Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Yuma, AZ MSA — October 2026
Yuma unemployment eases from 18.9% peak, still triple US rate.
Yuma's jobless rate fell to 14.5% in September from an 18.9% August peak that ranked second-highest nationally, while manufacturing payrolls dropped 14.3% and health-services employment rose 3.2%.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Yuma unemployment rate: 14.5% — Down from 18.9% in August; vs. 4.1% US rate
- Manufacturing employment change: -14.3% — YoY decline to 2,400 workers in metro
- Private Education & Health Services: +3.2% — Grew to 9,600 workers, YoY
- Arizona labor force participation: 59.9% — Down 2.2 pts YoY, 7th straight monthly decline
Key takeaways
Yuma's jobless rate is easing, but from an extreme base.
September's 14.5% rate marks a sharp retreat from August's 18.9% reading, which was the second-highest of any US metro, yet it remains roughly triple the national 4.1% rate. The gap is consistent with Yuma's seasonal agricultural labor cycle and should be read against that backdrop as a seasonal pattern rather than as a standalone recession signal.
Manufacturing's retreat stands out against healthcare's gain.
Manufacturing employment fell 14.3% year-over-year to 2,400 workers while Private Education and Health Services rose 3.2% to 9,600, a divergence that mirrors the statewide pattern of health-sector resilience amid industrial softness. Local economic development framing may benefit from emphasizing healthcare and services growth over manufacturing recovery.
Government payroll contraction bears watching for public-sector stability.
Government employment in the metro declined 3.2% year-over-year even as Arizona's state government payrolls added jobs overall, a local divergence worth tracking given the public sector's historical role as a stabilizing employer in Yuma. Continued softening here would remove a traditional buffer against the metro's agricultural employment swings.
Operations Manager pay surge points to logistics as a bright spot.
Advertised pay for Operations Manager rose significantly to a metro median of $100,592, well above the $86,294 national figure, while CDL Truck Driver pay also moved up moderately to $81,159. Both figures are consistent with Yuma's position as a cross-border logistics and distribution corridor gaining relative importance as manufacturing contracts.
Median advertised pay by role — Yuma, AZ MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $27,919 | $32,055 | $33,592 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $30,277 | $31,512 | $32,613 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $33,573 | $36,295 | $39,468 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $58,985 | $81,159 | $87,712 | Moderate increase | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $30,450 | $33,013 | $34,360 | Stable | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $33,228 | $34,318 | $35,320 | Moderate decline | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $62,400 | $66,547 | $74,337 | Moderate decline | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler * | $33,699 | $39,520 | $42,573 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $33,335 | $36,088 | $36,285 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $31,512 | $31,876 | $32,342 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $34,159 | $37,547 | $41,656 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $36,876 | $41,600 | $44,727 | Moderate increase | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $60,429 | $64,480 | $66,405 | Significant increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $86,561 | $107,973 | $121,576 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $91,124 | $95,592 | $104,609 | Significant decline | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $87,841 | $108,848 | $116,554 | Significant decline | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $55,544 | $75,000 | $82,500 | Stable | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst * | $75,000 | $95,894 | $101,623 | Stable | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager * | $57,050 | $71,628 | $81,656 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $46,800 | $60,279 | $70,780 | Stable | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $70,257 | $100,592 | $112,476 | Significant increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $41,600 | $58,782 | $66,749 | Moderate increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $71,793 | $75,000 | $88,363 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $48,453 | $59,500 | $64,142 | Moderate increase | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $80,609 | $97,365 | $109,117 | Stable | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $68,872 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $74,403 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $38,792 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $55,390 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $105,866 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $55,452 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $69,618 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $60,451 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $32,240 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $57,616 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Yuma's unemployment rate held near 14.5% in September, down from an August peak of 18.9% that ranked second-highest among US metros, yet nonfarm payrolls still fell 1,200 over the year as manufacturing contracted 14.3% and government employment declined 3.2%. Private Education and Health Services grew 3.2% to 9,600 workers, offsetting some of the loss and suggesting the metro's seasonal agricultural labor cycle continues to drive much of the volatility.
What it means
Elevated but improving unemployment alongside sector divergence signals a labor market working through seasonal agricultural patterns, which matters for how commerce leaders read Yuma's investment climate relative to the rest of Arizona. Registered Nurse and Operations Manager advertised pay both moved up significantly this month even as Software Engineer and Data Engineer pay fell sharply, pointing to a local economy anchored in healthcare, logistics and public-sector stability. Commerce and economic development leaders may want to evaluate messaging around Yuma's health-services and logistics momentum when positioning the metro to outside investors, leading with those strengths instead of tech-sector comparisons that don't reflect local conditions.
Looking ahead
Expected: Yuma's unemployment rate typically declines further into winter as the agricultural harvest season ramps up labor demand; watch whether the pace of improvement from August's 18.9% peak continues or stalls, which would suggest conditions beyond normal seasonality.
Emerging pressure point: Government employment's 3.2% year-over-year decline runs counter to the statewide trend of public-sector job gains; a continuation would warrant scrutiny from local officials given government's traditional role as a steady employer in the metro.
Worth watching: Statewide labor force participation has declined for seven consecutive months, down 2.2 points year-over-year; whether Yuma's civilian labor force (101,479 in September) follows that trajectory or holds steady will shape how economic development leaders talk about workforce availability to prospective employers.
Early indicator: Mining and logistics-adjacent sectors are showing strength statewide (mining up 8.2% year-over-year); monitor whether Yuma's advertised pay gains in logistics and operations roles translate into measurable payroll growth in the metro's next employment report.
Sources
- Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity — Yuma unemployment rate 14.5% in September 2026, 101,479 labor force
- Arizona's Economy / EBRC — Yuma had 18.9% unemployment in August 2026, second-highest US metro
- Eller College Forecast / BLS metro data — Manufacturing fell 14.3% YoY to 2,400; health services grew 3.2% to 9,600
- Bureau of Labor Statistics / JEC — Arizona labor force participation down 2.2 points YoY, seven straight months
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — US unemployment rate 4.1% in October 2026
- Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity — Arizona government payrolls added jobs statewide even as Yuma government declined
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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