For Tucson, current supplied Zillow readings put typical home value at $325,520 and typical observed market rent at $1,425 per month. Their gross yield is 5.3% before every operating cost; value fell 2.2% year over year while rent rose 0.7%. Against ACS median household income, the Zillow value is 5.7x income and annual Zillow rent is 30.0% of income. Those cross-source affordability ratios frame acquisition and tenant-payment pressure, but do not represent a specific household or property.
ACS shows citywide tenure is close to balanced: 48.2% of occupied homes are renter-occupied, while 8.0% of all housing units are vacant. ACS surveyed occupied housing reports a $266,200 median home value and $1,145 median gross rent, which includes selected utilities. These ACS medians are not comparable line items with Zillow's typical value and observed market rent because the measures and periods differ; they should not be blended into a return estimate.
The city share meeting the supplied rent-burden threshold is 55.4%. Single-family homes make up 60.0% of housing units and large multifamily properties 14.7%; among vacant units, 30.9% are classified for rent. These survey shares describe citywide stock and vacancy reasons, not available investment inventory or leasing speed. Population is 547,073, up 1.0% versus the overlapping earlier ACS vintage; that comparison is not annualized and may reflect boundary changes. Median household income is $57,073, while poverty is 18.9% and unemployment is 6.2%. Together, these are descriptive demand constraints, not causes or proof of performance at an address.
In Pima County, Realtor listings had a median 62 days on market and 22.0% showed price reductions, evidence of county-level negotiating room rather than Tucson rental velocity. In the broader Tucson metro, 3.7 months of supply describes the metro resale balance, not the city alone. In the broader Tucson metro, payroll employment declined year over year, a demand caution without establishing city household outcomes. Nationally, the Freddie Mac 30-year mortgage rate was 6.58%, a financing benchmark rather than Tucson-specific borrowing terms.
The headline yield is unlevered and omits taxes, insurance, maintenance, management, vacancy, owner-paid utilities, capital work and financing; citywide averages also conceal property condition and rentability. Verify legal use, unit count, leases, achievable comparable rent, utility responsibility, deferred maintenance and major-system age. Obtain parcel-specific tax and insurance quotes, inspect the building, test the operating statement and financing terms, and review title, zoning, climate exposure, association rules and rental restrictions. Only then can city signals support property-level underwriting.