Pima County, Arizona facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pima County
U.S. county
Pima County Courthouse
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Arizona
Arizona's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Arizona
Founded	November 9, 1864
Named for	Pima people
Seat	Tucson
Largest city	Tucson
Area
• Total	9,189 sq mi (23,800 km2)
• Land	9,187 sq mi (23,790 km2)
• Water	2.1 sq mi (5 km2)  0.02%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,043,433
• Estimate  (2023)	1,063,162
• Density	113.552/sq mi (43.8428/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
Congressional districts	6th, 7th

Pima County Fair, 2007

Pima County (/ˈpiːmə/ PEE-mə) is a county in the south central region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,043,433, making it Arizona's second-most populous county. The county seat is Tucson, where most of the population is centered. The county is named after the Pima Native Americans, also known as Tohono O'odham, who are indigenous to this area.

Pima County includes the entirety of the Tucson Metropolitan Statistical Area, and it is the third largest metropolitan area in the Southwestern United States.

Pima County contains parts of the Tohono O'odham Nation, as well as all of the San Xavier Indian Reservation, the Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Ironwood Forest National Monument and Saguaro National Park.

The vast majority of the county population lies in and around the city of Tucson, filling much of the eastern part of the county with urban development. As Arizona's second-largest city, Tucson is a major commercial and academic center. Other urban areas include the Tucson suburbs of Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita, South Tucson, and Green Valley. The rest of the county is sparsely populated; the largest towns are Sells, the capital of the Tohono O'odham Nation, and Ajo in the county's far western region.

History

Pima County, one of the four original counties in Arizona, was created by the 1st Arizona Territorial Legislature with land acquired through the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico in 1853. The original county consisted of all of Arizona Territory east of longitude 113° 20' and south of the Gila River. Soon thereafter, the counties of Cochise, Graham and Santa Cruz were carved from the original Pima County.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 9,189 square miles (23,800 km²), of which 9,187 square miles (23,790 km²) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) (0.02%) is water.

Topographic features

• Mountains of Pima County
• Fresnal Canyon

Major highways

• Interstate 10
• Interstate 19
• Historic U.S. Route 80
• State Route 77
• State Route 83
• State Route 85
• State Route 86
• State Route 210
• State Route 989

Adjacent counties and municipalities

National protected areas

• Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge
• Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Coronado National Forest (part)
• Ironwood Forest National Monument (part)
• 

  Old Pima County Courthouse
  Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (part)
• Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
• Saguaro National Park

Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan

The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan (SDCP) is Pima County's plan for desert conservation. The SDCP addresses natural and cultural resources, ranches, endangered species compliance and wildlife corridors.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 980,263 people, 388,660 households, and 243,167 families living in the county. The population density was 106.7 inhabitants per square mile (41.2 inhabitants/km²). There were 440,909 housing units at an average density of 48.0 units per square mile (18.5 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.3% white, 3.5% black or African American, 3.3% American Indian, 2.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific islander, 12.3% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 34.6% of the population.

The largest ancestry groups were:

Of the 388,660 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.4% were non-families, and 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age was 37.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,521 and the median income for a family was $57,377. Males had a median income of $42,313 versus $33,487 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,093. About 11.2% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Metropolitan Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Pima County as the Tucson, AZ Metropolitan Statistical Area. The United States Census Bureau ranked the Tucson, AZ Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 53rd most populous metropolitan statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012.

The Office of Management and Budget has further designated the Tucson, AZ Metropolitan Statistical Area as a component of the more extensive Tucson-Nogales, AZ Combined Statistical Area, the 53rd most populous combined statistical area and the 59th most populous primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012.

Communities

Map of the incorporated and unincorporated cities and towns in Pima County. Also shown are the borders for the Indian Reservations in the county.

Astronaut photo of the open-pit copper mines adjacent to Green Valley, 2010. North is to the left.

Cities

• South Tucson
• Tucson (county seat)

Towns

• Marana (partially in Pinal County)
• Oro Valley
• Sahuarita

Census-designated places

Indian communities

• Pascua Yaqui
• San Xavier
• Tohono O'odham (part)

Other communities

• Drexel-Alvernon
• East Sahuarita
• Kentucky Camp
• Lukeville
• Redington
• Sasabe
• Tortolita

Ghost towns

• Achi
• Ahan Owuch
• Ak Chut Vaya
• Allen
• Cerro Colorado
• Helvetia
• Hahuul Kawuch Vay, Arizona
• Kentucky
• Pantano
• Redington
• San Rafael
• Total Wreck
• Twin Buttes
• List of ghost towns in Arizona

County population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Pima County.

† county seat

Education

School districts with territory in the county, no matter how slight (even if the schools and administration are in other counties), include:

Unified:

Elementary:

Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind is based in Tucson.

Tourist attractions

Annual events

• Pima County Fair

Locations of Interest

• Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
• Old Tucson Studios
• Arizona Historical Society (museum)
• Tucson Gem & Mineral Show
• Titan Missile Museum
• Pima Air and Space Museum
• Mission San Xavier del Bac

County Designated Historic Landmarks

• Ferguson House, Hacienda Del Bosquito, Desert Treasures, Designated 2018
• Harrenstein House, Designated 2018
• Viewpoint, Christina and Earl J. Johnson House, Designated 2021
• Jacobson House, Designated 2022

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Pima para niños