Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety24#706/924
Economy49#476/925
Housing18#761/925
Health64#330/925
Healthcare77#209/923
Environment43#520/917
Education75#233/925
Infrastructure82#166/925
Community64#334/925
Leisure & amenities29#653/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Tucson, AZ metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Comfortable days · high34.8%
97/100Arizona 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · low12 mi
95/100Arizona 30 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Adult smoking · low11.3%
94/100Arizona 13.4%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Public transit commuters · high1.5%
90/100Arizona 1.0%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Preventable hospital stays · low1,812 /100k
89/100Arizona 2,070 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Mammography screening · high54.0%
86/100Arizona 44.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Hot days · high153 days
1/100Arizona 96 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Median Air Quality Index · high54
5/100Arizona 642025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Drug overdose deaths · high36.4 /100k
6/100Arizona 35.9 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
High ozone days · high4 days
7/100Arizona 27 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Social associations · low6.3 /10k
8/100Arizona 5.7 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
12/100Arizona 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New business applicationsImproving
8.9 /1k (2020) → 12.9 /1k (2025)
+45%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Traffic deathsWorsening
11.3 /100k (2015-2019) → 16.4 /100k (2020-2024)
+45%5 yearsUS 11.3 /100k → 12.3 /100k
Violent crime rateImproving
465 /100k (2020) → 265 /100k (2025)
−43%5 yearsUS 389 /100k → 328 /100k
Homicide rateImproving
9.3 /100k (2021) → 5.6 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−40%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Property crime rateImproving
2,829 /100k (2020) → 1,825 /100k (2025)
−35%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
Mammography screeningImproving
47.0% (2019) → 54.0% (2023)
+7 pts4 yearsUS 43.0% → 46.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Tucson, AZ metro area improved on 18 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 1 moved within the margin of error and 7 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved18

Violent crime−43%465 /100k → 265 /100k
Bachelor's++4.4 points32.4% → 36.8%
Arts & recreation+25%2.9 /10k → 3.6 /10k
Poverty−2.5 points16.8% → 14.3%
Child poverty−5.3 points23.9% → 18.6%

Declined6

Price / income+1.1×3.4× → 4.5×
Traffic deaths+45%11.3 /100k → 16.4 /100k
Transit use−0.8 points2.3% → 1.5%
Pharmacies−15%1.6 /10k → 1.4 /10k
Rent / income+1.3 points30.5% → 31.8%

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Tucson, AZ metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.9 /10k2020	3.6 /10k2025	+25%	Improved	80%
Average commute time	24.9 min2015-2019	24.3 min2020-2024	−0.6 min	Improved	81%
Average weekly wage	$1,0222020	$1,2352025	+21%	Improved	29%
Bachelor's degree or higher	32.4%2015-2019	36.8%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Improved	84%
Broadband subscriptions	85.4%2015-2019	91.9%2020-2024	+6.5 points	Improved	19%
Child poverty rate	23.9%2015-2019	18.6%2020-2024	−5.3 points	Improved	79%
Distance to an airport	12 mi2020	12 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	37.7 /100k2020	36.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−3.4%	Little change	31%
Effective property tax rate	0.93%2015-2019	0.70%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	80%
Firearm deaths	19.8 /100k2020	18.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−7.1%	Improved	61%
Grocery stores	1.0 /10k2020	1.0 /10k2025	−4.6%	Little change	35%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.0 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	+15%	Improved	65%
High school diploma or higher	88.4%2015-2019	90.5%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Improved	63%
Home price to income ratio	3.4×2015-2019	4.5×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	9%
Homicide rate	7.3 /100k2020	5.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−23%	Improved	47%
Income adjusted for local prices	$47,7112019	$62,3602024	+31%	Improved	42%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4692015-2019	0.4682020-2024	−0.001	Within the margin of error	59%
Median household income	$53,3792015-2019	$70,3152020-2024	+32%	Improved	74%
New business applications	8.9 /1k2020	12.9 /1k2025	+45%	Improved	49%
Pharmacies	1.6 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−15%	Declined	32%
Poverty rate	16.8%2015-2019	14.3%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Improved	81%
Property crime rate	2,829 /100k2020	1,825 /100k2025	−35%	Improved	54%
Public libraries	0.3 /10k2019	0.3 /10k2024	−2.3%	Little change	44%
Public transit commuters	2.3%2015-2019	1.5%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Declined	22%
Rent as share of income	30.5%2015-2019	31.8%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Declined	31%
Rent-burdened households	51.0%2015-2019	53.2%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Declined	38%
Restaurants and bars	6.2 /10k2020	6.3 /10k2025	+0.5%	Little change	48%
Suicide rate	21.4 /100k2020	22.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+3.3%	Little change	54%
Traffic deaths	11.3 /100k2015-2019	16.4 /100k2020-2024	+45%	Declined	8%
Unemployment rate	7.6%2020	4.3%2025	−3.3 points	Improved	59%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.3%2015-2019	10.8%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	59%
Violent crime rate	465 /100k2020	265 /100k2025	−43%	Improved	90%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Tucson, AZ metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Tucson, AZ metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Tucson, AZ metro area itself moved +1.3 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,060,490 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

437,827 households (±1,858)

Tucson, AZ metro area
United States share

Under $25k16%72,194
$25k–50k20%86,955
$50k–75k17%72,441

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

437,827 households (±1,858)

Tucson, AZ metro area
United States share

Own65%285,639
Rent35%152,188

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.1 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

472,862 workers (±3,761)

Tucson, AZ metro area
United States share

Drive alone69%327,541
Carpool9.7%46,068
Public transit1.5%7,071

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Tucson, AZ employ 95,000 people. 3 pay a median above the US median and 7 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Tucson, AZ by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
General and Operations Managers12,130 jobs	12,130	$83,610US $105,770	−21%	1.38×
Retail Salespersons11,100 jobs	11,100

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Tucson, AZ has 21,381 employer establishments, 201 for every 10,000 residents (0.81× the US rate of 248), with 341,481 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,983. The Census Bureau also counts 82,177 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 21,381; 82,177 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 201; US 248
Paid employees: 341,481
Average annual pay: $54,983; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Tucson, AZ by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	2,158	20.3	0.97×About typical	28,860	$73,866	4,753
Restaurants and other eating places	1,656	15.5	0.85×About typical	36,585	$22,997	387
Lessors of real estate	1,409	13.2	1.07×About typical	5,188	$55,125	8,225
Specialty trade contractors	1,345	12.6	0.82×About typical	16,448	$57,209	4,948
Limited-service restaurants	810	7.6	0.95×About typical	17,465	$20,548	195
Offices of physicians	726	6.8	1.05×About typical	10,042	$108,069	932
Services to buildings and dwellings	700	6.6	0.97×About typical	6,944	$35,250	5,423
Real estate agents and brokers	691	6.5	1.33×More than typical	944	$68,213	2,963
Offices of other health practitioners	629	5.9	0.97×About typical	3,430	$46,598	2,098
Full-service restaurants	606	5.7	0.74×Fewer than typical	15,606	$26,503	123
Building equipment contractors	578	5.4	0.90×About typical	6,817	$59,165	890
Construction of buildings	556	5.2	0.69×Fewer than typical	5,829	$87,727	2,387

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,065,239 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $13.1B on contracts performed in Tucson, AZ metro area: $12,231 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $13.1B; +6.8% vs FY2025
Per resident: $12,231; US $1,994
Sole-source: 69%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.1%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$4B30%
Department of the Air Force$3.7B28%
Missile Defense Agency$1.7B13%
Defense Contract Management Agency$1.5B11%
U.S. Customs and Border Protection$1.5B11%
Department of Veterans Affairs$210M1.6%
Federal Acquisition Service$162.3M1.2%
Department of the Army$153.1M1.2%

Top recipients

RAYTHEON COMPANY$10.8B82%
SLS FEDERAL SERVICES LLC$1.3B10.0%
MODERN TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, INC.$142.9M1.1%
JACOBS ENGINEERING GROUP INC.$105.6M0.8%
FCN, INC.$66.7M0.5%
GEOST, LLC

Spending by fiscal year

5.5BFY2017
7.2BFY2018
6.7BFY2019
11.1BFY2020
6.9BFY2021
9.2BFY2022
10.5BFY2023
10.1B

Top industries (NAICS)

Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$8B61%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$1.7B13%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$1.4B11%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$1B7.7%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$322M2.5%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415

Largest awards

SM-3 BLK IIA RDT&E GUIDED MISSILE ROUNDS$2.8B
RAYTHEON COMPANY· Pima County, AZ· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Nov 8, 2016 – Jun 5, 2026· HQ027615C0003
GMA (MK25) C-BAND$2.2B
RAYTHEON COMPANY· Pima County, AZ· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Sep 27, 2024 – Apr 24, 2026· N0002424C5408
BLOCK IIA AUR PRELIMINARY DESIGN$2.1B
RAYTHEON COMPANY· Pima County, AZ· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Nov 8, 2016 – Jan 12, 2026· HQ027610C0005
STANDARD MISSILE 3$1.9B

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $8.3B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Tucson, AZ metro area: $7,699 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $8.3B; −5.1% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,699; US $12,955
Loan face value: $1.1B; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$5B60%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$873.6M11%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$435.2M5.3%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$361.5M4.4%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$170.5M2.1%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$150.9M1.8%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$136.1M1.6%
47.049 · Mathematical and Physical Sciences$119.4M1.4%

Top recipients (organizations)

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA$270.3M3.3%
TUCSON, AZ
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ARIZONA$112.9M1.4%
PHOENIX, AZ
ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY, INC.$109.6M1.3%
TUCSON, AZ
CITY OF TUCSON$83.3M1.0%
TUCSON, AZ
TUCSON AIRPORT AUTHORITY INC

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$5.9B72%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$1B12%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$285.9M3.5%
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Education$174.9M2.1%
National Science Foundation$136.8M

Assistance by fiscal year

7.7BFY2021
7.3BFY2022
7.8BFY2023
8BFY2024
8.7BFY2025
8.3BFY2026

County aggregates

88%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Tucson, AZ

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Pima CountyCentral county481,074,685

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

TucsonPrincipal city547,073

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Arizona

Areas based in Arizona, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M46060

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved18

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like Tucson, AZ metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Tucson, AZ

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Arizona

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved18

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Look up any occupation

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought