Arizona

Economy

The 2003 total gross state product was $182 billion. Its per capita income was $27,232, 39th in the United States. Early in its history, Arizona's economy relied on the "five C's": copper, cotton, cattle, citrus, and climate (i.e., tourism). At one point Arizona was the largest producer of cotton in the country. Copper is still produced in abundance from many giant open-pit mines and underground mines. The state government is the state's largest employer, while Wal-Mart is the state's largest private employer, with 17,343 employees in 2003. Arizona lost much of its advantage as a high-technology industry leader between 1990 and 2001, according to a state Department of Commerce report. In 2001, 161,166 Arizonans were employed in the high-tech sector, accounting for about 8.3 percent of total private-sector employment of more than 1.9 million. High-tech payroll in 2001 was $2.2 billion, or 14.7 percent of the private-sector total. High-tech employment was led by software and computers, with 34,314; electronics components manufacturing, 30,358; aerospace manufacturing, 25,641; architectural and engineering services, 21,378; telecommunications, 21,224; and instruments manufacturing, 13,056.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~