While big cities like Gilbert offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Gilbert. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Gilbert without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Gilbert are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Gilbert area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Gilbert for 2025:
What’s the best suburb of Gilbert? Paradise Valley ranks as the best suburb of Gilbert for 2025 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Paradise Valley, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Gilbert ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Arizona:
The 10 Best Gilbert Suburbs To Live For 2025
/10
Population: 12,621
Median Income: $236,250
Unemployment Rate: 2.5%
Poverty Rate: 5.0%
More on Paradise Valley: Data
Paradise Valley is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Gilbert area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Paradise Valley.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $236,250 a year, which is the highest in the Gilbert region. And only 2.49% are out of work. Homes average more than $2,000,001 each.
/10
Population: 242,169
Median Income: $107,372
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 7.1%
More on Scottsdale: Data
Scottsdale is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Gilbert for 2025.
It ranks 4th for incomes in the area and only 4.73% of residents lack insurance, good for 3rd best.
/10
Population: 66,369
Median Income: $134,719
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.6%
More on Queen Creek: Data
Here in Queen Creek, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Gilbert metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Queen Creek.
Very low crime rate; neighborhoods are all tree lined; and there are lots of cafes and shopping.
The movie theater is my favorite place. You don’t have to fight for a seat. However, the traffic is horrible. You can’t get anywhere quickly. It takes along time to get anywhere. Theres street lights at every quarter mile I think
/10
Population: 23,768
Median Income: $104,788
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%
Poverty Rate: 6.5%
More on Fountain Hills: Data
Fountain Hills ranks as the 4th best suburb of Gilbert for 2025.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Fountain Hills and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 60,953
Median Income: $111,427
Unemployment Rate: 6.3%
Poverty Rate: 17.6%
More on Santa Cruz: Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz gets kudos for having the 2nd most expensive homes in the Gilbert area, where houses sell for an average of $1,180,100. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Santa Cruz is one of my favorite places on the planet. It has a laid-back, surfer, hippie feel to it. While I would recommend holding on to one’s purse in the downtown area, the overall feel of Santa Cruz is one of chic cafes, interesting shops, artsy souvenirs, street musicians, bookstores, etc.
One of my favorite places includes Miramar’s on the wharf. I love the restaurant’s glass wall that allows me to watch surfers, sea lions and sailboats while I indulge in clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.
I especially love being in Santa Cruz for the Woodies on the Wharf parade. The classic cars are a beautiful sight against the sun, the sand and the surf.
/10
Population: 278,123
Median Income: $103,691
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 7.7%
More on Chandler: Data
Chandler is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 3.62%.
According to online reports, Chandler is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Gilbert area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 102,891
Median Income: $101,814
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
Poverty Rate: 5.8%
More on Goodyear: Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Goodyear.
Goodyear schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 10.8 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 62,986
Median Income: $94,208
Unemployment Rate: 4.3%
Poverty Rate: 6.7%
More on Maricopa: Data
Maricopa is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 10.79% of people lack insurance, good for 11th in the area.
/10
Population: 186,419
Median Income: $77,643
Unemployment Rate: 5.6%
Poverty Rate: 16.2%
More on Tempe: Data
Is ‘Everything Better In Tempe?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
There was alot to do here in Tempe. Parks the YMCA and amusement parks nearby. It’s a nice beautiful fun city. There are alot of stores nearby and places to go shopping. It’s hard to get bored because there is so much to do.
Castles and coasters is a great amusement park to go to. Everything is close by. People are very friendly. There is also beautiful scenery.
/10
Population: 507,478
Median Income: $78,779
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
Poverty Rate: 10.5%
More on Mesa: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is Mesa.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
The crime rate in my neighborhood is low. The schools are great. And there are plenty to do. There’s a water park, laser tag, movies, bowling, and an arcade, not to mention libraries and parks.
Water parks and swimming pools are a great way to keep cool.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Gilbert for 2025
Figuring out the best suburbs around Gilbert was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2019-2023 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Gilbert.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 5,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 17 suburbs to evaluate around Gilbert.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 17 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Gilbert.” We’re lookin’ at you, Paradise Valley.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Gilbert suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Gilbert ‘Burbs of 2025
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Gilbert are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Gilbert but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Arizona reading, check out:
Table: Best Gilbert Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paradise Valley, AZ | 12,621 | $236,250 | $2,000,001 |
| 2 | Scottsdale, AZ | 242,169 | $107,372 | $709,900 |
| 3 | Queen Creek, AZ | 66,369 | $134,719 | $576,600 |
| 4 | Fountain Hills, AZ | 23,768 | $104,788 | $575,200 |
| 5 | Santa Cruz, AZ | 60,953 | $111,427 | $1,180,100 |
| 6 | Chandler, AZ | 278,123 | $103,691 | $469,800 |
| 7 | Goodyear, AZ | 102,891 | $101,814 | $441,900 |
| 8 | Maricopa, AZ | 62,986 | $94,208 | $338,600 |
| 9 | Tempe, AZ | 186,419 | $77,643 | $421,900 |
| 10 | Mesa, AZ | 507,478 | $78,779 | $364,300 |
| 11 | Phoenix, AZ | 1,624,832 | $77,041 | $381,900 |
| 12 | Guadalupe, AZ | 5,293 | $58,507 | $233,500 |
| 13 | Glendale, AZ | 250,193 | $70,139 | $347,000 |
| 14 | Florence, AZ | 25,961 | $76,259 | $322,600 |
| 15 | Apache Junction, AZ | 39,746 | $58,619 | $196,700 |
| 16 | Casa Grande, AZ | 57,590 | $66,354 | $258,200 |
| 17 | Coolidge, AZ | 15,300 | $57,161 | $203,100 |