Cochise County Arizona Real Estate Hub — May 2026
Cochise County Arizona Real Estate sits in a different conversation than the Phoenix or Tucson metros… lower price points, longer days on market, and a defense-anchored economy that does not move with national speculative cycles. The county-wide median sale price runs in the $280,000 to $295,000 range in spring 2026, single-family homes average $176 per square foot, and roughly 4.7 months of supply puts buyers in a real negotiating position. This is the rare Arizona market where a relocating family, retiree, or remote worker can still find a three-bedroom home under $300,000 in a B-rated or better school district… and Fort Huachuca keeps the demand floor stable regardless of what the rest of Arizona is doing.
▶What’s My Cochise County Home Worth◀May 2026 Cochise County Market Snapshot
County Median Price $285,000 ▲ +2% to +5% YoY |
Median Price / Sq Ft $176 → Stable |
Annual Homes Sold 2,800+ → Trailing 12 months |
Active Listings 510 to 540 ▲ +26% YoY |
Days on Market 78 to 89 → Slower than metros |
Sale-to-List Ratio 95.3% → Room to negotiate |
Months of Supply 4.7 → Balanced market |
Market Type Balanced / Buyer-friendly → Negotiable |
County medians are blended across every city, town, and unincorporated area inside Cochise County. They are useful for trend direction but mask significant differences city to city… Sierra Vista runs near $296,000, Bisbee near $365,000, Douglas closer to $260,000, Huachuca City near $220,000, and Tombstone bounces between $225,000 and $295,000 depending on the month. For hyper-local data, drill into the individual city pages linked in the Cities in Cochise County section below.
▶Talk to a Cochise County Agent◀Demographics & Geography
Cochise County is the eighth most populous county in Arizona with 129,042 residents per the July 1, 2025 Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity estimate. The population is older and more military-affiliated than the state average, with a strong veteran community concentrated around Fort Huachuca and a retiree base spread across Sierra Vista Southeast, Hereford, Saint David, and Sunsites.
Population (2025) 129,042 → AZ OEO estimate |
Total Area 6,200 sq mi → 8th largest in AZ |
County Seat Bisbee → Population 4,954 |
Largest City Sierra Vista → Population 45,838 |
Year Established 1881 → Named for Cochise |
Incorporated Cities 7 → Plus many CDPs |
Elevation Range 3,500 to 9,500 ft → Valley to peak |
Borders NM & Mexico → Two international |
The county is built around four river and grassland valleys… the San Pedro Valley running north from the Mexican border up to Benson, the Sulphur Springs Valley stretching from Douglas north through Willcox, the Whetstone Valley between the Mustang and Whetstone mountain ranges, and the smaller valley around Bisbee and Naco. Five major sky-island mountain ranges define the skyline: the Huachuca, Dragoon, Chiricahua, Mule, and Whetstone Mountains. The Coronado National Forest manages large portions of the higher elevations, and the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area protects one of the most important migratory bird corridors in North America.
Economic Drivers & Major Employers
Cochise County’s economy is fundamentally different from Phoenix or Tucson. Federal defense spending at Fort Huachuca is the single largest economic engine in the entire southeast Arizona region, and the secondary economy runs on healthcare, education, agriculture, mining heritage, and tourism. Unlike metros that depend on tech, finance, or housing speculation, Cochise County rises and falls with congressional defense budgets and the slow steady demographics of veteran retirement.
Top employers across Cochise County
Fort Huachuca deserves its own paragraph. The active U.S. Army installation in Sierra Vista is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the Network Enterprise Technology Command, and is one of three Department of Defense centers of excellence for cyber, military intelligence, and unmanned aircraft systems. The fort directly employs roughly 2,300 active-duty personnel, 2,700 civilian Department of the Army employees, and an additional 400 federal civilians working for tenant agencies on-site. More than 8,000 trainees rotate through the installation each year. For real estate, Fort Huachuca is the single largest source of buyer demand in the entire county and drives nearly all VA-loan activity from Sierra Vista to Whetstone.
Unemployment varies sharply by city. As of mid-2025, Sierra Vista ran at 5.1% (closest to the state and national average), Benson at 6.5%, Bisbee at 7.4%, and Douglas at 8.3%. The Sierra Vista MSA gained jobs in education, health services, and the information sector while losing some professional services and leisure jobs in the 12 months ending June 2025.
Cities in Cochise County
Six published city market reports cover the major incorporated areas of Cochise County. Tap any card to drill into the city’s hyper-local data including monthly snapshot, neighborhoods, schools, and safety. Benson is currently included in the unincorporated reference set and will be added when the dedicated city page goes live.
🛡️Sierra Vista, AZ
Largest city in the county at 45,838 residents. Home of Fort Huachuca, anchor of the regional defense economy, and the most active housing market in Cochise. B-rated Sierra Vista USD plus A-rated Fort Huachuca Accommodation District.
Southern Arizona⛏️Bisbee, AZ
County seat at population 4,954. Historic copper mining town turned artist colony, the most architecturally distinctive housing stock in southeast Arizona. Highest median in the county driven by restored Victorian and miner’s-cottage inventory.
Southern Arizona🌵Douglas, AZ
Border city at population 16,347, second largest in the county. Sits directly opposite Agua Prieta, Sonora at a major port of entry. B-rated Douglas USD. Affordable entry point with significant Latino cultural presence and historic downtown.
Southern Arizona🍇Willcox, AZ
Population 3,255 in the Sulphur Springs Valley. Center of Arizona’s emerging wine country with multiple vineyards in the surrounding area. B-rated Willcox USD. Lowest entry prices in the county, agricultural and ranching economy.
Southern Arizona🤠Tombstone, AZ
Population 1,408. The historic Wild West town, “The Town Too Tough to Die.” Tourism-driven micro-economy, low inventory, and niche lifestyle buyers. B-rated Tombstone USD. Days on market regularly exceed 90 days.
Southern Arizona🪖Huachuca City, AZ
Population 1,616 just north of Sierra Vista. Affordable bedroom community for Fort Huachuca workforce. Small-town character with direct commute access to the post. Strong rental investor demand from PCS military families.
Cochise County also includes unincorporated communities such as Hereford, Saint David, Palominas, Sunsites, Whetstone, Pearce, Elfrida, San Simon, McNeal, Naco, Pirtleville, Mescal, and Miracle Valley. Benson (population 5,589) is the largest unincorporated-status outlier in the county set and has a dedicated city page in the build queue.
Top School Districts in Cochise County
Per the official Arizona Department of Education FY25 A-F Letter Grades (released April 15, 2026), Cochise County is home to six A-rated LEAs (Local Education Agencies) and twelve B-rated LEAs. The grades below come directly from the ADE FY25 release. Third-party aggregators such as Niche and GreatSchools use different methodologies and are not substitutes for ADE grades.
A-Rated School Districts in Cochise County (ADE FY25)
Fort Huachuca Accommodation District
Per ADE FY25 official data, the on-post district serving military-family students at Fort Huachuca earned an A letter grade across all three schools. Critical district for active-duty families assigned to the installation.
A LEA3 schoolsSt David Unified District
Per ADE FY25 official data, St David USD earned an A letter grade serving the small San Pedro Valley community of Saint David. A-rated K-12 district consistently ranks as one of the top performers in southeast Arizona.
A LEA2 schoolsCochise Elementary District
Per ADE FY25 official data, this small rural elementary district earned an A letter grade. Single-school district serving the unincorporated Cochise community.
A LEA1 schoolPearce Elementary District
Per ADE FY25 official data, Pearce Elementary earned an A letter grade. Single-school district anchoring the Sunsites and Pearce communities in the Sulphur Springs Valley.
A LEA1 schoolPomerene Elementary District
Per ADE FY25 official data, Pomerene Elementary earned an A letter grade. Small rural district serving the San Pedro Valley north of Benson.
A LEA1 schoolOmega Alpha Academy
Per ADE FY25 official data, Omega Alpha Academy earned an A letter grade. Charter school serving the Douglas area, one of the strongest charter performers in the county.
A LEACharterB-Rated Unified School Districts in Cochise County (ADE FY25)
Sierra Vista Unified District
Per ADE FY25 official data, Sierra Vista USD earned a B letter grade across 8 schools. Largest unified district in Cochise County, serves Sierra Vista, Hereford, and Fort Huachuca dependents not assigned to the on-post Accommodation District.
B LEA8 schoolsDouglas Unified District
Per ADE FY25 official data, Douglas USD earned a B letter grade across 9 schools. Largest by school count in the county, serves Douglas, Pirtleville, and surrounding border communities.
B LEA9 schoolsBenson Unified School District
Per ADE FY25 official data, Benson USD earned a B letter grade across 5 schools. Serves Benson and surrounding San Pedro Valley communities including the I-10 corridor.
B LEA5 schoolsBisbee Unified District
Per ADE FY25 official data, Bisbee USD earned a B letter grade across 4 schools. Serves the county seat plus Naco and surrounding Mule Mountains communities.
B LEA4 schoolsTombstone Unified District
Per ADE FY25 official data, Tombstone USD earned a B letter grade across 3 schools. Serves the historic Tombstone area plus the surrounding rural communities of the upper San Pedro Valley.
B LEA3 schoolsWillcox Unified District
Per ADE FY25 official data, Willcox USD earned a B letter grade across 3 schools. Serves Willcox and the surrounding agricultural communities of the Sulphur Springs Valley and Arizona wine country.
B LEA3 schoolsSource note: All letter grades on this page reflect the official Arizona Department of Education FY25 A-F release (April 15, 2026), the most current state-issued data available. Third-party aggregators (Niche, GreatSchools, SchoolGrade) are secondary references only and do not override official ADE grades.
Climate & Lifestyle
Cochise County’s elevation is its hidden advantage. The valley floors sit between 3,500 and 4,500 feet, the foothills run 4,500 to 6,000 feet, and the sky-island peaks of the Huachuca, Chiricahua, and Pinaleño ranges climb past 9,000 feet. That elevation moderates summer in a way Phoenix and Tucson cannot match. Sierra Vista typically sees summer highs in the low 90s instead of the 110s, winter lows occasionally dip below freezing, and the North American Monsoon arrives reliably July through September.
Geographic anchors and outdoor lifestyle
This is one of the most ecologically diverse counties in the United States. The protected lands list reads like a national parks brochure: Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Memorial, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, large sections of Coronado National Forest, and the Kartchner Caverns State Park just over the line in northern Cochise. Birders rank the San Pedro corridor and Ramsey Canyon among the top hummingbird and migratory bird locations on the continent.
For wine country buyers, the Sonoita-Elgin and Willcox American Viticultural Areas sit inside or adjacent to Cochise County and have grown into Arizona’s most credible wine region. For history buyers, Tombstone, Bisbee, Fort Bowie, and the broader Apache Wars geography draw a steady tourism economy. For privacy buyers, the unincorporated communities of Hereford, Palominas, Pearce, Sunsites, and Saint David offer acreage parcels that simply do not exist in Maricopa or Pima Counties at this price.
The trade-off is access. No commercial airport operates inside Cochise County. Tucson International Airport is 70 miles north of Sierra Vista (roughly 75 minutes by I-10). Phoenix Sky Harbor is 200 miles. Hospital coverage is concentrated at Canyon Vista Medical Center in Sierra Vista and Copper Queen Community Hospital in Bisbee with smaller facilities in Douglas and Benson. Buyers relocating from larger metros should budget for that distance.
May 2026… Cochise County Buyer & Seller Takeaways
- Buyers: A 4.7-month supply gives you real leverage. Average sale-to-list is 95% across the county, meaning realistic offers below ask are landing every week. Push for inspection-period concessions and lender credits.
- Sellers: Price correctly the first week. Overpriced Cochise listings sit 100+ days and force serial price drops. Comps within the same zip code and similar elevation matter more than countywide medians.
- Military / PCS: Sierra Vista, Huachuca City, and Hereford carry the strongest VA-loan inventory. Time PCS purchases against the Fort Huachuca rotation calendar for best leverage on contingencies.
- Retirees: Hereford, Saint David, Sierra Vista Southeast, and Sunsites offer the strongest value for downsizing. Single-level inventory at sub-$350K still exists in volume.
- Investors: The Fort Huachuca rotation creates a stable rental floor in Sierra Vista and Huachuca City. Border-area buy-and-hold in Douglas requires careful tenant screening but cap rates exceed metro markets.
- Land & ranch: Sulphur Springs Valley and the wine-country corridor near Willcox and Elgin offer the most genuinely rural acreage opportunities in Arizona at this price.
Why Cochise County Arizona Real Estate Matters in 2026
Cochise County is the only county in Arizona that combines real affordability with a defense-grade demand floor, A-rated school options, four-season elevation climate, and genuine wide-open space. That combination simply does not exist anywhere else in the state at sub-$300K.
Key drivers supporting Cochise County Arizona Real Estate include:
- Fort Huachuca’s defense anchor… 5,400+ federal jobs, plus 8,000+ annual trainees, plus growth mandates in cyber, military intelligence, and unmanned aircraft systems all expand demand year over year.
- Six A-rated school districts (LEAs)… per ADE FY25 official data, including Fort Huachuca Accommodation, St David Unified, Pearce, Pomerene, Cochise Elementary, and Omega Alpha Academy.
- Sub-$300K county median… while the statewide Arizona median sits above $440K and Phoenix metro pushes past $450K, Cochise County’s median holds in the $280K to $295K range.
- Elevation-moderated climate… summer highs in the low 90s instead of the 110s, four real seasons, and reliable monsoon rains July through September.
- Balanced 4.7-month supply… unusual in 2026 Arizona. Buyers can actually negotiate, sellers who price correctly still close.
- Arizona wine country growth… the Willcox and Sonoita-Elgin AVAs are accelerating, drawing a new lifestyle-buyer demographic to the Sulphur Springs Valley.
- Outdoor and conservation amenities… Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Forest, San Pedro Riparian NCA, Kartchner Caverns, and over 1.4 million acres of public land for residents to access.
- Stable demographics… veteran retirement, remote-work relocation, and federal employment keep demand independent of the speculative cycles affecting metro Phoenix.
Cochise County is not a short-cycle flip market. It is a strategic long-term demand market for buyers willing to trade big-city convenience for elevation, affordability, and genuine community. Sellers who price to the local comps (not the Phoenix or Tucson comps) close every month of the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Cochise County median sale price sits in the $280,000 to $295,000 range as of spring 2026, with single-family homes averaging $176 per square foot. Prices vary substantially by city: Sierra Vista runs near $296,000, Bisbee near $365,000, Douglas near $260,000, and Tombstone near $295,000. Drill into the city pages for hyper-local data.
Per the official ADE FY25 A-F Letter Grades released April 15, 2026, the A-rated Cochise County LEAs are Fort Huachuca Accommodation District, St David Unified District, Cochise Elementary District, Pearce Elementary District, Pomerene Elementary District, and Omega Alpha Academy. The Sierra Vista, Douglas, Bisbee, Tombstone, Willcox, and Benson unified districts each earned a B grade.
Fort Huachuca, an active U.S. Army installation in Sierra Vista, is the largest employer in Cochise County and the entire southeast Arizona region with roughly 2,300 active-duty personnel, 2,700 civilian workers, and 400 additional federal employees. Other major employers include Canyon Vista Medical Center, Bisbee Copper Queen Hospital, Cochise College, Sierra Vista Unified School District, Walmart distribution, and the county and city governments.
The major published cities inside Cochise County are Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Douglas, Willcox, Tombstone, and Huachuca City. Bisbee is the county seat, Sierra Vista is by far the largest at 45,838 residents, and the county also includes unincorporated communities such as Hereford, Saint David, Palominas, Sunsites, Whetstone, and the area around Fort Huachuca.
Cochise County sits in the high-desert and grassland zone of southeast Arizona at elevations ranging from roughly 3,500 feet on the valley floor to over 9,000 feet in the Chiricahua and Huachuca Mountains. Summer highs average in the low 90s, winter lows occasionally dip below freezing, and monsoon rains arrive July through September. Most of the county sees four mild seasons, far cooler than Phoenix or Tucson.
Cochise County attracts military families, retirees, remote workers, and lifestyle buyers who want a lower-cost alternative to Tucson and Phoenix. The county median sits well below the Arizona statewide median, Fort Huachuca anchors a stable defense economy, the elevation moderates summer heat, and the area offers Chiricahua wilderness, Wild West history, and Sonoita-Elgin wine country. Drawbacks include limited inventory in some cities, longer days on market, and the nearest commercial airport being 70 miles north in Tucson.
Average days on market across Cochise County is running 78 to 89 days in 2026, well above the Phoenix and Tucson metros. Sierra Vista moves fastest at 60 to 70 days, while Bisbee and Tombstone often sit 100+ days because the housing stock is historic and the buyer pool is niche. The sale-to-list ratio averages about 95 to 98 percent, leaving real negotiating room.
Cochise County matters in 2026 because it offers the rarest combination in Arizona: real affordability under $300K, a stable federal-anchored economy at Fort Huachuca, A-rated school options, and four-season elevation climate. With roughly 4.7 months of supply countywide, this is a balanced market where buyers have negotiating power and sellers who price correctly still close.
Get Personalized Cochise County Real Estate Data
Whether you’re buying, selling, PCSing into Fort Huachuca, or researching a relocation to southeast Arizona, send us a note. We’ll respond personally… and connect you with a dedicated full-time agent who specializes in your target city inside Cochise County.
Resources
Counties That Border Cochise County
Cochise County borders three Arizona counties to the west and north, plus the state of New Mexico to the east and the Mexican state of Sonora to the south. Buyers comparing southeast Arizona markets should also explore these adjacent county hubs for context on pricing, climate, and lifestyle.
Explore Every Arizona County
Comparing Cochise County to the rest of Arizona? Our master county directory covers all 15 county hubs from Yuma in the west to Apache in the northeast, with verified market data, top employer profiles, and ADE-rated school districts.
▶Browse All Arizona Counties◀Cochise County Business & Commercial Real Estate
Cochise County’s commercial real estate market is dominated by three forces: the federal contracting economy around Fort Huachuca, the cross-border retail and logistics economy in Douglas, and the tourism economy in Bisbee, Tombstone, and the wine country corridor. Office and retail lease rates run substantially below Tucson and Phoenix metros, industrial inventory is concentrated along I-10 from Benson to Bowie, and cap rates trade higher than metro counterparts which favors investors.
For commercial transactions and business sales, you need specialists… not residential agents handling commercial deals on the side. Here’s what is actually moving in this market right now:
Office Lease Rates $14 to $22 / sf → Annual NNN range |
Retail Lease Rates $10 to $24 / sf → Annual NNN range |
Industrial Lease $5 to $12 / sf → I-10 corridor |
Cap Rates Trading 7.5% to 9.5% → Recent sales |
Active Listings 90 to 130 ▲ Lease + sale |
Total Inventory 3,890 commercial → Across types |
For Sale Range $150K to $8M+ → Mixed |
Anchor Asset Fort Huachuca → Defense contracting |
Buying or Selling a Cochise County Business?
Thinking about buying or selling a Cochise County business… with or without the real estate? From defense-contractor service businesses around Fort Huachuca to Bisbee boutique hospitality, Tombstone tourism operations, Willcox vineyard properties, and Douglas border-trade businesses, we have dedicated full-time business brokers who specialize in Arizona business transactions and know how to value, market, and close Cochise County businesses at maximum value… with complete confidentiality from first conversation through closing day.
▶Talk to a Business Broker◀Buying or Selling a Cochise County Commercial Building?
Thinking about acquiring or selling a Cochise County commercial building? Retail strip centers in Sierra Vista, historic mixed-use in Bisbee, industrial along I-10 in Benson and Willcox, cross-border logistics in Douglas, and the growing vineyard-and-tasting-room corridor near Willcox all trade with different dynamics. We have dedicated full-time commercial real estate agents who cover this entire submarket. Don’t trust commercial property to a residential agent who handles it occasionally.
▶Talk to a Commercial Agent◀
Buying a Business, Fix & Flip, or Commercial Building in Cochise County?
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▶Get Funded at 75BizLoans.com◀Methodology & Sources
Coverage area: Cochise County Arizona Real Estate across all 6,200 square miles of southeastern Arizona, including the cities of Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Douglas, Willcox, Tombstone, Huachuca City, plus unincorporated communities including Benson, Hereford, Saint David, Palominas, Sunsites, Whetstone, Pearce, Elfrida, and the Fort Huachuca cantonment area.
Data sources: County and city housing data is compiled from local sales records and verified across multiple area data sources before publication. Population estimates are drawn from the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity July 1, 2025 release. School ratings are pulled directly from the Arizona Department of Education FY25 A-F Letter Grades file (released April 15, 2026), the most current state-issued data available. Employer data is verified against the Southeast Arizona Economic Development Group (SAEDG), Cochise County Economic Development, and Fort Huachuca official sources. Geographic and protected lands data comes from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and Arizona State Parks.
Update cadence: This county hub is rebuilt the moment new market data is released each month, typically between the 7th and the 10th. Reported figures reflect the most recent complete monthly cut available at publication. Figures presented as ranges reflect normal mid-month variation across data sources, so you always see realistic numbers… not cherry-picked ones. County medians are blended across every city and unincorporated area, drill into the linked city pages for hyper-local detail.
Author: Compiled by Arizona Homes and Condos Realty. We intentionally do not list properties on this site… Arizona’s market changes too fast for static listing pages to remain accurate.
Here is what actually happens when you reach out. If you are a buyer, a dedicated full-time agent who specializes in your exact target Cochise County city or community starts working on your behalf immediately… researching both on-market AND off-market opportunities. Today’s real estate moves so quickly that many of the best Cochise County properties never reach the national websites at all. You need someone with local relationships pulling for you.
If you are a seller, a local dedicated full-time listing agent reaches out personally to discuss your goals, your timeline, and the details of your property… so we can position you for the strongest possible outcome.
Last updated: May 11, 2026.