Education Report for Southern Arizona Cities, Towns, and Census-Designated Places

Educational attainment rates varied substantially across Southern Arizona in 2021. Hereafter, when discussing multiple cities, towns, or census-designated places (CDP) the general term communities will be used. This article explores 41 of the largest communities within Cochise, Pima, Pinal, Greenlee, Graham, Santa Cruz, and Yuma counties. Due to the importance of mining in Greenlee County, we also include three nearby communities in New Mexico.

In 2021, the Catalina Foothills CDP posted the highest percentage of residents aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or better at 69.2%. This was more than double the state’s rate of 31.2% and the U.S. rate of 33.7%. The city of Willcox posted the lowest rates at 6.7%. Figure 1 shows the percentage of those aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or better for the Southern Arizona communities.  

Figure 1: Population 25+ with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher (2021)

Educational attainment is a critical component of a region’s potential growth in population, jobs, and long-run income. Regions with a higher concentration of highly educated residents tend to perform better across many socioeconomic indicators such as poverty, unemployment, productivity, and crime rates. Additionally, less educated residents also tend to earn higher wages in regions with a larger concentration of college graduates.

In 2021, the city of Willcox had a relatively high share of residents who reported a high school degree as their highest educational level at 41.5% compared to other Southern Arizona communities and the state of Arizona (23.5%). The Catalina Foothills CDP had the highest share of residents with a bachelor’s degree or better at 69.2%. When this is broken down into those with just a bachelor’s degree (31.5%) and those with a graduate or professional degree (37.6%), Catalina Foothills ranked first in both. Several other communities in Southern Arizona had a large share of residents with a bachelor’s degree, including the town of Oro Valley (29.2%), the Corona de Tucson CDP (29.1%), and the Vail CDP (28.2%). Figure 2 shows the shares of educational attainment by level for each of the Southern Arizona communities.

Figure 2: Population 25+ by Level of Education (2021)

Substantial variation exists when comparing those with a bachelor’s degree or higher by age. Predominantly, the 25 to 34-year-old age group had low college attainment levels when compared to both the U.S. and amongst the other age groups. For instance, the town of Florence posted only 4.1% in this category, while the U.S. rate was 37.4% and the state’s rate was 30.5%. Of the 41 communities, 24 posted lower college attainment rates than the state in the 25- to 34-year-old age group. Overall, the Catalina Foothills CDP had the highest college attainment rates of all the age groups, posting 64.3% for 25–34-year-olds, 70.2% for 35–44-year-olds, 71.0% for 45–64-year-olds, and 68.3% for those 65 years and older. Data for each of the Southern Arizona communities are available in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Population 25+ with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Age (2021)

Regions with a higher concentration of highly educated residents tend to have lower poverty rates. When exploring the poverty rate by educational attainment, we find that those with a bachelor’s degree or higher are significantly less likely to live in poverty. For example, in the city of Bisbee, the poverty rate for those with less than a high school degree was 49.0%, compared to 18.8% for those with a high school degree, 16.5% for those with some college, and 8.8% for those with a bachelor’s degree or better. This trend holds for communities such as the cities of Tucson and Globe, as well as for most other Southern Arizona communities. The poverty rate by educational attainment in Green Valley is unique, and on average lower, compared to many of the other communities in Southern Arizona, due to the high percentage of retirees in this CDP and therefore of individuals with a fixed retirement income. Figure 4 highlights the poverty rate by educational attainment for each of the 41 Southern Arizona communities.

Figure 4: Poverty Rate for Population 25+ by Level of Education (2021)

Educational attainment rates vary significantly by ethnicity across the Southern Arizona communities. The Catalina Foothills CDP had the highest college attainment rates for both Hispanics and White, non-Hispanics, at 60.7% and 70.6%, respectively. Substantial variation exists for many of the Southern Arizona communities between Hispanics and White, non-Hispanics, including communities such as the city of Nogales, which had the largest percentage points difference (35.4). The average difference between Hispanics and White, non-Hispanics for all of the Southern Arizona communities was 11.9 percentage points. This was less than the U.S. difference of 18.9 percentage points. See Figure 5 for the four-year educational attainment rate by race and ethnicity for the Southern Arizona communities.

Figure 5: Population 25+ with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race & Ethnicity (2021)

Educational attainment rates exhibited significant variability by gender across the Southern Arizona communities. The Catalina Foothills CDP had the highest college attainment rates for both males and females at 72.2% and 66.5%, respectively. Substantial variation exists for many of the Southern Arizona communities between males and females, where communities such as the Morenci CDP had educational attainment among females that exceeded that of males by 16.1 percentage points, and in other cases, such as in the town of Clifton, educational attainment in males surpassed that of females by 7.9 percentage points. On average, across the 41 communities, the college attainment rate was 24.4% for males and 26.8% for females.

Figure 6: Population 25+ with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Gender (2021)  

Educational attainment reflects the share of the population age 25 and older with a given level of education. Respondents report the highest level of education completed. The data come from five-year estimates for 2021 from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). Note that the ACS five-year estimates are a rolling survey taken over five years therefore, they are only comparable on a five-year interval.