Published
09-24-2018
The poverty rate for the Tucson MSA was 19.1 percent in 2016. That ranked Tucson 11th among 12 peer western MSAs. The poverty rate is an important indicator of financial distress among households. Families whose income is near or below the poverty level have difficulty accessing necessities such as housing, food, and healthcare. Local poverty rates are also important drivers of government decisions related to spending on programs such as affordable housing, free and reduced school lunches, and other forms of public assistance. Stagnant wages combined with increased costs for housing and transportation have contributed to increasing rates of poverty. Since 2000 Tucson’s poverty rate has increased by nearly five percentage points.
