Santa Cruz is a county in southern Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,669. The county seat is Nogales. The county was established in 1899. It borders Pima County to the north and west, Cochise County to the east, and the Mexican state of Sonora to the south.
Santa Cruz County includes the Nogales, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Tucson-Nogales, Arizona Combined Statistical Area.
History
Santa Cruz County, formed on March 15, 1899, out of what was then Pima County, is named after the Santa Cruz River. The river originates in the Canelo Hills in the eastern portion of the county, crosses south into Mexico near the community of Santa Cruz, Sonora, and then bends northwards returning into the United States (and Santa Cruz County) east of Nogales.
Father Eusebio Kino, an Italian explorer and missionary in the service of the Spanish Empire, named the Santa Cruz River–"holy cross" in Spanish–in the 1690s. In addition, Kino founded several missions to evangelize the different O'odham peoples living along the banks of the Santa Cruz River, including Missions San Cayetano del Tumacácori (1691) and San Gabriel de Guevavi (1691), as well as Los Reyes de Sonoita (1692) near Sonoita Creek. Along the river, but outside the boundaries of Santa Cruz County, Kino also founded Mission San Xavier del Bac (1692) near Tucson, Arizona, and Mission Santa Maria del Pilar (1693) in what is now Santa Cruz, Mexico. Kino's San Cayetano and San Gabriel missions were destroyed in the O'odham peoples' 1751 Pima Revolt and rebuilt as Missions Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi (1751), San José de Tumacácori (1753), and San Cayetano de Calabazas (1756). The ruins of all three of these later missions are now protected by Tumacácori National Historical Park. Disease, warfare, overwork, and changes in land ownership during Spanish colonization led to the demographic decline of the O'odham peoples of Santa Cruz County.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water. It is the smallest county by area in Arizona.
Adjacent counties and municipalities Pima County–west, north Cochise County–east Nogales, Sonora, Mexico–south Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico–south Sáric, Sonora, Mexico–south
Major highways Interstate 19 State Route 82 State Route 83
National protected areas Coronado National Forest (part) Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (part) Tumacácori National Historical Park
Border crossings There are three crossings of the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales: the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry (for vehicular and pedestrian traffic); the Nogales-Mariposa Port of Entry (in the western part of the city, for vehicular and pedestrian traffic); and the Morley Gate Port of Entry (for pedestrians only).Rafael Carranza, Mexico shuts down Nogales border crossing indefinitely, limits cargo processing, Arizona Republic (March 31, 2020). Lochiel, a former mining and ranching border town, formerly had a border crossing, but the U.S. government shut the port of entry down in 1983.Arielle Zionts, Border resident lives in old customs house, Nogales International (October 6, 2017).Murphy Woodhouse, 'Ghost' border town isn't dead yet, Nogales International (January 20, 2015).
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |+Santa Cruz County, Arizona – Racial and ethnic composition !Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) ! !2010 !2000 !1990 !1980 |- |White alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |14.9%(7,119) |16%(7,564) |17.8%(6,835) |20.8%(6,168) |24.9%(5,087) |- |Black alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.2%(114) |0.2%(89) |0.2%(75) |0.2%(56) |0.3%(54) |- |American Indian alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.2%(78) |0.2%(115) |0.3%(95) |0.1%(29) |0%(8) |- |Asian alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.6%(271) |0.5%(235) |0.5%(189) | |0.4%(131) | |0.2%(39) |- |Pacific Islander alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |0%(13) |0%(7) |0%(17) |- |Other race alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.3%(150) |0%(19) |0.1%(28) |0.2%(71) |0.2%(42) |- |Multiracial (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.6%(292) |0.3%(118) |0.4%(137) |— |— |- |Hispanic/Latino (any race) |style='background: #ffffe6; |83.1%(39,632) |82.8%(39,273) |80.8%(31,005) |78.2%(23,221) |74.4%(15,229)
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 47,669. Of the residents, 26.1% were under the age of 18 and 20.0% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.1 males. 40.2% of residents lived in urban areas and 59.8% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 33.4% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 1.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 28.9% from some other race, and 35.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 83.1% of the population.
There were 16,670 households in the county, of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 29.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 18,729 housing units, of which 11.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.4% were owner-occupied and 32.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.4%.
2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 47,420 people, 15,437 households, and 11,992 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 18,010 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 73.5% white, 0.7% American Indian, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 22.9% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 82.8% of the population.
The largest ancestry groups were:
78.1% Mexican 4.3% German 3.4% Irish 3.1% English 2.3% American 1.8% Italian
Of the 15,437 households, 45.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 22.3% were non-families, and 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.51. The median age was 35.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,519 and the median income for a family was $40,933. Males had a median income of $30,666 versus $25,135 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,209. About 20.6% of families and 25.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.8% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.
2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 38,381 people, 11,809 households, and 9,506 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 13,036 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 76.0% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 19.7% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. 80.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 79.7% of the population reported speaking Spanish at home, while 19.5% speak English.
There were 11,809 households, of which 45.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.5% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.23 and the average family size was 3.66.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 33.6% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,710, and the median income for a family was $32,057. Males had a median income of $27,972 versus $21,107 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,278. About 21.40% of families and 24.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.% of those under age 18 and 23.2% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
City Nogales (county seat)
Town Patagonia
Census designated places
Amado Beyerville Elgin Kino Springs Rio Rico Sonoita Tubac Tumacacori-Carmen
Unincorporated communities
Harshaw Oro Blanco Carmen Lochiel Trench Camp Casa Piedra Madera Canyon Washington Camp
Ghost towns
Alto Canelo Calabasas Duquesne Fort Buchanan Harshaw Lochiel Oro Blanco Ruby
Education School districts include: - Text list
K-12: Nogales Unified School District Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District
Secondary: Patagonia Union High School District
Elementary: Patagonia Elementary District Santa Cruz Elementary District Sonoita Elementary District
County population ranking The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Santa Cruz County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Population (2010 Census)Municipal typeIncorporated 1 † Nogales 20,837 City 2 Rio Rico 18,962 CDP 3 Tubac 1,191 CDP 4 Patagonia 913 Town 5 Sonoita 818 CDP 6 Tumacacori-Carmen 393 CDP 7 Amado 295 CDP 8 Beyerville 177 CDP 9 Elgin 161 CDP 10 Kino Springs 136 CDP
Politics
Owing to its border location and Hispanic majority population, Santa Cruz is a strongly Democratic county, but it has been shifting Republican by considerable numbers. The last Republican to win the county was George H. W. Bush in 1988, and although the Republicans won the county in six consecutive elections from 1968 to 1988, three of these wins were by very narrow margins. Following the trends seen in majority Hispanic counties across the United States, Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump with 67.1% of the popular vote in the county, a slightly lower margin than Hillary Clinton's 71.1% vote share in 2016. Trump's gains were far higher than Biden's losses (at nearly 8%), due to a combination of third parties losing votes and higher turnout. Despite this rightward shift in the vote share, Santa Cruz County remained as the most Democratic-leaning county in Arizona until 2024, when Apache and Coconino counties voted slightly more Democratic than Santa Cruz County, as Trump had the best performance for a Republican in the county since their last win in 1988, cracking 40% in the county for the first time since then.
Notable people Charles Mingus, was born in Santa Cruz County in the border community of Nogales, Arizona.
Elizabeth Gutfahr, former elected county treasurer who confessed to embezzling more than $38 million between 2012 and 2024.
Economy Because it is the state's smallest county, Santa Cruz County's economic activity is also smaller. Its agriculture consists primarily of forage/hay, and the cattle products raised on that pasture and hay are almost 100% of farm products annually.
See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Santa Cruz County, Arizona
References
External links
Nogales Chamber of Commerce Website Geologic Map of the Patagonia Mountains, Santa Cruz County, Arizona U.S. Geological Survey