Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is Arizona a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in Arizona.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Grand Canyon State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Arizona, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 15 counties in the state.
Maricopa County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Arizona. And you should avoid Santa Cruz County if you can — at least according to the data.
$89,300 median income · 4.5% unemployment
$69,613 median income · 4.3% unemployment
$70,315 median income · 5.5% unemployment
$72,966 median income · 5.6% unemployment
$71,164 median income · 2.3% unemployment
$80,266 median income · 6.0% unemployment
$61,986 median income · 7.1% unemployment
$57,684 median income · 7.3% unemployment
$59,742 median income · 7.4% unemployment
$67,325 median income · 7.7% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Arizona’s statewide median.
Arizona statewide median: $79,964
Arizona statewide median: $423,330
Arizona statewide median: 5.1%
On the map
Where Arizona’s best counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which Arizona county is the best?
To give you the best county in Arizona, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in Arizona across each of the criteria from one to 15, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Arizona.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Grand Canyon State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best counties to live in Arizona.
Read on to see why Maricopa County is the best county, while Santa Cruz County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Arizona.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Arizona
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maricopa County | 4,559,748 | $89,300 | $462,589 |
| 2 | Yavapai County | 245,480 | $69,613 | $506,656 |
| 3 | Pima County | 1,060,490 | $70,315 | $342,047 |
| 4 | Coconino County | 144,508 | $72,966 | $623,163 |
| 5 | Greenlee County | 9,409 | $71,164 | $167,947 |
| 6 | Pinal County | 469,006 | $80,266 | $364,989 |
| 7 | Gila County | 53,795 | $61,986 | $386,396 |
| 8 | Mohave County | 220,517 | $57,684 | $350,643 |
| 9 | Cochise County | 125,566 | $59,742 | $260,844 |
| 10 | Graham County | 39,232 | $67,325 | $305,491 |
| 11 | Yuma County | 211,741 | $62,876 | $284,272 |
| 12 | Navajo County | 108,415 | $54,606 | $395,263 |
| 13 | La Paz County | 16,664 | $49,478 | $266,470 |
| 14 | Apache County | 65,341 | $41,438 | $315,108 |
| 15 | Santa Cruz County | 48,926 | $55,217 | $279,579 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + FBI crime data via Saturday Night Science. All 15 Arizona counties.
Summary
Summary: The Best Counties In Arizona To Call Home For 2026
Living in Arizona can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in Arizona are Maricopa County, Yavapai County, Pima County, Coconino County, Greenlee County, Pinal County, Gila County, Mohave County, Cochise County, and Graham County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Arizona? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Counties In Arizona FAQs
What is the best county to live in Arizona?
Maricopa County is the best county to live in Arizona for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Yavapai County and Pima County are next.
What are the best counties in Arizona?
The best counties to live in Arizona are Maricopa County, Yavapai County, Pima County, Coconino County, Greenlee County, Pinal County, Gila County, Mohave County, Cochise County, and Graham County. We ranked all 15 Arizona counties.
How do you rank the best counties?
Counties are scored on crime, home values, income, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey and FBI data. The county with the best average across all seven, Maricopa County, wins.
How expensive is it to live in Maricopa County?
The median household income in Maricopa County is $89,300 and the median home costs $462,589. Statewide, the typical Arizona home runs $423,330.
Which county in Arizona should you think twice about?
Santa Cruz County lands at the bottom of the quality-of-life ranking for Arizona. People make good lives there anyway; the numbers just say it is the toughest of the 15 counties.
