TUCSON, AZ (May 29, 2026) — Tucson added jobs in April, but the region continued to trail Phoenix and the state in year-over-year employment growth, according to the latest employment data released May 21, 2026, from the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Tucson metro area posted 407,900 nonfarm jobs in April 2026, up from 406,500 jobs in March, a gain of approximately 1,400 jobs for the month, with about 1,200 in government. Tucson remained slightly below its year-earlier level, with total nonfarm employment down 0.4% from April 2025. That equates to an estimated loss of roughly 1,600 jobs year over year.
Phoenix, by comparison, recorded 2,492,400 nonfarm jobs in April 2026, up from 2,479,600 in March, a gain of approximately 12,800 jobs for the month. Unlike Tucson, the Phoenix metro area was also up year over year, with employment increasing 0.6% from April 2025.
The contrast highlights the different scale and momentum of Arizona’s two largest metro economies. Tucson’s April increase shows some short-term improvement, but the region has not yet matched Phoenix’s ability to generate sustained year-over-year job growth…