationally, the job ratio rose from 0.45 to 0.64 between 1969 and 2022. Santa Cruz County's job ratio registered 0.40 in 1969, and 0.44 in 2022. Underlying the rising job ratio over the past several decades have been the increases in the labor force participation rates, with the number and proportion of women in the labor market playing a leading role.
An assortment of other factors can contribute to regional differences in the job ratio. They include differences in the proportion of elderly and retirees who no longer work and participate in the labor force, differences in the number and proportion of part-time vs. full-time workers, differences in industry composition, and differences in age and sex distribution and degree of urbanization. Also, a disproportionate number of workers commuting to work outside a county tends to lower its local county job ratio, while a net inflow of workers commuting to work inside the county tends to augment its local county job ratio.
Avoid interpreting the job ratio as the fraction (or percent) of the local population employed. This interpretation should only apply to the "employment-population ratio" statistic compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from the Current Population Survey (CPS).
Job Ratios (Employment/Population)
as a Percent of the U.S. Average:
1969-2022
Job Ratios (Employment/Population)
as a Percent of the U.S. Average:
1969-2022
Figure 9.
To highlight trends in a local job ratio relative to nationwide trends, Figure 9 tracks Santa Cruz County's, Arizona's job ratio as a percent of the national job ratio over 1969-2022.

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
Santa Cruz County:
Total Employment, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
5,491
100.0
N
0.77
0.40
88.61
1970
 
5,979
108.9
8.89
0.80
0.42
94.61
1971
 
6,624
120.6
10.79
0.84
0.45
101.08
1972
 
7,040
128.2
6.28
0.83
0.45
99.57
1973
 
7,780
141.7
10.51
0.84
0.47
101.22
1974
 
8,102
147.6
4.14
0.85
0.47
99.48
1975
 
7,951
144.8
-1.86
0.85
0.47
101.33
1976
 
8,057
146.7
1.33
0.83
0.45
96.42
1977
 
8,107
147.6
0.62
0.77
0.44
92.86
1978
 
8,641
157.4
6.59
0.75
0.46
94.04
1979
 
9,040
164.6
4.62
0.73
0.46
91.28
1980
 
9,361
170.5
3.55
0.73
0.46
91.01
1981
 
9,585
174.6
2.39
0.73
0.46
92.58
1982
 
8,991
163.7
-6.20
0.68
0.41
84.12
1983
 
8,557
155.8
-4.83
0.62
0.39
79.20
1984
 
9,381
170.8
9.63
0.62
0.41
80.54
1985
 
9,935
180.9
5.91
0.61
0.42
81.13
1986
 
10,622
193.4
6.91
0.62
0.44
84.05
1987
 
11,148
203.0
4.95
0.63
0.44
81.36
1988
 
12,000
218.5
7.64
0.65
0.45
81.76
1989
 
13,248
241.3
10.40
0.71
0.46
83.43
1990
 
13,368
243.5
0.91
0.71
0.45
80.80
1991
 
13,509
246.0
1.05
0.71
0.44
80.32
1992
 
13,639
248.4
0.96
0.71
0.43
79.12
1993
 
14,384
262.0
5.46
0.72
0.43
79.89
1994
 
14,516
264.4
0.92
0.68
0.42
77.14
1995
 
14,402
262.3
-0.79
0.64
0.41
74.06
1996
 
14,256
259.6
-1.01
0.60
0.40
72.22
1997
 
15,019
273.5
5.35
0.60
0.42
73.45
1998
 
15,076
274.6
0.38
0.58
0.41
71.29
1999
 
15,268
278.1
1.27
0.57
0.40
69.94
2000
 
15,730
286.5
3.03
0.56
0.41
69.55
2001
 
16,600
302.3
5.53
0.59
0.42
72.74
2002
 
16,161
294.3
-2.64
0.57
0.40
70.37
2003
 
16,567
301.7
2.51
0.57
0.41
71.30
2004
 
16,978
309.2
2.48
0.56
0.41
70.74
2005
 
18,484
336.6
8.87
0.57
0.43
73.78
2006
 
19,258
350.7
4.19
0.57
0.43
73.76
2007
 
20,025
364.7
3.98
0.58
0.44
74.10
2008
 
19,598
356.9
-2.13
0.58
0.42
72.07
2009
 
18,980
345.7
-3.15
0.59
0.40
71.33
2010
 
19,016
346.3
0.19
0.60
0.40
71.75
2011
 
19,500
355.1
2.55
0.60
0.41
72.34
2012
 
19,277
351.1
-1.14
0.58
0.41
71.27
2013
 
19,940
363.1
3.44
0.59
0.42
73.46
2014
 
20,601
375.2
3.31
0.60
0.44
75.27
2015
 
21,001
382.5
1.94
0.59
0.45
75.73
2016
 
20,431
372.1
-2.71
0.56
0.44
73.07
2017
 
20,138
366.7
-1.43
0.54
0.43
71.05
2018
 
20,462
372.6
1.61
0.53
0.43
71.29
2019
 
20,579
374.8
0.57
0.52
0.43
71.03
2020
 
20,322
370.1
-1.25
0.52
0.43
72.32
2021
 
20,888
380.4
2.79
0.51
0.43
71.21
2022
 
21,447
390.6
2.68
0.50
0.44
69.01
Source: Calculations by the Arizona Regional Economic Analysis Project (AZ-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1000_PSN
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
Arizona:
Total Employment, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
711,344
100.0
N
0.78
0.41
90.54
1970
 
746,653
105.0
4.96
0.82
0.42
92.88
1971
 
785,731
110.5
5.23
0.86
0.41
93.58
1972
 
849,706
119.5
8.14
0.90
0.42
93.86
1973
 
924,890
130.0
8.85
0.94
0.44
93.45
1974
 
955,104
134.3
3.27
0.95
0.43
91.50
1975
 
935,070
131.5
-2.10
0.95
0.41
89.10
1976
 
976,118
137.2
4.39
0.96
0.42
89.03
1977
 
1,047,500
147.3
7.31
1.00
0.43
90.28
1978
 
1,149,617
161.6
9.75
1.05
0.46
92.45
1979
 
1,240,161
174.3
7.88
1.10
0.47
93.29
1980
 
1,282,615
180.3
3.42
1.13
0.47
93.39
1981
 
1,312,566
184.5
2.34
1.14
0.47
93.27
1982
 
1,315,333
184.9
0.21
1.15
0.46
92.36
1983
 
1,378,623
193.8
4.81
1.19
0.46
93.87
1984
 
1,504,336
211.5
9.12
1.25
0.49
95.97
1985
 
1,621,750
228.0
7.81
1.31
0.51
97.90
1986
 
1,700,594
239.1
4.86
1.35
0.51
97.79
1987
 
1,764,638
248.1
3.77
1.36
0.51
96.02
1988
 
1,833,198
257.7
3.89
1.37
0.52
94.93
1989
 
1,864,934
262.2
1.73
1.37
0.51
93.32
1990
 
1,894,104
266.3
1.56
1.37
0.51
92.78
1991
 
1,902,691
267.5
0.45
1.38
0.50
92.33
1992
 
1,925,190
270.6
1.18
1.39
0.49
91.28
1993
 
2,010,588
282.6
4.44
1.43
0.49
91.31
1994
 
2,141,302
301.0
6.50
1.48
0.50
92.04
1995
 
2,257,829
317.4
5.44
1.53
0.51
91.70
1996
 
2,387,542
335.6
5.75
1.58
0.52
92.83
1997
 
2,497,165
351.0
4.59
1.62
0.53
93.00
1998
 
2,616,288
367.8
4.77
1.65
0.54
93.25
1999
 
2,695,892
379.0
3.04
1.67
0.54
92.70
2000
 
2,801,510
393.8
3.92
1.69
0.54
92.63
2001
 
2,829,002
397.7
0.98
1.71
0.54
92.36
2002
 
2,847,070
400.2
0.64
1.72
0.53
91.92
2003
 
2,917,095
410.1
2.46
1.76
0.53
92.56
2004
 
3,041,449
427.6
4.26
1.80
0.54
93.32
2005
 
3,219,799
452.6
5.86
1.87
0.55
94.55
2006
 
3,375,196
474.5
4.83
1.92
0.56
94.98
2007
 
3,465,065
487.1
2.66
1.93
0.56
94.26
2008
 
3,402,806
478.4
-1.80
1.90
0.54
91.94
2009
 
3,228,516
453.9
-5.12
1.86
0.51
89.92
2010
 
3,181,563
447.3
-1.45
1.84
0.50
88.92
2011
 
3,239,037
455.3
1.81
1.84
0.50
88.98
2012
 
3,295,532
463.3
1.74
1.84
0.51
88.95
2013
 
3,371,101
473.9
2.29
1.85
0.51
89.23
2014
 
3,448,146
484.7
2.29
1.85
0.52
89.05
2015
 
3,547,647
498.7
2.89
1.86
0.53
89.34
2016
 
3,644,791
512.4
2.74
1.88
0.54
89.86
2017
 
3,740,747
525.9
2.63
1.90
0.54
90.43
2018
 
3,854,741
541.9
3.05
1.92
0.55
90.72
2019
 
3,929,945
552.5
1.95
1.95
0.56
91.03
2020
 
3,920,033
551.1
-0.25
2.01
0.55
92.68
2021
 
4,086,802
574.5
4.25
2.02
0.56
92.12
2022
 
4,287,595
602.7
4.91
2.02
0.58
91.40
Source: Calculations by the Arizona Regional Economic Analysis Project (AZ-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1000_PSN
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
United States:
Total Employment, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
91,053,200
100.0
N
0.45
1970
 
91,277,600
100.2
0.25
0.45
1971
 
91,581,400
100.6
0.33
0.44
1972
 
94,312,200
103.6
2.98
0.45
1973
 
98,427,500
108.1
4.36
0.47
1974
 
100,111,800
109.9
1.71
0.47
1975
 
98,900,600
108.6
-1.21
0.46
1976
 
101,591,200
111.6
2.72
0.47
1977
 
105,042,200
115.4
3.40
0.48
1978
 
109,686,600
120.5
4.42
0.49
1979
 
113,147,100
124.3
3.15
0.50
1980
 
113,983,200
125.2
0.74
0.50
1981
 
114,914,000
126.2
0.82
0.50
1982
 
114,163,300
125.4
-0.65
0.49
1983
 
115,645,700
127.0
1.30
0.49
1984
 
120,528,100
132.4
4.22
0.51
1985
 
123,796,700
136.0
2.71
0.52
1986
 
126,232,300
138.6
1.97
0.53
1987
 
129,548,400
142.3
2.63
0.53
1988
 
133,563,900
146.7
3.10
0.55
1989
 
136,177,800
149.6
1.96
0.55
1990
 
138,330,900
151.9
1.58
0.55
1991
 
137,612,800
151.1
-0.52
0.54
1992
 
138,166,100
151.7
0.40
0.54
1993
 
140,774,400
154.6
1.89
0.54
1994
 
144,196,600
158.4
2.43
0.55
1995
 
147,915,800
162.4
2.58
0.56
1996
 
151,056,200
165.9
2.12
0.56
1997
 
154,541,200
169.7
2.31
0.57
1998
 
158,481,200
174.1
2.55
0.57
1999
 
161,531,300
177.4
1.92
0.58
2000
 
165,370,800
181.6
2.38
0.59
2001
 
165,522,200
181.8
0.09
0.58
2002
 
165,095,100
181.3
-0.26
0.57
2003
 
165,921,500
182.2
0.50
0.57
2004
 
168,839,700
185.4
1.76
0.58
2005
 
172,338,400
189.3
2.07
0.58
2006
 
175,868,600
193.1
2.05
0.59
2007
 
179,543,700
197.2
2.09
0.60
2008
 
179,213,900
196.8
-0.18
0.59
2009
 
173,636,700
190.7
-3.11
0.57
2010
 
172,901,700
189.9
-0.42
0.56
2011
 
176,091,700
193.4
1.84
0.56
2012
 
178,979,700
196.6
1.64
0.57
2013
 
182,328,100
200.2
1.87
0.58
2014
 
186,239,800
204.5
2.15
0.58
2015
 
190,325,800
209.0
2.19
0.59
2016
 
193,425,900
212.4
1.63
0.60
2017
 
196,394,100
215.7
1.53
0.60
2018
 
200,292,200
220.0
1.98
0.61
2019
 
201,635,200
221.4
0.67
0.61
2020
 
195,286,600
214.5
-3.15
0.59
2021
 
202,752,100
222.7
3.82
0.61
2022
 
212,442,000
233.3
4.78
0.64
Source: Calculations by the Arizona Regional Economic Analysis Project (AZ-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1000_PN
 
   
Copyright © 2024. Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Analysis Project (PNREAP). All Rights Reserved.

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