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 places 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 helping people find the best places to live in America for years.
So, 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.
After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Grand Canyon State for 2022.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Arizona For 2022
Yavapai County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Arizona. And you might want to avoid Navajo County if you can — at least according to the data.
So if you’re thinking of making the move Arizona, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in Arizona and the cheapest places to live in Arizona.
The Best Counties To Live In Arizona For 2022
1. Yavapai County
Biggest Place: Peoria
Population: 232,396
Median Income: $53,329.0 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $273,300.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.8% (3rd best)
More on Yavapai County: Photos | Data
2. Pinal County
Biggest Place: San Tan Valley
Population: 447,559
Median Income: $60,968.0 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $200,200.0 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 7.1% (8th best)
More on Pinal County: Photos | Data
3. Greenlee County
Biggest Place: Clifton
Population: 9,465
Median Income: $66,368.0 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $91,800.0 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.8% (best)
More on Greenlee County: Photos | Data
4. Cochise County
Biggest Place: Sierra Vista
Population: 126,442
Median Income: $51,505.0 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $150,100.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.8% (5th best)
More on Cochise County: Photos | Data
5. Graham County
Biggest Place: Safford
Population: 38,304
Median Income: $55,693.0 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $146,600.0 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.9% (7th best)
More on Graham County: Photos | Data
6. Maricopa County
Biggest Place: Phoenix
Population: 4,412,779
Median Income: $67,799.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $278,700.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.1% (2nd best)
More on Maricopa County: Photos | Data
7. Coconino County
Biggest Place: Flagstaff
Population: 142,254
Median Income: $59,000.0 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $299,100.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 8.1% (10th best)
More on Coconino County: Photos | Data
8. Pima County
Biggest Place: Tucson
Population: 1,038,476
Median Income: $55,023.0 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $199,400.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.8% (6th best)
More on Pima County: Photos | Data
9. Mohave County
Biggest Place: Lake Havasu City
Population: 210,998
Median Income: $47,686.0 (10th best)
Median Home Price: $172,100.0 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 7.6% (9th best)
More on Mohave County: Photos | Data
10. Gila County
Biggest Place: Payson
Population: 53,846
Median Income: $46,907.0 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $174,300.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.3% (4th best)
More on Gila County: Photos | Data
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 need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time 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, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Grand Canyon State.
Read on to see why Yavapai County is the best county, while Navajo County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Arizona.
Summary: The Best Counties In Arizona To Call Home For 2018
It turns out living in Arizona can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in Arizona according to the data:
- Navajo County
- Apache County
- La Paz County
For more Arizona reading, check out:
- Safest Places In Arizona
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Arizona
- Cheapest Places To Live In Arizona
- Best Counties To Live In Arizona
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Arizona
| County | Rank |
|---|---|
| Yavapai County | 1 |
| Pinal County | 2 |
| Greenlee County | 3 |
| Cochise County | 4 |
| Graham County | 5 |
| Maricopa County | 6 |
| Coconino County | 7 |
| Pima County | 8 |
| Mohave County | 9 |
| Gila County | 10 |
| Santa Cruz County | 11 |
| Yuma County | 12 |
| La Paz County | 13 |
| Apache County | 14 |
| Navajo County | 15 |
