Home / Wages / Tucson Tucson salaries The median worker in the Tucson, AZ metro area earned $46,450 a year in 2024, about $22.33 an hour. That ranks #205 of the 391 metro areas published here, 6.2% below the national median.
Arizona
Median pay $46,450 $22.33 per hour
Vs national -6.2% U.S. $49,500
Workers 385,930 wage and salary
Metro rank #205 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Tucson pays 4.8% less than Arizona as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.
Housing here moved -2.4% over the year to 2026 Q2 and +22.5% over five years. Pay and house prices rarely move together, and where they diverge for long the
affordability of an area changes even when nothing about the jobs does.
House prices in Tucson .
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Detectives and Criminal Investigators 5.68× 1,580 $106,230 Electrical Engineers 3.76× 1,780 $110,510 Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians 3.36× 1,150 $74,230 Aerospace Engineers 2.93× 500 $111,490 Information and Record Clerks, All Other 2.65× 960 $43,200 Ophthalmic Medical Technicians 2.62× 500 $37,340 Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers 2.57× 530 $43,410 Rehabilitation Counselors 2.54× 570 $41,410 Psychiatric Technicians 2.47× 840 $38,550 Education Administrators, Postsecondary 2.39× 1,060 $101,500 Recreation Workers 2.33× 1,810 $34,980 Correctional Officers and Jailers 2.28× 2,080 $54,970
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Tucson Occupation Median Hourly Employed Family Medicine Physicians $225,970 $108.64 360 Architectural and Engineering Managers $179,760 $86.42 850 Dentists, General $173,680 $83.50 310 Chief Executives $151,550 $72.86 310 Physician Assistants $150,350 $72.29 240 Computer and Information Systems Managers $147,240 $70.79 1,630 Pharmacists $138,930 $66.79 1,080 Managers, All Other $138,330 $66.50 1,710 Nurse Practitioners $132,230 $63.57 680 Industrial Production Managers $127,530 $61.31 420 Financial Managers $127,040 $61.08 1,470 Veterinarians $126,000 $60.58 220 Medical and Health Services Managers $123,910 $59.57 1,560 Human Resources Managers $123,780 $59.51 420 Sales Managers $122,670 $58.98 1,060 Engineers, All Other $119,160 $57.29 840 Marketing Managers $117,760 $56.62 360 Software Developers $114,230 $54.92 5,500 Industrial Engineers $112,940 $54.30 1,170 Aerospace Engineers $111,490 $53.60 500 Mechanical Engineers $110,730 $53.24 1,440 Electrical Engineers $110,510 $53.13 1,780 Detectives and Criminal Investigators $106,230 $51.07 1,580 Computer Network Architects $105,490 $50.72 270 Lawyers $105,260 $50.61 1,500 Construction Managers $103,220 $49.62 640 First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $102,770 $49.41 440 Education Administrators, Postsecondary $101,500 $48.80 1,060 Computer Occupations, All Other $100,130 $48.14 420 Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $99,300 $47.74 250 Physical Therapists $97,810 $47.02 600 Occupational Therapists $97,080 $46.67 300 Computer Systems Analysts $96,970 $46.62 850 Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other $95,990 $46.15 200 Registered Nurses $95,960 $46.13 9,390 Administrative Services Managers $93,890 $45.14 780 Dental Hygienists $91,800 $44.13 600 Network and Computer Systems Administrators $90,910 $43.71 910 Information Security Analysts $88,520 $42.56 590 Financial and Investment Analysts $86,760 $41.71 590 Business Operations Specialists, All Other $86,230 $41.46 2,220 Project Management Specialists $84,980 $40.86 2,290 Facilities Managers $84,520 $40.64 380 Speech-Language Pathologists $84,400 $40.58 380 Data Scientists $83,930 $40.35 360 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $83,220 n/a 740 Management Analysts $81,030 $38.96 1,350 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $80,940 $38.92 410 Logisticians $80,590 $38.75 280 General and Operations Managers $79,080 $38.02 11,190 Radiologic Technologists and Technicians $79,000 $37.98 520 Respiratory Therapists $78,720 $37.84 510 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $78,560 $37.77 830 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $78,180 $37.59 1,700 Occupational Health and Safety Specialists $77,680 $37.35 310 Buyers and Purchasing Agents $77,200 $37.12 1,460 Civil Engineers $75,900 $36.49 620 Accountants and Auditors $75,750 $36.42 2,540 Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers $74,620 $35.88 290 Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians $74,230 $35.69 1,150
Where most people work Largest occupations in Tucson by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly General and Operations Managers 11,190 $79,080 $38.02 Retail Salespersons 11,070 $34,040 $16.37 Fast Food and Counter Workers 10,900 $30,890 $14.85 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 9,980 $34,400 $16.54 Cashiers 9,730 $30,930 $14.87 Registered Nurses 9,390 $95,960 $46.13 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 9,000 $37,960 $18.25 Office Clerks, General 8,990 $43,830 $21.07 Customer Service Representatives 8,600 $37,960 $18.25 Waiters and Waitresses 6,920 $35,420 $17.03 Software Developers 5,500 $114,230 $54.92 Stockers and Order Fillers 5,370 $35,770 $17.20 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 5,350 $35,250 $16.95 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 5,140 $44,800 $21.54 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 4,140 $49,710 $23.90 Cooks, Restaurant 4,070 $36,020 $17.32 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 3,860 $44,580 $21.43 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 3,480 $49,050 n/a First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers 3,480 $58,870 $28.31 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 3,450 $46,170 n/a
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.
Other Arizona metro areas Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler 2,343,250 workers $49,840 Sierra Vista-Douglas 34,120 workers $45,940 Flagstaff 65,850 workers $45,900 Prescott Valley-Prescott 70,940 workers $45,560 Yuma 68,990 workers $42,690 Lake Havasu City-Kingman 55,410 workers $42,320 Tucson pay: common questions What is the average salary in Tucson? The median across all occupations is $46,450 , or $22.33 an hour, covering 385,930 wage and salary workers. The mean is $62,200, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Tucson pay more than the rest of Arizona? No. The metro median of $46,450 is 4.8% below the Arizona median of $48,810. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.
Which jobs pay best in Tucson? Family Medicine Physicians ($225,970), Architectural and Engineering Managers ($179,760), Dentists, General ($173,680). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Tucson unusually full of? Detectives and Criminal Investigators, at 5.68× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.