Work & commute · South Tucson

Work & commute in South Tucson, AZ

Most working residents leave South Tucson for work: only 3% work in town. The top destinations are Tucson (52%), Phoenix (10%) and Casas Adobes (3%). Half commute less than 7 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

40 of 1,594 working residents

Typical commute

7 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

20 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 1,554 South Tucson residents head out of town to work, 40 work right here, and 2,358 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in South Tucson.

1,554live here, work elsewhere

40live and work here

2,358work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where South Tucson goes to work

Tucson6.5 mi away

52%825

Phoenix115.2 mi away

10%163

Casas Adobes10.4 mi away

3%47

South Tucson (in town)right here

3%40

Marana21 mi away

2%34

Drexel Heights5.8 mi away

2%34

Tempe99.6 mi away

2%33

Mesa93.8 mi away

2%33

Flowing Wells7.2 mi away

2%24

Scottsdale115.1 mi away

1%22

Everywhere elseother towns and states

21%339

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

How far

How far South Tucson commutes

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

65%

10%

25%

65%Under 10 mi

10%10–24 mi

1%25–50 mi

25%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

South Tucson is a job hub

1.50jobs per working resident

A job hub

1.5 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in South Tucson are

2,398 jobs are based in South Tucson. Here is what they are, next to the jobs South Tucson’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in South Tucson

2,398 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)34%

Trade, transport & utilities11%

Services (health, schools, offices…)55%

$1,250 a month or less11%

$1,251–$3,333 a month37%

Over $3,333 a month52%

Jobs South Tucson residents hold

1,594 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)16%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)66%

$1,250 a month or less12%

$1,251–$3,333 a month45%

Over $3,333 a month44%

−15%

Jobs based in South Tucson, 2013 → 2023: 2,812 → 2,398. 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.