Arizona covers 113,635 square miles, with a 2021 estimated population of 7,276,316 people – 340,104 living in rural Arizona (USDA-ERS). Phoenix, the capital, is located in the south-central region of the state. The state's largest cities are Phoenix, Tucson and Mesa. According to 2021 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 82.6% of the state's population is white, 5.2% is African-American, 3.7% is Asian, 5.3% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.3% is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 31.7% is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Arizona Rural Healthcare Facilities

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Arizona

Most Arizonans have some form of health insurance coverage, although 10.8% of the state's residents remain uninsured (Kaiser, 2020). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per capita income for Arizonans in 2020 was $49,648, with the rural per capita income at $39,035. The ERS reports, based on 2020 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Arizona is 21.9%, compared with 12.4% in urban areas of the state. 16.9% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 11.9% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2016-2020 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Arizona is 6.5%, while in urban Arizona, it is 4.8% (USDA-ERS, 2021).

Arizona Center for Rural Health
Phone: 520.626.2254
Promotes the health of rural and medically underserved individuals, families, and communities in Arizona through service, education, and research.
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