Agriculture Tops Economic Impact for Arizona

By Nicole Clements, Executive Director

Carrie Mayfield, owner at Sweet Flower Home pictured in one of her sunflower fields prominent in the fall months in the west valley.

Agriculture has long been a significant part of Arizona's rich history, and will continue to be for generations to come.

In a study released by University of Arizona economist Dr. George Frisvold and his team, it is shown that agriculture's economic impact in Arizona has topped the previous report's number, coming in at $30.9 Billion.

Arizona's agriculture industry supports more than 126,000 jobs equaling $7.2 billion in labor income. While that may not make agriculture top employment sector for Arizona (that title goes to the healthcare industry) it contributes a significant amount of stable work for the growing population while simultaneously providing food and fiber for our communities.

Diversity in production is the name of the game in Arizona and agriculture excels at just that. Even right here in Maricopa County we can see production from urban specialty crops and greenhouses to alfalfa fields and dairy farms. The diversification lends itself to Arizona's robust contribution to local food systems. The top five categories in Arizona agriculture include: agribusiness wholesaling, vegetable and melon farming, agricultural support services (largely farm labor contracting), bread and bakery products, and fluid milk manufacturing.

Highlights from the USDA's 2022 Census of Agriculture

• There are 16,710 farm operations in Arizona, 1,527 of those are in Maricopa County

• Arizona's three top producing counties-Maricopa, Pinal, and Yuma accounted for 81% of the state's agricultural sales

• Those same three counties ranked in the top 1% among all U.S. counties in total agricultural sales

• Arizona has the highest percent of female agricultural producers in the country at 48%

• Arizona also has the highest percent of Native American producers in the country at 56%

The full report from Dr. Frisvold and team can be found below.

Arizona’s Agribusiness System in the State Economy Report.pdf

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