Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It counts 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tubac’s weakest subject grade is a D− for hazard risk. Tubac’s typical rent is $2,295 a month, against $1,200 a month in Arizona’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Only 19 of Arizona’s 203 towns score lower on cost of living. Its National Register listings include Tubac Presidio and Old Tubac Schoolhouse. Tubac has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Tubac beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
1,191 counted in 2010 and 1,581 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Tubac is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 949 in 2000, 1,581 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 5 maps from 1939 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tubac is unincorporated, so Santa Cruz County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Tubac.
The median commute is under 43 miles. The typical journey to work for Tubac comes to 16 minutes. Most people who work leave Tubac to do it: just 8% work in town. The top destinations are Tucson (17%), Phoenix (11%) and Rio Rico (10%).
| Tubac | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Only 10 of the 141 Arizona towns we compare have a higher natural-hazard score from FEMA than Tubac. 49% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by wildfires at 27%. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 94% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Tubac, 91% of households own their home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Among adults in Tubac, 23% say their health is fair or poor. Only 6 of the 141 Arizona towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Tubac. Nearly one in ten adults in Tubac binge drink; 52% have high blood pressure. This Arizona town beats the Arizona average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9.
| Tubac | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 14% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 52% | 36% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 31% | 33% |
| What stands out | Tubac | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.4% | 12% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 8.8% | 15.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 17.8% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Tubac, the concentration of trails is 0.7 miles per square mile. Trails run 7.9 miles in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Ron Morris County Park, at 26 acres.
| Tubac | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tubac Presidio State Historic Park | 0.4 mi | 8 |
| 2. Ron Morris County Park | 0.2 mi | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Tubac; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Tubac residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
3 places in Tubac on the National Register of Historic Places.
Community in Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Tubac is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,191 at the 2010 census. The place name "Tubac" is an English borrowing from a Hispanicized form of the O'odham name Cuwak, which translates into English as "place of dark water". When first taken into Spanish speech, it was spelled Tubaca. Finally, over time, the latter "a" was dropped. Tubac is situated on the Santa Cruz River. Tubac was the original Spanish colonial garrison in Arizona. It was depopulated during the O'odham Uprising in the 18th century. During the 19th century, the area was repopulated by miners, farmers and ranchers, but the town of Tubac is best known today as an …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
It counts 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Yes. That is 9.1 years of the area's median household income ($55,217 across the Nogales, AZ area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
