Elevation of Tucson
2,481ft
above sea level · 756 m
Tucson is a city in Arizona with 548,371 people, the 2nd most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 8th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 32.22° N · 110.93° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 32° 13′ 18″ N · 110° 55′ 35″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 12S · 506,928 E · 3,565,017 N
- Zone 12 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Mountain Standard Time (no DST)
- UTC−7 all year: no daylight saving time
- Population (2025)
- 548,371 people
- 243 sq mi of land · 2,258 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from October 2021: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Tucson had 548,371 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 1.1% more than in April 2020, when it had 542,598. Its 243 sq mi of land work out to 2,258 people/sq mi; the state average is 67 people/sq mi.
It’s the 2nd most populous of the 467 places the Census counts in Arizona (cities, towns and CDPs), after Phoenix (1,665,481), and holds 7.2% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Pima County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 5.8 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other big cities
Tucson sits at 2,481 ft (756 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Tucson is 1,623 ft above it.
The state capital, Phoenix, is 108 mi away in a straight line and 1,393 ft lower than Tucson.
Of the 6 cities in Arizona with a page, Tucson is the highest. The others are Mesa (1,242 ft), Gilbert (1,236 ft), Chandler (1,214 ft), Glendale (1,128 ft), and Phoenix (1,088 ft).
The highest point in Arizona is Humphreys Peak, at 12,633 ft according to the USGS: 10,152 ft above Tucson, 220 mi away in a straight line.
- 8 Tucson 2,481 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Tucson.
What is the elevation of Tucson?
Tucson is 2,481 feet (756 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Tucson?
Latitude 32.22174 and longitude -110.92648, in decimal degrees (32° 13′ 18″ N · 110° 55′ 35″ W). In UTM, zone 12: 506,928 E and 3,565,017 N, on NAD83.
How does Tucson rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the 8th highest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).
What county is Tucson in?
Pima County, Arizona.
Which is higher, Tucson or Phoenix?
Tucson. Tucson sits at 2,481 ft and Phoenix at 1,088 ft: a difference of 1,393 ft, 108 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know