Work & commute · Safford

Work & commute in Safford, AZ

About one in 3 of Safford’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Morenci (13%), Thatcher (7%) and Tucson (6%). Half commute less than 4 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

36%

1,478 of 4,086 working residents

Typical commute

4 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

23 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 2,608 Safford residents head out of town to work, 1,478 work right here, and 3,557 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Safford.

2,608live here, work elsewhere

1,478live and work here

3,557work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Safford goes to work

Safford (in town)right here

36%1,478

Morenci26.2 mi away

13%522

Thatcher4.3 mi away

7%284

Tucson83 mi away

6%250

Phoenix147.4 mi away

5%223

Pima9.4 mi away

2%80

San Carlos57.3 mi away

1%57

Tempe134.9 mi away

1%53

Scottsdale138.2 mi away

1%49

Marana87.4 mi away

1%48

Everywhere elseother towns and states

26%1,042

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Safford commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

55%

14%

31%

55%Under 10 mi

0%10–24 mi

14%25–50 mi

31%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Safford is balanced between jobs and homes

1.23jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.23 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Safford are

5,035 jobs are based in Safford. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Safford’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Safford

5,035 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)31%

Trade, transport & utilities15%

Services (health, schools, offices…)53%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month30%

Over $3,333 a month55%

Jobs Safford residents hold

4,086 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)31%

Trade, transport & utilities16%

Services (health, schools, offices…)53%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month58%

+16%

Jobs based in Safford, 2013 → 2023: 4,347 → 5,035. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.