History/Overview of CD08

Arizona’s 8th Congressional district covers the southeastern portion of the state, including all of Cochise County and portions of Pima, Pinal and Santa Cruz counties.  It is approximately 9,000 square miles of ecologically unique and varied environment, consisting of mountainous regions and high desert grasslands including 114 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.  The region is one of the fastest growing in the country.

The urban center of District 8 contains the north and eastern sides of Tucson.  The residents of the district represent a large cross section of occupations and ethnicities, with many residents employed in Tucson’s burgeoning high-tech sector, medical facilities, and agriculture and ranching industries. 

Southern Arizona is home to two military installations: Fort Huachuca and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.  Fort Huachuca serves as the United States Military Intelligence Center and is home of the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade, training the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines.  The 11th Signal Brigade, known as the “Thunderbirds,” operates extensive training in the deserts of Southeastern Arizona, making them particularly valuable for the Iraq War.  Davis-Monthan Air Force Base serves as a tactical command center, operating as the country’s main training location for A-10 and OA-10 pilots.

The area comprising the 8th District has a rich agricultural history that continues into the modern day.  Most notably, the completion of the Hoover Dam in 1935 provided Arizona with much needed access to water, ushering in commercial cultivation.   In 1993, the Central Arizona Project—an irrigation venture which divert much needed water from the Colorado River to the state’s interior—constructed a 87 mile aqueduct that provides water to the area, although Cochise County still relies on ground water.  Today, the top crops in our district are: forage (17,468 acres), corn for grain (16,332 acres), pecans, cotton (11,944 acres), and vegetables (5,590 acres).  Additionally, the most important crop commodities by the value of sales are: nursery, greenhouse, floriculture and sod ($18.3 million); vegetables, melons, potatoes and sweet potatoes ($14.2 million); grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas ($12.1 million); and cotton and cottonseed ($7.8 million).  Southern Arizona is also rich in copper and silver mines.  Four of the eleven sites at which mining activities continue in Arizona are located within the 8th District, including the Bisbee, Mission, Silver Bell and Sierrita mines.

For a detailed history of Arizona's 8th Congressional District, click here.

Points of Interest in the 8th Congressional District

View CD8-Points of Interest in a larger map

8th Congressional District Statistics

To view the full U.S. Census Bureau's profile for District 8, click here.

Total population: 641,329

Median Household Income: $40,656

Racial Composition: 83.7% White; 18.2% Hispanic; 3.1% Black; 2.1% Asian; 1.0% Native American 0.1% Pacific Islander; 6.9% Other

Male: 49.0%

Female: 51.0%

Median age (years): 39.1

18 years and over: 77.1

21 years and over: 73.3

62 years and over: 19.6

65 years and over: 16.8

Top 25 employers:

Raytheon Missile Systems
The University of Arizona
U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Wal-Mart Stores Inc
Phelps Dodge Mining Co
Carondelet Health Network
TMC Healthcare
University Medical Center Corp
CheckMate Professional Employer
Southwest Emergency Assoc
Citi
Bashas' Inc
University Physicians Inc
Northwest Health System
Fry's Food and Drug Stores
IBM
Safeway Stores Inc
Afni Inc
Home Depot
Walgreen Co
Eurofresh Inc
Long Realty Co
Target Stores