how big is tucson arizona
Tucson, Arizona, is a large, spread-out desert city covering roughly 225–240 square miles of incorporated city area, depending on the source and year of measurement. That makes it one of the larger U.S. cities by land area and the second-largest city in Arizona after Phoenix.
Quick size snapshot
- City land area: About 226–236 square miles (around 587–588 square kilometers).
- Elevation: Around 2,600–2,700 feet above sea level.
- Population: Roughly 540,000–550,000 residents in recent estimates.
- Population density: Around 2,300–2,400 people per square mile.
In practical terms, Tucson feels big in how far it stretches across the desert, with long drives between some neighborhoods, but it’s less dense and more relaxed than Phoenix or many large coastal cities.
Tucson vs other Arizona cities
Here’s a simple look at how Tucson compares to a few other major Arizona cities by size and population:
| City | Approx. area (sq mi) | Approx. population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | ≈517 | [1]≈1.7 million | [1]Largest city in Arizona by far. | [1]
| Tucson | ≈226–236 | [5][1]≈550,000 | [1]Second-largest city in the state. | [1]
| Chandler | ≈65 | [1]≈250,000 | [1]Smaller area, more compact. | [1]
| Gilbert | ≈72 | [1]≈250,000 | [1]Similar population to Chandler, small footprint. | [1]
Why the numbers vary a bit
Different sources quote slightly different sizes (around 227 vs. 236 square miles) because:
- Some use older Census Bureau boundaries (about 226.71 square miles in 2010).
- Others include more recent annexations or broader metro-area considerations.
But they all place Tucson firmly in that mid-200s square-mile range, which is enough land for a broad ring of suburbs, desert parks, and open space around the core city.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.