Is Tucson safe?
United States · North America · data updated 2026-09-04
Tucson is a city in United States, home to about 422k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 4,551 of 6,168, with a safety score of 58.6 out of 100, which lands it in the middle band of the ranking.
Emergency 911 (ambulance, fire, police)
- Elevated homicide rate11.9 homicides per 100,000 per year (city-measured), about 4× the global city median.
No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for United States are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.
How safe is Tucson really?
The most direct evidence is measured in the city itself: Tucson recorded 12 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2024 - roughly 4 times the global city median. United States's income inequality is middling (Gini 41.8) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.
What the travel advisories say
The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for United States without any avoid-travel warning in force. Both advisories are country-level: no official source publishes verified neighborhood-level crime guidance for individual cities, which is why this page reports named areas only where an official source names them.
What to watch out for in United States
Terrorism in the USA · Protecting your belongings · Violent crime · Protests · Personal ID · Alcohol laws · Illegal drugs · LGBT+ travellers · Road travel · Vehicle safety · Petrol stations · Air travel · Snowstorms · Hurricanes · +6 more
Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for United States — country-level, not specific to Tucson. Read what each one says →
The numbers
- Homicide rate
- 12 /100kcity-measured, 2024 · ~4× the global city median
- Conflict deaths
- 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
- Income inequality
- Gini 41.8country, 2024
- Human development
- HDI 0.938country, 2023
- Income
- $89,490/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
- Population
- 422kurban centre · 2,210/km²
Country context for travelers
- Road deaths
- 12.7 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
- Political stability
- 64/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
- Rule of law
- 74/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
- Corruption perceptions
- 64/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
- Natural-hazard risk
- 3.3/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Women, Peace & Security
- 0.84Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
- Air quality
- 7.0 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
- Safely managed drinking water
- 98%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Healthcare capacity
- 3.7 doctors /1k2.7 hospital beds per 1,000
Natural hazards in United States
- Earthquake
- 7.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Cyclone
- 7.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Flood
- 7.4/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Tsunami
- 7.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
- Drought
- 4.2/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe United States as a whole, not Tucson specifically.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in United States (as of 2025).
All country-level figures shared by every city in United States; none of them affect the safety score.
How the score works
One fixed, calibrated mix for every city: 40% homicide · 25% peace · 25% equality · 10% HDI. Homicide and conflict deaths are measured outcomes; income inequality carries the structural share because it predicts real city violence far better than national income (which is shown above but scored at zero). Each factor maps to 0-100 against fixed anchors, missing data drops out and is never estimated, and cities with data behind less than half the weighting get “no data” instead of a score. For Tucson that gives 58.6/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →
Tucson compared with Mesa
| Measure | Tucson | Mesa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety score | 58.6 | 61.8 | −3.1 — better for Mesa |
| Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate | 12 /100k | 7.6 /100k | +4.3 /100k — better for Mesa |
| Conflict deaths within 100 km | 0 | 0 | ±0 |
Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Both cities are in United States, so they share every country-level figure and only the city-level ones are listed. Full report for Mesa →
Nearby cities
- Emery Park 55.6
- Heroica Nogales, Mexico 42.1
- Mesa 61.8
- Laveen 61.8
- Phoenix 61.8
- Surprise 63.7
- Hermosillo, Mexico 33.7
- San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico 39.9
See Tucson on the interactive map → · Safest cities in North America → · Full travel briefings →