Sell Your Commercial Property In Yuma, AZ

Who rents in Yuma

Yuma had an estimated 100,139 residents in the 2020–2024 American Community Survey, in 39,110 occupied homes. Owners held 26,107 of them and renters 13,003, a 33.2% renter share. The median household income was $65,482.

Military installations anchor demand. Yuma County describes Marine Corps Air Station Yuma as the Marine Corps' premier aviation training facility, with $654 million in annual economic activity, and Yuma Proving Ground as the Army's most versatile weapons testing facility, with $1.12 billion. Marines on assignment, civilian staff and contractors at both sites rent first, which supports steady leasing year round.

Agriculture is the other pillar. The county says the region produces nearly $3.4 billion in agricultural products a year and about 90% of the U.S. supply of winter vegetables. Field, packing and processing jobs add both seasonal and permanent renters. Tourism adds a third layer: the county reports that its population grows by more than 76,000 each winter as seasonal visitors arrive, contributing $452 million in economic activity. The county also lists manufacturers including Johnson Controls, Shaw Carpets and International Paper, and says Yuma is the largest and fastest-growing Arizona city outside the Phoenix and Tucson metros.

Rents and affordability

Median gross rent in Yuma was $1,114 over 2020–2024. Of renter households, 47.8% spend 30% or more of income on rent and 19.2% spend at least half, so even at low rents, affordability limits how fast owners can raise renewals.

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rents show the gap with the Phoenix metro:

Yuma figures cover Yuma County and come from HUD's Yuma MSA schedule; Phoenix figures are from HUD's Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler schedule. The studio and one-bedroom benchmarks are nearly identical in Yuma, which means two-bedroom units carry most of the rent premium.

The apartment stock

Per ACS table B25024, only 4,662 of Yuma's 44,663 housing units, or 10.4%, are in buildings with five or more units: 1,534 in 5–9 unit buildings, 1,121 in 10–19 unit buildings, 377 in 20–49 unit buildings and 1,630 in complexes of 50 or more. Mobile homes total 8,377 units, 18.8% of the housing stock, and detached houses 25,034. Duplexes and three- to four-unit buildings add 3,154.

The median year built is 1990. About 35.3% of units date from before 1980, and 15.2% were built in 2010 or later. The city counts 5,553 more housing units than occupied homes, about 12.4%, which is consistent with the large seasonal population the county describes.

The areas named on our Yuma page are different jurisdictions. Somerton and San Luis are separate cities to the south, and the Foothills area east of Yuma is largely unincorporated, so tax rates and services vary with the parcel.

Property taxes on apartment buildings in Yuma County

Arizona places rental housing in legal class 4, assessed at 10% of the limited property value. Under A.R.S. 42-13301, that value rises at most 5% a year, and a sale is not among the recalculation triggers in A.R.S. 42-13302, so a buyer generally inherits it.

The City of Yuma's June 2025 truth-in-taxation notice proposed raising the city's FY2026 primary property tax levy by $490,240, or 2.98%. It said the city's primary tax on a $100,000 home would be $214.50, up from $208.29 without the increase. County, school and special district levies are added. Arizona has no real estate transfer tax, and the state constitution bars new ones. The Department of Revenue confirms city rental sales tax on long-term leases ended January 1, 2025.

Landlord rules and local compliance

A.R.S. 33-1329 bars Yuma from controlling rents on private housing. Deposits are capped at one and a half months' rent under A.R.S. 33-1321, and unpaid rent allows termination after a five-day notice. Rentals must be registered with the Yuma County Assessor under A.R.S. 33-1902; out-of-state owners must name an Arizona statutory agent, and an unregistered newly acquired rental can face $1,000 plus $100 a month in penalties after a 10-day cure, or $150 a day for an existing property. Other material lease violations require a 10-day notice, and a landlord who wrongfully withholds a deposit can owe twice the amount withheld. Buyers usually confirm registration and deposit records before closing.

What this means if you own a building here

Yuma owners have steady military and agricultural demand, a thin supply of apartment buildings and low acquisition costs, balanced against modest rents and incomes. Buyers will focus on occupancy through the summer, when seasonal residents leave, and on how in-place rents compare with the HUD benchmarks above. Prepare a trailing 12-month net operating income statement and test pricing with our cap rate calculator. Skyline Capital Investments buys 5+ unit buildings in Yuma, listed or off-market; see our seller page.