City · Cochise County, Arizona

Bisbee, Arizona

Bisbee is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, part of the Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ metro area. It has 4,977 residents. Bisbee, Arizona has a quality-of-life score of 17 out of 100 (very low), ranking #12,941 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Arizona it ranks #123 of 207 cities and towns. It ranks best on comfortable days (high), preventable hospital stays (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low). It ranks worst on job growth (low), suicide rate (high) and unemployment rate (high).

17Very low

Quality-of-life score: #12,941 of 15,651 cities and towns
Arizona: #123 of 207 in AZ
Population: 4,977 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 961.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 0406260

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety37#9,875/15,637
Economy8#14,315/15,631
Housing47#7,878/14,977
Health32#10,672/15,609
Healthcare23#12,117/15,650
Environment55#6,902/15,453
Education25#11,773/15,649
Infrastructure17#12,965/15,650
Community42#9,070/15,651
Leisure & amenities14#13,439/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bisbee, Arizona ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Cochise County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Comfortable days · high36.5%
96/100Arizona 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationCochise County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,682 /100k
93/100Arizona 2,070 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCochise County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.9 µg/m³
91/100Arizona 6.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyCochise County value
Loneliness · low31.0%
89/100Arizona 32.7%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Effective property tax rate · low0.58%
81/100Arizona 0.48%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Public libraries · high1.0 /10k
77/100Arizona 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesCochise County value

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-5.8%
1/100Arizona -0.6%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataCochise County value
Suicide rate · high33.7 /100k
2/100Arizona 20.8 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCochise County value
Unemployment rate · high13.6%
4/100Arizona 4.3%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Flu vaccinations · low28.0%
5/100Arizona 41.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCochise County value
Grocery stores · low0.8 /10k
7/100Arizona 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCochise County value
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
8/100Arizona 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCochise County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
55.3% (2015-2019) → 43.3% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
19.6% (2015-2019) → 8.1% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
72.5% (2015-2019) → 83.3% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Unemployment rateWorsening
3.4% (2015-2019) → 13.6% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
New homes permittedImproving
0.4 /1k (2021) → 0.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+49%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$34,452 (2015-2019) → $47,613 (2020-2024)
+38%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Bisbee, Arizona improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Uninsured−12 points19.6% → 8.1%
Household income+38%$34,452 → $47,613
Broadband+11 points72.5% → 83.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Bisbee, Arizona between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.5 min2015-2019	19.6 min2020-2024	+3.2 min	Within the margin of error	19%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.7%2015-2019	30.8%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Broadband subscriptions	72.5%2015-2019	83.3%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	63%
Child poverty rate	27.3%2015-2019	29.7%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Effective property tax rate	0.81%2015-2019	0.58%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	64%
High school diploma or higher	86.0%2015-2019	89.8%2020-2024	+3.9 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Home price to income ratio	3.8×2015-2019	4.6×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	36%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4242015-2019	0.4502020-2024	+0.026	Within the margin of error	30%
Median household income	$34,4522015-2019	$47,6132020-2024	+38%	Improved	71%
Poverty rate	21.7%2015-2019	15.2%2020-2024	−6.6 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Rent as share of income	33.4%2015-2019	26.1%2020-2024	−7.3 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Rent-burdened households	55.3%2015-2019	43.3%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	19.6%2015-2019	8.1%2020-2024	−12 points	Improved	97%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Bisbee, Arizona five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bisbee, Arizona in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Bisbee, Arizona itself moved +7.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

4,977 residents (±29)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,683 households (±218)

Bisbee, Arizona
Arizona share

Under $25k26%686
$25k–50k28%751
$50k–75k21%†572

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,683 households (±218)

Bisbee, Arizona
Arizona share

Own71%1,894
Rent29%789

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,527 workers (±194)

Bisbee, Arizona
Arizona share

Drive alone65%989
Carpool8.0%†122
Public transit0.1%†2

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Cochise County, the county holding most of Bisbee's residents.

Cochise County has 2,189 employer establishments, 176 for every 10,000 residents (0.71× the US rate of 248; 0.80× Arizona's), with 26,077 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,262. The Census Bureau also counts 7,736 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,189; 7,736 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 176; US 248 · Arizona 219
Paid employees: 26,077
Average annual pay: $45,262; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Cochise County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	180	14.4	0.69×Fewer than typical	2,051	$65,086	350
Restaurants and other eating places	178	14.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	2,972	$20,506	63
Specialty trade contractors	138	11.1	0.71×Fewer than typical	845	$47,821	488
Lessors of real estate	117	9.4	0.76×Fewer than typical	402	$38,913	572
Religious organizations	85	6.8	1.23×About typical	366	$22,057	—
Full-service restaurants	80	6.4	0.84×About typical	1,348	$21,984	32
Limited-service restaurants	71	5.7	0.71×Fewer than typical	1,369	$19,892	21
Construction of buildings	68	5.5	0.72×Fewer than typical	751	$56,762	342
Building equipment contractors	64	5.1	0.85×About typical	385	$46,730	92
Automotive repair and maintenance	58	4.7	0.92×About typical	261	$40,364	141
Gasoline stations	55	4.4	1.36×More than typical	661	$28,513	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	48	3.8	0.57×Fewer than typical	312	$33,599	696

Rank places for an industry Open Cochise County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 124,716 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $3,643 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Bisbee, Arizona: $0.73 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $3,643; −31% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.73; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

U.S. Customs and Border Protection$3,643100%

Top recipients

KTH SERVICES JV, LLC$3,643100%

Spending by fiscal year

-6.1KFY2017
3.3KFY2018
1.8KFY2019
24.8KFY2020
21.8KFY2021
4.3KFY2022
437.7FY2023
19.9KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Facilities support services · 5612$3,643100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Bisbee, Arizona, so they do not add up across cities.

Bisbee, Arizona's figures are part of those of Cochise County, AZ ($857.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Bisbee is mostly in Cochise County.

See federal money in Cochise County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Bisbee, Arizona is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Cochise County34100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ38

Other cities and towns in Cochise County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0406260

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends