The “five C’s” — cattle, citrus, copper, cotton and climate — are a snapshot of Arizona history. While they aren't the main sectors of the state’s economy today, they speak to a time when Arizona came into its own, and for that, they will always matter.
The five Cs were the early pillars of Arizona’s economy around the time it achieved independent statehood, but they've been largely superseded by other sectors.
I was curious to see if random Arizonans know their five C’s, so I ambushed some of them. Most people didn’t know or remember them all, but a handful were prepared and managed to list all their Cs. They told me they’d learned about it in Arizona elementary schools.
Given the makeup of Arizona’s economy today, it makes sense that things like citrus wouldn’t be people’s first guess of our main economic drivers if they don’t have the five Cs memorized.
So, what are the five main industries of Arizona today?
Reports by the state commerce authority and the U.S. Department of Commerce point to a few modern industries: real estate, health care and manufacturing — which include the semiconductor and aerospace industries.
Citrus, cotton and cattle make up less than 1% of the state’s economy combined today, even though they bring in billions of dollars.
“Phoenix has got 7-8 million people. So as the population grows, our impact on the overall economy, of course, gets smaller and smaller. But as far as historically and culturally, we still play a big part in Arizona's history and the way we perceive ourselves as Arizonans,” Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association President Brian DeGanahl said.
Much of the land that was once used for agriculture in Maricopa County has been transformed into residential and commercial developments, including projects driving Arizona’s economy today.
Still, plenty of the people working in those original five C industries can tell you they have a stronger, intangible value.
That includes Arizona Cotton Growers Executive Director Jadee Rohner.
“Hell yes. Quote me on that, absolutely cotton is. It’s foundational,” Rohner said when asked if cotton should still be considered one of the five Cs.
As for the state of copper, Arizona is still one of the biggest copper producers in the whole world. There’s certainly still a need for the mining industry. Even though plenty of smaller mines are closed, large-scale mining operations are a relevant part of the state economy today.
Mining was one of the main industries that attracted settlers to Arizona in the late 1800s — encouraging population growth and producing the resources that helped prop the state up on its own and secure statehood in 1912.
It’s the reason many small towns in Arizona exist, like San Manuel in Pinal County.
“The majority of the people here realize the importance of copper. To the world, to Arizona and to this town,” San Manuel Historical Museum head David Prough said.
Climate is the hardest “industry” to pin down. Extreme heat is certainly not people’s favorite thing about Arizona, but the lack of natural disasters, abundant sunlight and comfortable Valley winters are all huge points in the state’s favor.
Climate certainly plays a role in the state’s tourism and retirement industries, not to mention in courting large projects.
Still, rising temperatures and water concerns can potentially harm several industries at once.
“If suddenly water supplies and electricity are not reliable, again businesses you know thinking of locating here are going to take pause,” University of Arizona Professor George Frisvold said.
Frisvold sees the Cs as a public relations tool the state has adopted, and a way to help students learn about state history. They serve as a symbol of state identity, rather than a relevant economic metric.
“I know it was something they started teaching school kids in the '50s, '60s, and '70s about what the five C's are. But they're not a really large share of the state's economy GDP,” he said.
There was really only a period of a few decades where the five Cs truly reigned supreme in Arizona's economy, but because that was a key time, they’re immortalized.
Glenn Wright teaches a course on citrus production at the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Yuma. He says the nostalgic element of these industries is powerful.
“I don't think citrus will ever go away. Of course, we have millions of trees in people's yards, and we have acres and acres of homeowner associations out in the Mesa area and up in Scottsdale, etc., that were built on former citrus orchards, or the city of Glendale has a park which has an orchard in it. So there's a lot of nostalgia going on," Wright said
Even if the five Cs aren’t contributing as much as other industries in terms of dollars and percentages, they still matter to the people working those sectors and the communities they built.
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KJZZ examines the storied history of the state’s five C’s — copper, cotton, cattle, citrus and climate — and the role they still play in modern-day Arizona. -
KJZZ examines the storied history of the state’s five C’s — copper, cotton, cattle, citrus and climate — and the role they still play in modern-day Arizona. -
KJZZ examines the storied history of the state’s five C’s — copper, cotton, cattle, citrus and climate — and the role they still play in modern-day Arizona. -
KJZZ examines the storied history of the state’s five C’s — copper, cotton, cattle, citrus and climate — and the role they still play in modern-day Arizona. -
KJZZ examines the storied history of the state’s five C’s — copper, cotton, cattle, citrus and climate — and the role they still play in modern-day Arizona.
