Scores by category

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

Safety17#13,037/15,637
Economy28#11,264/15,631
Housing18#12,276/14,977
Health30#10,988/15,609
Healthcare59#6,353/15,650
Environment28#11,058/15,453
Education12#13,725/15,649
Infrastructure38#9,654/15,650
Community41#9,200/15,651
Leisure & amenities27#11,490/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Picture Rocks, Arizona ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Pima 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 · high34.8%
94/100Arizona 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationPima County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,812 /100k
90/100Arizona 2,070 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePima County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low6.0 µg/m³
90/100Arizona 6.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyPima County value
Mammography screening · high54.0%
88/100Arizona 44.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePima County value
Distance to an airport · low12 mi
82/100Arizona 30 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauPima County value
Public transit commuters · high1.5%
80/100Arizona 1.0%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Hot days · high153 days
1/100Arizona 96 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationPima County value
Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100Arizona 30.8%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Drug overdose deaths · high36.4 /100k
5/100Arizona 35.9 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataPima County value
Median Air Quality Index · high54
7/100Arizona 642025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyPima County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low13.3%
13/100Arizona 33.3%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Grocery stores · low1.0 /10k
13/100Arizona 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPima County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
33.8% (2015-2019) → 69.9% (2020-2024)
+36 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
23.6% (2015-2019) → 51.0% (2020-2024)
+27 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.0× (2015-2019) → 3.7× (2020-2024)
+83%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Child poverty rateImproving
21.2% (2015-2019) → 15.2% (2020-2024)
−5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
17.0% (2015-2019) → 13.3% (2020-2024)
−3.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Average commute timeImproving
41.0 min (2015-2019) → 34.8 min (2020-2024)
−15%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

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, Picture Rocks, Arizona improved on 0 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 10 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined3

Rent / income+27 points23.6% → 51.0%
Rent burden+36 points33.8% → 69.9%
Price / income+1.7×2.0× → 3.7×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Picture Rocks, Arizona between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	41.0 min2015-2019	34.8 min2020-2024	−6.3 min	Within the margin of error	94%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.0%2015-2019	13.3%2020-2024	−3.7 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Broadband subscriptions	88.1%2015-2019	88.6%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Child poverty rate	21.2%2015-2019	15.2%2020-2024	−5.9 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Effective property tax rate	0.98%2015-2019	0.65%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	78%
High school diploma or higher	87.9%2015-2019	88.8%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	3.7×2020-2024	+1.7×	Declined	6%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4082015-2019	0.4372020-2024	+0.029	Within the margin of error	27%
Median household income	$55,2312015-2019	$61,6342020-2024	+12%	Within the margin of error	19%
Poverty rate	14.1%2015-2019	16.8%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Rent as share of income	23.6%2015-2019	51.0%2020-2024	+27 points	Declined	1%
Rent-burdened households	33.8%2015-2019	69.9%2020-2024	+36 points	Declined	1%
Unemployment rate	9.1%2015-2019	6.4%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.6%2015-2019	9.6%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	48%

“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 Picture Rocks, Arizona five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Picture Rocks, 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, Picture Rocks, Arizona itself moved −27.6 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

9,448 residents (±854)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 men (−6.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

9,448 residents (±854)

Picture Rocks, Arizona
Arizona share

White76%7,184
Black1.4%†128
Hispanic or Latino19%1,767
Asian0.6%†58
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%†7
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races3.2%†304

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Hispanic or Latino (−8.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

7,024 residents (±648)

Picture Rocks, Arizona
Arizona share

No high school diploma11%†786
High school or GED33%2,351
Some college28%1,983
Associate degree14%968
Bachelor's degree9.5%†669
Graduate degree3.8%†267

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Associate degree (+4.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

3,730 households (±302)

Picture Rocks, Arizona
Arizona share

Under $25k20%†747
$25k–50k19%†694
$50k–75k22%†804
$75k–100k16%594
$100k–150k9.5%†355
$150k–200k7.1%†265
$200k or more7.3%†271

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+6.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,730 households (±302)

Picture Rocks, Arizona
Arizona share

Own94%3,505
Rent6.0%†225

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+9.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

216 households (±119)

Picture Rocks, Arizona
Arizona share

Under $75026%†56
$750–1,00031%†68
$1,000–1,50025%†54

Home values

3,505 homes (±311)

Picture Rocks, Arizona
Arizona share

Under $150k32%†1,123
$150k–250k25%872
$250k–400k21%737

Age of homes

3,911 homes (±308)

Picture Rocks, Arizona
Arizona share

2010 or later8.5%†331
2000–200929%1,149
1980–199945%1,777

Size of homes

3,911 homes (±308)

Picture Rocks, Arizona
Arizona share

Studio0.9%†35
1 bedroom7.1%†277
2 bedrooms18%†703

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,136 workers (±426)

Picture Rocks, Arizona
Arizona share

Drive alone90%2,813
Carpool2.6%†82
Public transit1.5%†48
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home4.7%†147
Other1.5%†46

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (+13.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,989 workers (±402)

Picture Rocks, Arizona
Arizona share

Under 15 min11%†331
15–29 min22%†665
30–44 min33%972

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Tucson, 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 Pima County, the county holding most of Picture Rocks's residents.

Pima County has 21,381 employer establishments, 201 for every 10,000 residents (0.81× the US rate of 248; 0.92× Arizona's), with 341,481 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,983. The Census Bureau also counts 82,177 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 21,381; 82,177 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 201; US 248 · Arizona 219
Paid employees: 341,481
Average annual pay: $54,983; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	2,158	20.3	0.97×About typical	28,860	$73,866	4,753
Restaurants and other eating places	1,656	15.5	0.85×About typical	36,585	$22,997	387
Lessors of real estate	1,409	13.2	1.07×About typical	5,188	$55,125	8,225
Specialty trade contractors	1,345	12.6	0.82×About typical	16,448	$57,209	4,948
Limited-service restaurants	810	7.6	0.95×About typical	17,465	$20,548	195
Offices of physicians	726	6.8	1.05×About typical	10,042	$108,069	932
Services to buildings and dwellings	700	6.6	0.97×About typical	6,944	$35,250	5,423
Real estate agents and brokers	691	6.5	1.33×More than typical	944	$68,213	2,963
Offices of other health practitioners	629	5.9	0.97×About typical	3,430	$46,598	2,098
Full-service restaurants	606	5.7	0.74×Fewer than typical	15,606	$26,503	123
Building equipment contractors	578	5.4	0.90×About typical	6,817	$59,165	890
Construction of buildings	556	5.2	0.69×Fewer than typical	5,829	$87,727	2,387

Rank places for an industry Open Pima County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,065,239 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 $10M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Picture Rocks, Arizona: $1,060 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $10M; −58% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,060; US $1,995
Sole-source: 68%; US 30%
Single offer: 18%; 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

Department of the Navy$3.9M39%
Defense Logistics Agency$2.7M27%
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement$2.3M23%
Department of the Army$512.7K5.1%
Department of the Air Force$447.4K4.5%
U.S. Special Operations Command$227.6K2.3%
Departmental Offices$47K0.5%
U.S. Customs and Border Protection$17.4K0.2%

Top recipients

SARGENT AEROSPACE & DEFENSE, LLC$6.5M65%
MANAGEMENT & TRAINING CORPORATION$2.3M23%
SARGENT AEROSPACE & DEFENSE, LLC$487.1K4.9%
LEONARDO ELECTRONICS US INC.$475.2K4.7%
WIN WIN AVIATION, INC.$227.6K2.3%

Spending by fiscal year

7.4MFY2017
10.8MFY2018
3.9MFY2019
5.2MFY2020
8.2MFY2021
12.3MFY2022
16.8MFY2023
22.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$5.2M52%
Investigation and security services · 5616$2.3M23%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$475.2K4.7%
Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance · 8112$447.3K4.5%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$440.9K4.4%
Ship and boat building · 3366

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 Picture Rocks, Arizona, so they do not add up across cities.

Picture Rocks, Arizona's figures are part of those of Pima County, AZ ($13.1B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Pima 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.

Picture Rocks, 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.

Pima County48100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Tucson, AZ55

Other cities and towns in Pima 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
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/0455300

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends