Ham radio operators in Arizona: new licenses by county
21,012 licensed amateur radio operators; 520 new in the past 12 months. Updated weekly from FCC data.
At a glance · Data as of
- New hams · last 30 days
- 33
- New hams · last 12 months
- 520
- ▼ 9% vs prior 12 mo
- Active licensed hams
- 21,012
- Upgrades · 12 mo
- 344
- Vanity callsigns · 12 mo
- 167
- Address updates · 12 mo
- 187
- Often a move into the area
- Expiring · next 6 mo
- 1,261
About ham radio in Arizona
Arizona added 520 new amateur radio operators in the past 12 months, about the same as the year before (down 9%). Arizona ranks #17 of 52 states and territories for new licenses. Maricopa County leads the state with 255 new hams. Among larger counties, Pinal County is growing fastest. Technicians make up 49% of the state’s licensees, close to the U.S. average of 48%.
New hams by month
Show data table
| Month | New hams |
|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 0 |
| Nov 2025 | 47 |
| Dec 2025 | 53 |
| Jan 2026 | 27 |
| Feb 2026 | 43 |
| Mar 2026 | 48 |
| Apr 2026 | 53 |
| May 2026 | 81 |
| Jun 2026 | 62 |
| Jul 2026 | 38 |
| Aug 2026 | 31 |
| Sep 2026 | 37 |
| Total | 520 |
License classes
| Class | Hams | Share | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technician | 10,278 | 49% | 48% |
| General | 4,984 | 24% | 25% |
| Amateur Extra | 4,631 | 22% | 21% |
| Advanced | 803 | 4% | 3% |
| Novice / Other | 316 | 2% | 2% |
Bar = Arizona share · Tick = U.S. share
In the past 12 months, 138 operators upgraded to General and 185 to Amateur Extra.
How Arizona compares
#17 of 52 states and territories for new hams in the past 12 months
| Per 1,000 active hams | Arizona | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| New hams, past 12 months | 24.7 | 32.3 |
| Upgrades, past 12 months | 16.4 | 14.7 |
| Expiring, next 6 months | 60.0 | 57.3 |
520 new hams in Arizona this past year. Get next month’s list free.
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| # | County | New hams 12 mo | Change vs prior year | Active hams | New per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maricopa County | 255 | ▼ 16% | 9,970 | 25.6 |
| 2 | Pima County | 85 | ▼ 17% | 3,726 | 22.8 |
| 3 | Yavapai County | 46 | ▼ 23% | 1,919 | 24.0 |
| 4 | Pinal County | 34 | ▲ 17% | 1,252 | 27.2 |
| 5 | Cochise County | 16 | ▼ 6% | 698 | 22.9 |
| 6 | Coconino County | 15 | ▲ 50% | 444 | 33.8 |
| 7 | Mohave County | 10 | ▼ 63% | 1,002 | 10.0 |
| 8 | Yuma County | 7 | — | 423 | 16.5 |
| 9 | Navajo County | 5 | — | 516 | 9.7 |
| 10 | Apache County | 4 | — | 181 | 22.1 |
— in Change means fewer than 10 new hams the year before.
All Arizona counties
11 counties with their own page. Numbers are new hams in the past 12 months.
- Apache County4 new hams in 12 months
- Cochise County16 new hams in 12 months
- Coconino County15 new hams in 12 months
- Gila County3 new hams in 12 months
- Maricopa County255 new hams in 12 months
- Mohave County10 new hams in 12 months
- Navajo County5 new hams in 12 months
- Pima County85 new hams in 12 months
- Pinal County34 new hams in 12 months
- Yavapai County46 new hams in 12 months
- Yuma County7 new hams in 12 months
Smaller Arizona counties
These 4 counties have too few licensees or too little recent activity for a page of their own, so their numbers are listed here.
| County | Active hams | New hams · 12 mo |
|---|---|---|
| Graham County | 96 | 0 |
| Greenlee County | 17 | 0 |
| La Paz County | 214 | 0 |
| Santa Cruz County | 105 | 0 |
Neighboring states
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Figures may be reused with credit to Ham Recruiter (CC BY 4.0).
Questions about hams in Arizona
How many ham radio operators are in Arizona?
21,012 active amateur radio licensees are on file for Arizona as of Oct 1, 2026.
How many new hams were licensed in Arizona last year?
520 people in Arizona received their first FCC amateur radio license in the 12 months ending Oct 1, 2026.
Which Arizona counties have the most new hams?
In the past 12 months: Maricopa County (255), Pima County (85) and Yavapai County (46).
Where does this data come from?
From the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) public amateur license database, which we download every Monday. Addresses are matched to counties with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. This page shows totals only.
Can I see the names or call signs on this page?
No. Public pages show totals only. Verified Ham Recruiter users can search and export lists for outreach; see how licensee information is handled.
About this data
Data as of . Source: FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) weekly amateur license database; county from U.S. Census Bureau geocoding. Aggregates only, no individual licensee data is shown. Aggregate figures © Ham Recruiter, CC BY 4.0.
How we count
- New ham: an active licensee whose first license was granted in the period.
- Address updates: a change of FCC mailing address, often a move into the area.
- Counts use each licensee’s current FCC address. Someone licensed here who later moved is counted where they live now.
- Each license keeps only its most recent event of each type, so two upgrades in one year count once.
- PO-box-only addresses often can’t be matched to a county, so rural counties are slightly undercounted.
100% of Arizona licensees could be matched to a county.