Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
63 Highest Paying Jobs in Tucson, AZ (2026)
The highest-paying job in Tucson, AZ, Arizona is Family Medicine Physician with a median salary of $227,940 as of 2026, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. Across all 63 tracked occupations the average median is $95,931, with 24 occupations paying a six-figure ($100K+) median. Tucson, AZ has a cost-of-living index of 95.4 (national average = 100), so a $95,931 nominal salary equals $100,557 in average-cost-metro buying power.
The 63 occupations below are ranked by median wage in Tucson, AZ, AZ, from BLS OEWS data. Tucson, AZ's cost-of-living index runs 95.4 (national baseline = 100), which shapes the headline-wage interpretation. Top-paying occupations in any U.S. metro typically cluster around physicians, dentists, executives, tech specialists, and licensed professionals. The specific top of the list varies with local industry concentration: tech-heavy metros boost software-engineering ranks, finance-heavy metros boost banking ranks.
Each role on the ranking links to the per-role-and-city page with full percentile distribution (p10 to p90), employment count, and cost-adjusted wage. For workers comparing offers within Tucson, AZ, the percentile data is the most decision-relevant.
Top 10 Highest-Paying Jobs in Tucson, AZ
Ranked by median (50th percentile) salary. The COL-Adjusted column rebases each nominal salary to Tucson, AZ's cost-of-living index of 95.4 so you can compare buying power against an average-cost U.S. metro.
Median $227,940 · 10th–90th $100,920–$517,730 · 290 jobs in metro
Family Medicine Physicians in Tucson, AZ earn $227,940 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $517,730.
Median $183,400 · 10th–90th $101,750–$297,230 · 80 jobs in metro
Pediatricians in Tucson, AZ earn $183,400 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $297,230.
Median $182,200 · 10th–90th $86,950–$267,980 · 330 jobs in metro
Dentists in Tucson, AZ earn $182,200 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $267,980.
Median $157,650 · 10th–90th $97,750–$169,070 · 80 jobs in metro
Optometrists in Tucson, AZ earn $157,650 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $169,070.
Median $151,520 · 10th–90th $94,660–$209,220 · 1,500 jobs in metro
Computer and Information Systems Managers in Tucson, AZ earn $151,520 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $209,220.
Median $147,420 · 10th–90th $72,760–$175,370 · 1,010 jobs in metro
Pharmacists in Tucson, AZ earn $147,420 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $175,370.
Median $138,880 · 10th–90th $66,630–$234,600 · 1,100 jobs in metro
Sales Managers in Tucson, AZ earn $138,880 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $234,600.
Median $131,540 · 10th–90th $76,890–$230,150 · 250 jobs in metro
Veterinarians in Tucson, AZ earn $131,540 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $230,150.
Median $129,880 · 10th–90th $99,760–$206,680 · 290 jobs in metro
Physician Assistants in Tucson, AZ earn $129,880 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $206,680.
Median $129,570 · 10th–90th $74,990–$266,570 · 370 jobs in metro
Marketing Managers in Tucson, AZ earn $129,570 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $266,570.
Full Ranking (63 Occupations)
| Rank | Role | Category | Median | 10th–90th | COL-Adjusted | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Family Medicine Physician | Healthcare | $227,940 | $100,920–$517,730 | $238,931 | 290 |
| 2 | Pediatrician | Healthcare | $183,400 | $101,750–$297,230 | $192,243 | 80 |
| 3 | Dentist | Healthcare | $182,200 | $86,950–$267,980 | $190,985 | 330 |
| 4 | Optometrist | Healthcare | $157,650 | $97,750–$169,070 | $165,252 | 80 |
| 5 | Computer and Information Systems Manager | Technology | $151,520 | $94,660–$209,220 | $158,826 | 1,500 |
| 6 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $147,420 | $72,760–$175,370 | $154,528 | 1,010 |
| 7 | Sales Manager | Management | $138,880 | $66,630–$234,600 | $145,577 | 1,100 |
| 8 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $131,540 | $76,890–$230,150 | $137,883 | 250 |
| 9 | Physician Assistant | Healthcare | $129,880 | $99,760–$206,680 | $136,143 | 290 |
| 10 | Marketing Manager | Management | $129,570 | $74,990–$266,570 | $135,818 | 370 |
| 11 | Nurse Practitioner | Healthcare | $129,340 | $104,060–$173,270 | $135,577 | 820 |
| 12 | Human Resources Manager | Management | $128,730 | $85,250–$203,040 | $134,937 | 400 |
| 13 | Financial Manager | Finance | $126,170 | $77,680–$227,390 | $132,254 | 1,360 |
| 14 | Medical and Health Services Manager | Healthcare | $123,760 | $72,480–$222,950 | $129,727 | 1,640 |
| 15 | Software Developer | Technology | $123,710 | $79,090–$184,820 | $129,675 | 4,060 |
| 16 | Computer Network Architect | Technology | $120,710 | $81,440–$171,980 | $126,530 | 260 |
| 17 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $117,470 | $78,390–$177,130 | $123,134 | 1,690 |
| 18 | Lawyer | Legal | $107,510 | $64,300–$218,530 | $112,694 | 1,690 |
| 19 | Engineers (Other) | Engineering | $104,030 | $59,650–$153,210 | $109,046 | 250 |
| 20 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $102,420 | $80,410–$136,580 | $107,358 | 660 |
| 21 | Information Security Analyst | Technology | $102,260 | $73,820–$155,660 | $107,191 | 410 |
| 22 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $100,920 | $80,550–$125,060 | $105,786 | 310 |
| 23 | Database Architect | Technology | $100,790 | $66,690–$130,920 | $105,650 | 130 |
| 24 | Software Quality Assurance Tester | Technology | $100,650 | $71,240–$144,390 | $105,503 | 430 |
| 25 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $99,750 | $75,990–$155,280 | $104,560 | 980 |
| 26 | Architect | Engineering | $98,860 | $64,390–$121,830 | $103,627 | 170 |
| 27 | Computer Systems Analyst | Technology | $98,100 | $64,210–$132,390 | $102,830 | 910 |
| 28 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $96,740 | $85,980–$102,760 | $101,405 | 490 |
| 29 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $95,700 | $77,460–$152,910 | $100,314 | 1,010 |
| 30 | Operations Research Analyst | Technology | $95,620 | $52,600–$132,430 | $100,231 | 110 |
| 31 | Speech-Language Pathologist | Healthcare | $95,450 | $68,910–$118,670 | $100,052 | 420 |
| 32 | Registered Nurse | Healthcare | $94,110 | $65,880–$128,540 | $98,648 | 10,120 |
| 33 | Computer Programmer | Technology | $88,990 | $61,750–$128,620 | $93,281 | 230 |
| 34 | Network Architect | Technology | $87,780 | $62,700–$128,290 | $92,013 | 610 |
| 35 | Management Analyst | Management | $84,900 | $48,640–$131,530 | $88,994 | 1,400 |
| 36 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $83,810 | $60,780–$159,320 | $87,851 | 0 |
| 37 | Data Scientist | Technology | $83,650 | $62,830–$134,280 | $87,683 | 360 |
| 38 | General and Operations Manager | Management | $83,610 | $46,680–$199,310 | $87,642 | 12,130 |
| 39 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $81,490 | $61,850–$132,430 | $85,419 | 760 |
| 40 | Statistician | Technology | $80,530 | $64,280–$157,410 | $84,413 | 60 |
| 41 | Audiologist | Healthcare | $80,430 | $68,240–$102,280 | $84,308 | 40 |
| 42 | Financial Examiner | Finance | $80,000 | $55,880–$107,300 | $83,857 | 30 |
| 43 | Web Developer | Technology | $79,980 | $46,840–$124,610 | $83,836 | 70 |
| 44 | Software Quality Assurance Analyst | Technology | $79,580 | $59,680–$130,830 | $83,417 | 60 |
| 45 | Web Designer | Technology | $79,060 | $49,800–$180,010 | $82,872 | 170 |
| 46 | Accountant | Finance | $76,320 | $52,580–$121,600 | $80,000 | 2,570 |
| 47 | Computer Occupations (Other) | Technology | $64,630 | $48,850–$156,210 | $67,746 | 950 |
| 48 | Computer Network Support Specialist | Technology | $62,640 | $49,050–$102,650 | $65,660 | 100 |
| 49 | Clinical Laboratory Technologist | Healthcare | $61,720 | $41,070–$106,720 | $64,696 | 440 |
| 50 | Public Relations Specialist | Creative | $61,630 | $40,210–$94,360 | $64,602 | 800 |
| 51 | Market Research Analyst | Management | $59,540 | $32,770–$101,760 | $62,411 | 1,550 |
| 52 | Electrician | Trades | $59,480 | $45,260–$92,930 | $62,348 | 1,340 |
| 53 | Plumber | Trades | $59,070 | $43,840–$74,250 | $61,918 | 1,170 |
| 54 | Personal Financial Advisor | Finance | $58,450 | $41,700–$166,060 | $61,268 | 680 |
| 55 | Loan Officer | Finance | $58,440 | $31,660–$145,450 | $61,258 | 500 |
| 56 | Graphic Designer | Creative | $57,710 | $38,670–$93,080 | $60,493 | 380 |
| 57 | Paralegal | Legal | $52,430 | $39,060–$90,940 | $54,958 | 980 |
| 58 | Welder | Trades | $51,150 | $38,660–$78,090 | $53,616 | 740 |
| 59 | Secondary School Teacher | Education | $50,940 | $40,180–$70,820 | $53,396 | 3,320 |
| 60 | Carpenter | Trades | $49,110 | $37,660–$72,290 | $51,478 | 1,380 |
| 61 | Automotive Technician | Trades | $48,600 | $32,000–$76,200 | $50,943 | 2,150 |
| 62 | Writer/Author | Creative | $47,990 | $37,800–$72,380 | $50,304 | 80 |
| 63 | Elementary School Teacher | Education | $47,220 | $40,150–$77,660 | $49,497 | 3,530 |
Why These Roles Pay the Most in Tucson, AZ
Tucson, AZ's pay distribution reflects its mix of regional employers and industries, plus the local cost of living that affects nominal salary levels in the BLS data.
An average median salary above $90K places this metro in the top tier of U.S. cities for nominal pay. Most of that premium accrues to the upper percentiles of skilled and managerial occupations; entry-level and service-sector pay is closer to national norms.
Tucson, AZ's cost-of-living index of 95.4 runs 5% below the U.S. national average. Lower nominal pay here often translates to comparable or better purchasing power than higher headline numbers in coastal hubs — see the COL-Adjusted column for the apples-to-apples figure.
How to Use This Ranking
For salary negotiation, the median is a starting anchor — not the ceiling. A Family Medicine Physician with five-plus years of experience in Tucson, AZ should be benchmarking against the 75th percentile ($372,835) or 90th percentile ($517,730), not the $227,940 median. Use the salary percentile calculator to place any specific salary into the BLS distribution for any role-and-city pair.
For cross-city comparisons, ignore the nominal Median column and look at COL-Adjusted. A $228K Family Medicine Physician salary in Tucson, AZ (COL 95.4) translates to $239K of buying power in an average-cost metro — that is the apples-to-apples figure when weighing a relocation. Read the methodology behind these adjustments in our methodology page.
For job hunting, focus on the top-10 ranking above and on the role-by-role detail pages — each links through to a Family Medicine Physician in Tucson, AZ page with full percentile breakdowns, year-over-year change, and prevailing-wage references for H-1B / PERM applicants.
Frequently Asked Questions
The highest paying job in Tucson, AZ is Family Medicine Physician with a median salary of $227,940 and a 90th-percentile reading of $517,730. The role employs roughly 290 workers in this metro according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2025 OEWS data.
24 of the 63 BLS-tracked occupations in Tucson, AZ have a median salary of $100,000 or higher. That is well above what most U.S. metros offer. See the full list ranked by median salary above.
Across 63 BLS-tracked occupations, the average median salary in Tucson, AZ is $95,931. The cost-of-living index is 95.4, so adjusted to a national-average baseline, the average is $100,557 in equivalent purchasing power.
Tucson, AZ has a cost-of-living index of 95.4, below the national average. Nominal pay translates better than face value, making it a strong choice for many careers — particularly the Family Medicine Physician, Pediatrician, Dentist occupations at the top of the ranking.
Every wage figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal survey data covering about 1.2 million U.S. employers across all industries. The OEWS publishes 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th, and 90th percentile wages by Metropolitan Statistical Area and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The same data is used by the Department of Labor for prevailing wage determinations.
Related Pages
Rankings based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025 reference period. COL adjustments use a composite cost-of-living index calibrated to U.S. average = 100.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2026.