Average Salaries in Tucson, AZ
Explore salaries across 490 occupations in Tucson, AZ. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $61.1K, -0.8% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 490 occupations and 369,340 total jobs in Tucson, AZ.
How the metro compares
Wages in Tucson, AZ track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
Tucson, AZ is a mid-sized metro labor market.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is General Internal Medicine Physicians. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Tucson, AZ
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Tucson, AZ
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $232.4K | 180 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $226.0K | 360 |
| Psychiatrists | $211.9K | 130 |
| Pediatricians, General | $181.5K | N/A |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $179.8K | 850 |
| Dentists, General | $173.7K | 310 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, And Magistrates | $156.8K | 100 |
| Chief Executives | $151.6K | 310 |
| Physician Assistants | $150.4K | 240 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $147.2K | 1,630 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Tucson, AZ
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| General And Operations Managers | 11,190 | $79.1K |
| Retail Salespersons | 11,070 | $34.0K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 10,900 | $30.9K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 9,980 | $34.4K |
| Cashiers | 9,730 | $30.9K |
| Registered Nurses | 9,390 | $96.0K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 9,000 | $38.0K |
| Office Clerks, General | 8,990 | $43.8K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 8,600 | $38.0K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 6,920 | $35.4K |
What Tucson, AZ specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Tucson, AZ than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Tucson, AZ
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Mining And Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers | 9.02 | $107.3K |
| Detectives And Criminal Investigators | 5.68 | $106.2K |
| Social Science Research Assistants | 5.27 | $59.1K |
| Anthropologists And Archeologists | 5.11 | $63.3K |
| Plasterers And Stucco Masons | 5.07 | $54.2K |
| Gambling Cage Workers | 4.85 | $48.3K |
| Tapers | 4.26 | $46.4K |
| Electrical Engineers | 3.76 | $110.5K |
| Avionics Technicians | 3.64 | $79.0K |
| Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians | 3.48 | $60.4K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Tucson, AZ
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.