Health & Social Well-Being Overview for Tucson, Arizona MSA

Tucson Metropolitan Statistical Area Health & Social Well-Being Scorecard

Indicators in this section identify critical trends in the health and social well-being of Southern Arizona residents. Measures of physical and behavioral well-being provide important information about the health of local residents, which plays an important role in determining the overall quality of life. Households that are housing cost-burdened or whose income is at or near the poverty level are more likely to endure adverse social, economic, and health conditions. Likewise, those who lack health insurance coverage are at greater risk for bankruptcy and preventable illness. The data provide residents and policymakers with performance measures crucial to gauging the overall well-being of a region.

Connections

The health and social well-being of a region is closely tied to performance in other categories, such as economy and education. For example, the presence of an innovative and highly educated workforce can influence the location of firms, and consequently, the availability of jobs in a region. This can in turn influence median household incomes, and as a result, affect poverty levels, as well as residents’ ability to access healthcare and other goods and services.