La Paz County's population as of Census 2020 was 16,557, down 19.2% from 2010 (the largest population decline of Arizona's 15 counties). La Paz County's population is projected to reach 22,003 in 2025 before declining to 21,944 by 2055, according to pre-Census 2020 projections by Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.
UNEMPLOYMENT: La Paz County's unemployment rate in 2020 was 7.1% (up from 6.0% in 2019, due to the COVID pandemic and related economic decline). At the peak of COVID business closures, the unemployment rate in La Paz County hit a high of 9.4% in July 2020, its highest level since January 2013. La Paz County’s unemployment rate of 7.1% in 2020 was lower than the statewide rate of 7.9% and the nationwide rate of 8.1%.
NONFARM PAYROLL EMPLOYMENT: La Paz County lost 350 jobs in 2020 for annual job growth of -6.2%. The private sector declined by 225 jobs (-6.6%), with the loss of 50 goods-producing jobs (-20.0%) and 175 service jobs (-5.5%). La Paz County's government sector lost 125 jobs (-5.6%) in 2020, with federal jobs up by 25 (+7.1%) and state and local government jobs down by 150 (-7.9%).
Note: Labor force, employment, unemployment, and jobs data on this site are updated annually. For the most recent monthly labor market data, visit Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.
PERSONAL INCOME: In 2019, La Paz County had a per capita personal income (PCPI) of $34,006. This PCPI ranked 12th in the state and was 74% of the state average, $46,058, and 60% of the national average, $56,490. The 2019 PCPI reflected an increase of 5.4% from 2018. The 2018-2019 state change was 3.3% and the national change was 3.5%. In 2009, the PCPI of La Paz County was $25,073 and ranked 12th in the state. The 2009-2019 compound annual growth rate of PCPI was 3.1%. The compound annual growth rate for the state was 3.3% and for the nation was 3.7%.
WAGES: The average annual wage in La Paz County in 2020 was $43,952 ($21.13 hourly), which was 82% of the Arizona statewide average wage of $53,396 ($25.67 hourly) and 78% of the national average wage of $56,310 ($27.07 hourly).
MAJOR INDUSTRY SALES: In 2020, La Paz County's retail sales were up 10.3%. Restaurant & bar sales were down 2.1%, while hotel/motel receipts were up 23.6%.
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT: In 2019, La Paz County produced $792 million in current-dollar total GDP. This GDP ranked 15th in the state and accounted for 0.2% of the state total. In 2009, the total GDP of La Paz County was $587 million and ranked 15th in the state. In 2019, La Paz County real GDP grew 5.6%; the 2018-2019 state change was 3.1%. The 2009-2019 compound annual growth rate for La Paz County real GDP was 0.7%; the compound annual growth rate for the state was 2.4%.
In May 2021, the median price of homes sold in La Paz County was $85,500, according to National Association of Realtors. That was down 12.3% from May 2020. The median days on market in May was 84, down from 107 in May 2020. As of June 2021, there were 293 homes listed for sale in La Paz County (La Paz County, AZ Real Estate Market). In 2020, there were 31 building permits issued for new home construction in La Paz County.
In 2020, visits to Alamo Lake State Park in La Paz County were up 12.2%, while visits to Buckskin Mountain were up 5.9% and River Island visits were down 1.6%.
According to research by Dean Runyan Associates for Arizona Office of Tourism, La Paz County's travel industry (including business and leisure travel) generated $154.3 million in direct spending in 2020, down 7.4% from 2019. La Paz County's travel industry supported 1,300 jobs (down 5.7%) countywide with earnings of $44.5 million (up 2.4%) in 2020, according to the study.
Check out Arizona Office of Tourism for research and marketing resources for the Arizona tourism industry.
In 2020, bank deposits in La Paz County (as of June 30) were up 1.0% from 2019.
La Paz Bank Deposits (1994-current) (xlsx)
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