Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry

About AZ Biz

Arizona Business Statistics

• Flagstaff has been recognized as one of the Top-20 Best Small Cities for Entrepreneurs (Entrepreneur Magazine, October 2005).
• In 2004, Flagstaff was ranked 7th in Best Performing Cities in the US: Creating and Sustaining Jobs (Milken Institute).
• Flagstaff was designated “5 Star Business Opportunity Metro” by Expansion Management in 2005.
• Tucson ranked 8th as the best medium-sized metropolitan area in America for doing business (INC Magazine, 2004).
• Arizona has been recognized as the Top State for starting and growing business ventures (Entrepreneur Magazine, October 2005).
• Fast Company magazine sought out cities that in recent years have evolved into centers for the so-called creative class, the combination of scientists, engineers, artists and professions that create urban success, and has recognized Phoenix as one of the Top 10 “Fast Cities”. (November 05)
• Phoenix was recognized as the Best Place For Business, based on measures for new business formation and business growth (Entrepreneur Magazine, 2005).
• Greater Phoenix ranked 1st (for the fifth straight year) in Cognetics Inc.’s “Annual Index of US Entrepreneurial Hot Spots”
• Yuma was recently recognized as the 4th Best City for Entrepreneurs according to Entrepreneurs Magazine (October 2005).

Other Competitive Aspects:

• The Arizona Job Training Program supports the design and delivery of training plans that meet unique industry standards and answer industry challenges.  It reimburses up to 75% of training costs for new employees and up to 50% for incumbent employees.
• Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ) allow areas within the state to be designated as legally outside of US Customs territory. Arizona is the only state allowing an 80% reduction in state real property taxes and personal property taxes in FTZs.
• The Private Activity Bond program can be used for the construction of industrial and manufacturing facilities and the purchase of equipment, residential rental projects, facilities for the furnishing of water, sewage and solid waste facilities and more.

• Site Selection Magazine ranked Greater Phoenix as one of its 60 “Cybercities” in 2002 based on 6 factors ranging from university research and development to quality of life.
• Between 1990 and 2001, Pima County high-tech employment rose 63%, almost double the national high-tech employment growth rate of 33% (Carey/ASU High-Technology Activities in Arizona study, September 2003).
• Tucson ranked 5th nationally in five-year relative high-tech GDP growth from 1998 to 2003 (Milken Institute’s 2004 study of the 200 largest metropolitan areas).
• Tucson was ranked best in the West and 2nd best national in providing digital government services (Center for Digital Government).
• Arizona ranks 6th in high-tech exports in 2005, at 7.0 billion accounting for nearly half of all exports from the state (AeA Cyberstates 2006 Report).
• Arizona employs 109,400 high-tech workers with an average wage of $62,000 (AeA Cyberstates 2005 Report).
• According to the Cyberstates 2006 Report released by AeA, venture capital increased in Arizona by 81% to $148 million, showing that Arizona remains an attractive location for technology companies to innovate.
• Arizona State University is home to the Technopolis Program which connects innovators and entrepreneurs to boost Arizona’s knowledge economy which began in November of 2003.
• More than 150 technology and life science entrepreneurs succeeded in their Technopolis training, with 18 graduates forming companies. About 90 percent of the other program participants are planning to bring innovative products to the marketplace.

• Since 2003, life-science related jobs increased by 11.8% and firms by 6.6%. The hospitals and labs sector continues to drive employment, while the research and testing sector makes encouraging gains, and the medical device sector anchors the state’s industry (Flinn Foundation: www.flinn.org).
• Arizona has about 150 optics-related firms, 90% of which are in the private sector and account for annual revenues of about $650 million. That’s up from $100 million in 1989 and $300 million in 1994 (UA Center for Optical Sciences).

• Arizona employs about 77,000 in Advanced Manufacturing with an average payroll per employee of $60,000 (US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2001).
• Arizona ranks 4th in defense electronics manufacturing with 8,800 jobs (AeA Cyberstates 2006 Report).
• Arizona’s employs almost 26,000 in aerospace manufacturing with an average payroll per employee greater than $65,000 (Carey/ASU High-Technology Activities in Arizona study, September 2003).
• Arizona ranks 4th in semiconductor manufacturing, with 22,500 workers (AeA Cyberstates 2006 Report).
• Arizona’s leading manufactured export category is computers and electronic products. (export.gov
• Arizona’s fastest growing manufactured export category is primary metals accounting for $469 million in 2006. (export.gov)

Foreign Exports and Investments:

• 22.4% of all manufacturing jobs in Arizona depend on exports. (export.gov)
• In 2005 a total of 4,529 companies exported from Arizona locations. 88% percent of those were small and medium-sized businesses. (export.gov)
• Total   Value (In millions)    % Change, 2005 – 2006
  18,287                                         22.3%  
  (http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/state/data/az.html)
• Export shipments in 2006 totaled $18.3 billion ranking Arizona 17th in the nation. (export.gov)
• In 2006 Arizona exported to 200 countries with the largest market begin Mexico with exports of $5.4 billion. (export.gov)
• Arizona’s leading export category is computers and electronic products accounting for $7.7 billion in 2006. (export.gov)
• In 2005, foreign owned companies employed 64,400 workers in Arizona. Sources of this investment were: United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. (export.gov)
• 1/5 of those jobs described above were in manufacturing. (export.gov)
• Foreign investments in Arizona were responsible for 3% of the state’s total private-industry employment in 2005. (export.gov)

• Arizona ranks as the 6th most livable state (Harris Interactive, 2003)
• Arizona is the nation’s 8th most urban state. (How Arizona Compares, Morrison Institutes for Public Policy, January 2005)
• Sky Harbor Airport (PHX) is the 5th busiest airport in the nation, with direct flights to every major US metro area and many international destinations.
• Population Growth percent change 4/00 to 7/06: 20.20% with a net change of 1,035,686 (http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/04000.html)   
• Housing units, 2006:       2,605,283
• Homeownership rate, 2000: 68.00%
  (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/04000.html) 

• Greater Phoenix ranked 3rd in the Milken Institute Institute’s “Best Performing Cities in US” index (Nov 04)
• Greater Phoenix ranked 12th in Forbes’ “Best Places for Business and Careers” index (May 05
• Tucson was recognized the Second Best Place For Business for midsize cities according to the Entrepreneur Magazine (October 2005).
• Unemployment rate:  4.70%  (12/07)
  (http://www.workforce.az.gov) 
• Arizona produces more than 1 million metric tons of lettuce each year
  (http://www.history.com/states.do?
  action=detail&state=AZ&contentType=State_Fun_Facts&contentId=54420)
• 2nd city in top 15 for jobs created and sustained: Tucson (Best performing cities 2005: Where America's Jobs are Created and Sustained, Milken Institute)
• 2nd fastest growth rate for majority women owned firms in US (Center for women's business research 2006)

• Arizona ranked 17th in the 2004 Milken Institute National State Technology & Science Index.
• Arizona has been recognized as Top Digital State Government (Center for Digital Government, 2002
• Arizona ranks above the national average in Advanced Communications and Information Technology employment within total state employment (Battelle, Arizona’s AC-IT Roadmap, March 2004).
• Arizona ranks 3rd in total workforce share for Computer Hardware, Electronics Engineers and Technicians (Battelle, Arizona’s AC-IT Roadmap, March 2004).
• 58 of every 1,000 private sector workers in Arizona are employed by high tech firms with the leading sectors of Semiconductor Manufacturing, Telecommunications Services and Engineering Services (ASTRA 2005).

• Basis High School in Tucson was ranked the 2008 #1 Public High School in the U.S.  (Newsweek)
• Basis High School in Tucson was ranked among the top 20 “Gold Medal” high schools in 2007. (U.S. News and World Report)
• Arizona has the highest number of charter schools, with 509 in 2005. (Heritage foundation)
• Arizona’s School Improvement Act of 1994 is the strongest charter law in the nation allowing for more school choice. (Center for Education Reform) 
• In 2006 Arizona furthered school choice by enacting three private K-12 school choice options: 1. Corporate scholarship tax credit 2. Private school scholarship program for disabled children 3. The first in the nation school voucher program for foster children. (Heritage Foundation)
• The U of A Science & Technology Park was named by the Association of University Research Parks as the Outstanding Research Park of 2001.
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott is the world's oldest, largest and most prestigious university specializing in aviation and aerospace.  It is the only accredited, aviation-oriented university in the world. (http://www.aztechbizdev.com/AZRes/azfactsindex.asp)
• From the 2008 Quality Counts grading summary, Arizona scored 92.3% on Standards, Assessments, and Accountability indicating that state standards are clear, specific and a timetable for revising standards is established. (http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2007/17shr.az.h26.pdf)

• For the last two years, Arizona has matched the growth rate of NIH funding of the top 10 states (Battelle, Arizona Bioscience Roadmap: Measuring Progress).
• The medical devices industry is Arizona’s largest non-clinical bioscience sector (Battelle, Development and Investment Prospectus to Create a Sustainable Systems Industry in Arizona).
• Among the National Institutes of Health’s grants to Arizona are: $14.8 million to the Biodesign Institute at ASU to develop a pediatric pneumonia vaccine; $21.6 million for UA’s Arizona Cancer Center for colon cancer studies with Mayo Clinic, TGen and others; $15 million for TGen on pancreatic cancers; and $8.5 million for NAU and TGen to study two deadly diseases (Flinn Foundation: www.flinn.org). 

More than 27 million people visit our state each year. 13 million of those people visit the Phoenix Metropolitan Area alone. (http://www.azsuperbowl.com/arizona_facts.aspx)
Greater Phoenix has consistently ranked among the nation's top cities in the number of Four and Five-Diamond/Four and Five-Star resorts. " (http://www.azsuperbowl.com/arizona_facts.aspx)
Condé Nast Traveler magazine stated that the "Phoenix area boasts more top resorts than any other metro area in North America. (http://www.azsuperbowl.com/arizona_facts.aspx)
With more than 300 golf courses throughout the state, Arizona is recognized as one of the world's premier golf destinations.
(http://www.azsuperbowl.com/arizona_facts.aspx)