Average Salaries in Tucson, AZ
Explore salaries across 497 occupations in Tucson, AZ. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $66.4K, +1.0% 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 2025 estimates. Coverage: 497 occupations and 376,470 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 Physicians, All Other. 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.
Highest-paid occupations in Tucson, AZ
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | $357.1K | 900 |
| Oral And Maxillofacial Surgeons | $300K | N/A |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $264.3K | 320 |
| Psychiatrists | $257.7K | 70 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $254.7K | 40 |
| Dermatologists | $231K | 80 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $227.9K | 290 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers | $206.1K | 60 |
| Chief Executives | $185.1K | N/A |
| Pediatricians, General | $183.4K | 80 |
Largest occupations in Tucson, AZ
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| General And Operations Managers | 12,130 | $83.6K |
| Retail Salespersons | 11,100 | $34.5K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 11,030 | $34.4K |
| Registered Nurses | 10,120 | $94.1K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 9,980 | $31.7K |
| Cashiers | 9,610 | $32.8K |
| Office Clerks, General | 8,070 | $43.9K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 7,880 | $40.1K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 7,780 | $42.9K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 7,300 | $36.5K |
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.
Most concentrated occupations in Tucson, AZ
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous Mining Machine Operators | 20.51 | $60.9K |
| Aerospace Engineers | 10.14 | $106.8K |
| Mining And Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers | 9.38 | $106.2K |
| Aerospace Engineering And Operations Technologists And Technicians | 7.54 | $75.2K |
| Plasterers And Stucco Masons | 7.13 | $46.8K |
| Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, And Systems Assemblers | 6.82 | $73.9K |
| Gambling Cage Workers | 6.09 | $47.3K |
| Detectives And Criminal Investigators | 5.67 | $105.4K |
| Hydrologists | 5.54 | $81.6K |
| Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary | 5.50 | $45.8K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
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.