Copper mining has been contributing to the economy of what is now called Arizona since before the arrival of Europeans in the 16th Century. Beginning in the late 19th Century, copper mining and processing became one of the primary means by which first the Arizona Territory and then the State of Arizona were transformed from a wilderness to a modern industrial economy. Copper mining, smelting, refining, and fabricating remain an important part of that economy today.
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$3.518 billion direct and indirect impact on the Arizona economy |
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$1.096 billion in personal income for Arizona residents |
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22,200 jobs for Arizonans |
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$2.199 billion in sales revenues for other Arizona businesses |
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$223 million in revenues for state and local governments throughout Arizona |
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$277 million in exports |
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$23 million in property taxes |
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$36 million to Arizona public schools |
Arizona copper producers in 2005 had mining and processing operations at various locations in Cochise, Gila, Greenlee, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, and Yavapai counties that also produced substantial amounts of molybdenum, gold, silver, and other metals as byproducts in the production of copper. Arizona copper producers exported about 8% of the metals they produced to other countries, particularly in the Far East.
Arizona’s three large copper producing firms (ASARCO, BHP and Phelps Dodge) and several smaller firms mined in 2005:
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765,849 tons of copper and other minerals worth $3.545 billion |
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61% of the copper mined in the United States in 2005 |
Arizona copper industry workers have among the highest rates of pay in the state, exceeding the average of $53,200 for manufacturing by 12%.
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$59,400 average annual salary |
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$76 million paid in pensions and other benefits to former employees living in Arizona |
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$1 million in dividends paid to their stockholders who were located in Arizona |
To accomplish this great boon to Arizona’s economy, the Arizona copper industry used less than one quarter of one percent of the total land area of the state (0.23% of Arizona’s 72.7 million acres of land).
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Arizona copper industry workers have among the highest rates of pay in the state, exceeding the average of $53,200 for manufacturing by 12%.
Everything we have comes from the Earth. If it’s not a plant or animal, it’s a mineral or made from minerals. It is estimated that each American uses about 47,502 pounds of newly mined minerals each year.
What makes copper and copper-based products so valuable to us, and why do societies depend on them? Copper’s chemical, physical and aesthetic properties make it a material of choice in a wide range of domestic, industrial and high technology applications. Copper is ductile, corrosion resistant, malleable, and an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. Alloyed with other metals, such as zinc (to form brass), aluminum or tin (to form bronzes) or nickel, it can acquire new characteristics for use in highly specialized applications. In fact, society’s infrastructure is based, in part, upon copper. For instance, copper is used for:
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conducting electricity and heat |
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communications |
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transporting water and gas |
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roofing, gutters, and downspouts |
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protecting plants and crops, and as a feed supplement |
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making statues and other forms of art |
Copper has been in use for 10,000 years, yet it is still a high technology material, as evidenced by the development of the copper chip by the semiconductor industry. |
Copper's Importance in the Arizona Economy in 2005
Copyright © 2006 Arizona Mining Association. All rights reserved.