A Snapshot of Tucson, Arizona
Nestled amid the mountain ranges of Arizona’s southeasternmost edge, where the saguaros rise out of the desert landscape like beacons from a past or future world, Tucson is a city of distinctive and unusual beauty. And, with its desert air and mild winters, it’s quickly becoming one of the most coveted places to call home.
The seat of Pima County, Tucson, already has the second-highest population of any city in the state, and its numbers are growing steadily. Now, 550,000 people reside in this aerospace and defense hub, which is home to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and numerous commercial contractors, from Boeing to Raytheon. But the employment portfolio of this city is as diverse as its population, so if you’re thinking of moving to Tucson for your career, you’ll find many sectors of interest.
The University of Arizona is both an economic and cultural boon to the city. Research units like the Biosphere 2 and destinations like the U of A Museum of Art are just two of many fascinating institutions in this historic city. Tucson just happens to be the oldest city in the state — and one of Arizona territory’s former capitals — and you can get acquainted with some of the most celebrated spots downtown on the Turquoise Trail. If you’re looking for things to do with the kids, you’ll love the Arizona Museum of Natural History and the Children’s Museum Tucson. One thing that everyone in the family will love is Tucson’s food scene. Tucson was the first American city to be recognized as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, and you’ll never get tired of eating out here.
If you are looking for an affordable, innovative southeastern Arizona city to relocate to, Tucson should be on your list. Learn more about the city below in our moving guide to Tucson, Arizona, where we’ll discuss the climate, the housing market, the cost of living and — most importantly — where to eat and have fun in this great American city.
A Diverse and Growing Community
Like many Arizona cities, Tucson has experienced consistent growth over the past decade, gaining more than 20,000 new residents in that time. The population of this southeastern desert town has risen to 547,239, and the metro area has more than 1,000,000 residents, making it the second-largest city in the state.
Tucson is demographically similar to Phoenix, although Tucson does skew slightly older than the capital city. 45% of residents identify as Hispanic/Latino, 42% of residents identify as white, 16% as multi-racial, 5% as Black, 3% as Asian, 3% as American Indian/Alaska Native and less than one percent identifies as Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander.
14.2% of Tucson residents were born outside the U.S. — a smaller percentage than in Phoenix, where 19% of the population is foreign-born, but in line with national trends. However, more than 32% of Tucson households speak a language other than English at home — that’s more than 10 points above the national rate.
Educational rates in the city are in line with state averages but fall just shy of the national one — 86.6% of Tucson residents have graduated from high school, and 29.4% of residents have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.
The Desert Heat and Mild Winters
Hot, dry and reliably sunny, Tucson’s climatic reputation precedes itself. Located in the Arizona Upland, Tucson is one of the sunniest cities in the U.S., but living in this unique desert climate does take some getting used to.
Unlike much of the rest of the United States, this region experiences five seasons rather than four. Winter is the most predictable and conventional of the seasons — temperatures are cool from December – February and elevated moisture levels bring rain to the valleys and snow to higher elevations in the mountains.
Springtime arrives and leaves early, bringing amazing blooms to the Sonoran Desert. But this abbreviated season is marked by parched, windy weather, which becomes almost unbearably dry by May and June, the months known as foresummer when temperatures rapidly shoot skyward.
Summer is Tucson’s monsoon season and lasts from July through September. And although temperatures will still be oppressively hot, sometimes creeping past the 110 F mark, one to two inches of rain usually falls during each of these months — that’s four to eight times what you might get in your average May.
By mid-October, fall has arrived, and temperatures will still be warm but no longer sweltering. Expect lows in the 40s F and 50s F and highs in the 70s F and 80s F — perfect for hiking.
Affordable Desert Living in Tucson
When it comes to living expenses, Tucson is something of a mixed bag. Common household expenses in the West are higher than the national average, and you can generally expect to pay more for housing, food, transportation, pensions/insurance and miscellaneous expenses here than in other regions of the country.
However, Tucson’s real estate market hasn’t reached the sky-high prices of Los Angeles or even the above-average price tags of Phoenix and Tempe. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, between 2018 – 2022, the median home value in Tucson averaged only $218,200 — that’s $60,000 below the national average, $120,000 lower than prices in Phoenix and roughly a quarter of what you’ll pay in LA. Rent is astonishingly affordable in Tucson, and the median price per month doesn’t even crest the $1,000 mark.
But wages are also significantly lower in this southeastern Arizona region. The median household income in the city is just $52,049 — that’s $20,000 below the average earnings in Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe. This is something to keep in mind as you budget for this new market.
Attractive Education and Career Opportunities in Tucson
Tempe may have Arizona State University, but Tucson is home to the University of Arizona. The U of A is the state’s flagship, and the university is older than the state itself. This highly respected research institution has more than 50,000 students enrolled, and its highly diverse community is one of the greatest contributors to Tucson’s workforce.
The University of Arizona’s College of Engineering, along with Pima Community College’s Aviation Technology Center and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are three major engines of Tucson’s aerospace & defense sector. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are just three of the industry titans with bases in the city, but one of the largest companies in the region is Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a division of RTX that employs 11,000+ workers on its Tucson campus. But the real industry powerhouse in the city is the military itself — the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is the third-largest employer in the city.
Tucson’s nonfarm civilian workforce has an estimated 493,500 workers. In August 2024, education and health services became the largest sector, with 72,600 employees. The government sector fell to the second spot with 71,300 employees, followed by trade, transportation, and utilities with 70,400 workers. Tucson’s proximity to Mexico and California gives it ideal access to some of the biggest markets on either side of the border, one reason why distribution centers for Amazon, the Chamberlain Group and Faribault Foods are located here.
In the last 12 months, financial activities experienced the largest employment gain, increasing by 4.9%. The unemployment rate in Tucson — which stood at 3.9% in August 2024 — is still below the national average, but this figure did mark a negative trend, as rates in March and April held below 3% in Tucson.
Tucson — A Playground for Outdoor Lovers
With mountain ranges to hike and starry night skies to camp beneath, Tucson is an outdoor wonderland for adventurers.
Saguaro National Park bookends the city to the east and west, and this popular destination is where you’ll see the enormous cacti that the region is so famous for. The beauty of this unusual landscape is matched equally by its dangers, however — heat and wild animals. You could encounter large predators, like black bears, and tiny but mighty ones, like Africanized bees. But if you follow the park’s guidelines, you’ll be able to enjoy the splendors of hiking in this special backcountry region, where great horned owls, antelope jackrabbits and charismatic javelinas also reside. Wherever you’re hiking in this amazing terrain, whether through the Sonoran Desert or to the peaks of the Santa Catalina Mountains, be sure to bring more water than you think you’ll need and stay off the trails during the hottest points of the day in the warmer months.
Biking is one of the most popular outdoor activities in Tucson, and there are fun paths for beginners like the Chuck Huckelberry Loop, intermediate-level favorites like the Starr Pass Trail System and expert-level challenges like the Ridgeline Trail in the Tortolita Mountains. For competitive cyclists, major events are held throughout the year, including the Tucson Bike Festival and the El Tour de Tucson.
Tucson is an International Dark Sky City, and there are plenty of places to go stargazing in this incredible landscape. The Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association can help you find the best spots to set up your scope or you can just view magical events like meteor showers with the naked eye. With so many cloudless evenings, it’s almost always a good time to see some cosmic wonder above the city. Serious astro-afficionados will want to make a trip to the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in the Santa Rita Mountains. Just 45 minutes south of Tucson, this Smithsonian affiliate has six powerful telescopes, including the MMT, which has a 21-foot-diameter mirror. The site is open to the public, but you need advance tickets to visit.
Because Tucson has long been a major leader in aerospace and aviation, the city isn’t short on great museums dedicated to these industries. The Pima Air & Space Museum has 400 aircraft to see, from the Boeing B-29 Superfortress — the famous WWII bomber — to the sleek Beechcraft Starship, a visionary, six-passenger commercial flop that was worthy of James Bond movies but never quite made it out of Q’s proverbial workshop. At the Titan Missile Museum, you can journey back into the dark days of recent history with an immersive look at the Cold War. These vulnerable missile sites were on high alert from the mid-sixties through the eighties, and the museum lends some insight into what it took to keep them — and all of us — safe during those precarious decades.
Those who want to better acquaint themselves with the natural resources in the area have two important stops to make. The first is the ASARCO Mission Mine Complex, where you can take a guided tour of a real copper mine. The second is Biosphere 2, a completely self-contained research enterprise at the University of Arizona dedicated to studying and mitigating climate change. Learn how agrivoltaics work to grow healthier crops under energy-generating solar panels, see how coral reefs might be saved in the experimental ocean and learn how the tropical rain forests might be conditioned to survive even more extreme temperatures.
A Cultural Mosaic of Art, History and Community
Influenced by many cultures, from Mexican to Spanish and Indigenous, Tucson’s contemporary scene reflects its deep and varied heritage. While many American cities have a diverse cultural fabric, only a select few can claim to be a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy like the city of Tucson can. The first American city to claim this honor, Tucson distinguishes itself with a 300-year-long agricultural history that continues today, showcased as much by its amazing restaurants as its farmers’ markets, food festivals and commitment to sustainable, affordable nutrition.
You can sample the spoils of this gastronomic hub at casual spots like El Taco Rustico, where Chef Juan Almanza’s nopales special is always at the top of our to-eat list. We can never get enough of the rosemary and orange olive oil cake from Tito & Pep, but the Sea of Cortez shrimp with masa dumplings certainly makes it worthwhile not to start the meal with dessert. And when you just need a quick, satisfying bite, there are always Sonoran hot dogs! These bacon-wrapped, bean-topped treats are usually served with sauteed onions, charred chiles and your favorite combination of condiments, from hot sauce and salsa to mustard, mayo and chopped tomatoes.
In between bites, you can sample some of the amazing museums, galleries and annual festivals in Tucson. One of the oldest gatherings is the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, which is now in its 70th year. The event showcases different world-famous gemstones each year, from the Logan Sapphire to the Star of Asia, along with dozens of other dazzling collections.
Every other year, the Tucson Museum of Art treats visitors to the Arizona Biennial, which exhibits innovative works by top artists from around the state. The University of Arizona Museum of Art has an impressive permanent collection, which includes 40 works of outdoor public sculpture, and the Tucson Desert Art Museum turns a historical eye to the city’s creatives with exhibitions of Diné weavings, New Deal-era photography and early American landscape painting.
Those who want a deeper dive into Tucson’s history have an unexpectedly wide array of institutions to choose from. The Arizona History Museum gives an in-depth look at industrial innovations, from mining to transportation, alongside collections of rare treasures, like Santa Anna’s uniform. A visit to the Arizona Museum of Natural History will give you a better understanding of ancient cultures and even prehistoric life in the Southwest, trekking back 75 million years to the time when dinosaurs and volcanoes ruled the day. You can also take a tour of historic sites on the Turquoise Trail, which includes must-see downtown sites like the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum, the Sosa-Carrillo House and the Historic Railroad Depot.
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