Phoenix is a city with great suburbs, each with their own distinct flavor, personality, and traditions. This is mainly due to The Valley’s vibrant southwest vibe. So, if you’re ready to embrace life in the Phoenix burbs, HomeSnacks’ list of the top ten best suburbs in The Valley of the Sun for 2025, below, should be your go-to guide.
Not to mention, after we looked at the latest FBI data and Census for all 22 Phoenix suburbs, we can think of more than a few good reasons to call one of this city’s best suburbs home. For one, if your feet are your two wheels, Gilbert is very pedestrian-centric. If you’re looking for the most family friendly suburb, Fountain Hills has amazing schools and great parks, and if you’re looking for a mix of high-end shopping, dining, and art galleries, Scottsdale will not disappoint.
But, don’t get it twisted, if you want to live in one, you’re going to have to make at least $100,000/year to afford the median home price. But, it’s worth it because many of Phoenix’s top ten best suburbs foster low crime rates, low unemployment rates, and short commute times.
So, want to know where you can discover new experiences in some of Phoenix’s best suburbs? Keep reading.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Phoenix for 2025:
There’s a reason many of Phoenix’s best suburbs are some of the best places to live in America. The sun shines close to 300 days in these places, jobs are plentiful, and people are happy. And we’re pretty sure the happiest people live in Phoenix’s best suburb.
So, what is the best suburb in Phoenix for 2025? According to the latest data and our SnackAbility formula, Paradise Valley is the most snackable.
To see a list of where the rest of Phoenix’s suburbs ranked, click that down arrow. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for there, head to the bottom.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Arizona:
The 10 Best Phoenix 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 Phoenix 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 Phoenix region. And only 2.49% are out of work. Homes average more than $2,000,001 each.
/10
Population: 6,871
Median Income: $124,973
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 4.0%
More on Litchfield Park: Data
Litchfield Park is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Phoenix for 2025.
It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 6.38% of residents lack insurance, good for 7th best.
/10
Population: 271,118
Median Income: $121,351
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 5.1%
More on Gilbert: Data
Here in Gilbert, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Phoenix 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 Gilbert.
Gilbert, Arizona is a fast growing community in the east valley of phoenix. The schools are absolutely amazing especially Gilbert Public Schools. There is very little crime and a ton of out door splash pads and parks.
The number of restaurants grows buy the month! Down town Gilbert has such a fun family friendly vibe with a farmers market every week. Gilbert is appealing to young families because of the safe neighborhoods and the great schools.
/10
Population: 242,169
Median Income: $107,372
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 7.1%
More on Scottsdale: Data
Scottsdale ranks as the 4th best suburb of Phoenix for 2025.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Scottsdale and the schools are some of the best around.
5. Carefree, AZ
/10
Population: 3,672
Median Income: $141,331
Unemployment Rate: 4.3%
Poverty Rate: 11.8%
More on Carefree:
Coming in as the fifth best is Carefree.
Carefree gets kudos for having the 3rd most expensive homes in the Phoenix area, where houses sell for an average of $1,066,600. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 60,953
Median Income: $111,427
Unemployment Rate: 6.3%
Poverty Rate: 17.6%
More on Santa Cruz: Data
Santa Cruz 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 6.31%.
According to online reports, Santa Cruz is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Phoenix area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Lived here my whole life and it was as fine until the 2000’s after which the homeless population sprouted yet was supported with needle exchange and medical marijuana.
Can’t beat twin lakes beach st the harbor- 3 great restaurants on the water, breakfast at the Palo mar or cross nest is great.
Crackheads everywhere and people smoking weed next to cops on the street
/10
Population: 278,123
Median Income: $103,691
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 7.7%
More on Chandler: Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Chandler.
Chandler 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 24.1 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 23,768
Median Income: $104,788
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%
Poverty Rate: 6.5%
More on Fountain Hills: Data
Fountain Hills 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 4.91% of people lack insurance, good for 5th in the area.
/10
Population: 5,033
Median Income: $102,589
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 8.9%
More on Cave Creek: Data
Is ‘Everything Better In Cave Creek?’
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.
/10
Population: 149,519
Median Income: $93,371
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%
Poverty Rate: 7.8%
More on Surprise: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is Surprise.
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.
Like every state, Arizona has its good and it’s bad areas. Crime wise, I would rate it low, there’s not a whole lot of crime that goes on, there is drug addicts and some rude people here, your not going to get shot or mugged, at most you’ll get flipped off by someone in traffic. The schools are ok at best, Arizona does not have the best schools, but if your wanting to get through school there is not a whole lot of challenges here. There is not a whole lot to do, no famous shopping centers or Arizona only restaurants. If you like the desert then you’ll love here, if you are expecting something amazing to happen then it’s definitely not in Arizona.
Honestly nothing stands out here. The only thing arizona is truly known for is the Grand Canyon and the heat. Traffic isn’t to bad, nothing like LA or NY, but there is definitely certain times of the day you don’t want to be on the road.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Phoenix for 2025
Figuring out the best suburbs around Phoenix 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 Phoenix.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 3,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 22 suburbs to evaluate around Phoenix.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 22 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 Phoenix.” 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 Phoenix suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Phoenix ‘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 Phoenix are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Phoenix 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 Phoenix Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paradise Valley, AZ | 12,621 | $236,250 | $2,000,001 |
| 2 | Litchfield Park, AZ | 6,871 | $124,973 | $547,700 |
| 3 | Gilbert, AZ | 271,118 | $121,351 | $518,600 |
| 4 | Scottsdale, AZ | 242,169 | $107,372 | $709,900 |
| 5 | Carefree, AZ | 3,672 | $141,331 | $1,066,600 |
| 6 | Santa Cruz, AZ | 60,953 | $111,427 | $1,180,100 |
| 7 | Chandler, AZ | 278,123 | $103,691 | $469,800 |
| 8 | Fountain Hills, AZ | 23,768 | $104,788 | $575,200 |
| 9 | Cave Creek, AZ | 5,033 | $102,589 | $791,900 |
| 10 | Surprise, AZ | 149,519 | $93,371 | $396,000 |
| 11 | Peoria, AZ | 194,338 | $93,403 | $429,400 |
| 12 | Goodyear, AZ | 102,891 | $101,814 | $441,900 |
| 13 | Goodyear, AZ | 102,891 | $101,814 | $441,900 |
| 14 | Goodyear, AZ | 102,891 | $101,814 | $441,900 |
| 15 | Goodyear, AZ | 102,891 | $101,814 | $441,900 |
| 16 | Tempe, AZ | 186,419 | $77,643 | $421,900 |
| 17 | Mesa, AZ | 507,478 | $78,779 | $364,300 |
| 18 | Guadalupe, AZ | 5,293 | $58,507 | $233,500 |
| 19 | Avondale, AZ | 90,644 | $81,260 | $348,700 |
| 20 | Glendale, AZ | 250,193 | $70,139 | $347,000 |
| 21 | El Mirage, AZ | 35,823 | $74,764 | $282,000 |
| 22 | Tolleson, AZ | 7,233 | $55,015 | $287,000 |