Scottsdale has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Scottsdale without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Scottsdale: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$247,159 median income · $3,474,597 median home price
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Paradise Valley is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Scottsdale area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Paradise Valley.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $247,159 a year, which is the highest in the Scottsdale region. And only 2.1% are out of work. Homes average more than $3,474,597 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$122,551 median income · $572,507 median home price
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Gilbert is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Scottsdale for 2026.
It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 6.3% of residents lack insurance, good for 4th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
$147,165 median income · $1,292,631 median home price
Here in Carefree, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Scottsdale 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 Carefree.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$108,095 median income · $524,156 median home price
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Chandler ranks as the 4th best suburb of Scottsdale for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Chandler and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
$112,654 median income · $670,052 median home price
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Coming in as the fifth best is Fountain Hills.
Fountain Hills gets kudos for having the 4th most expensive homes in the Scottsdale area, where houses sell for an average of $670,052. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$107,067 median income · $1,054,562 median home price
Cave Creek 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 2.7%.
According to online reports, Cave Creek is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Scottsdale area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$95,815 median income · $488,596 median home price
Located in
Yavapai County, Arizona
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Peoria.
Peoria 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 26.6 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$82,752 median income · $435,134 median home price
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Mesa 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 10.6% of people lack insurance, good for 11th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
$79,663 median income · $468,281 median home price
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
$81,332 median income · $410,169 median home price
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Phoenix.
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
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%
Arizona statewide median: 12.5%
On the map
Where the best Scottsdale suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Scottsdale for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Scottsdale 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 2020-2024 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 Scottsdale.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 3,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 15 suburbs to evaluate around Scottsdale.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 15 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 Scottsdale.” 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 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Scottsdale suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Scottsdale Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paradise Valley | 3.14 | 12,611 | $247,159 | $3,474,597 |
| 2 | Gilbert | 4.14 | 280,262 | $122,551 | $572,507 |
| 3 | Carefree | 5.14 | 3,683 | $147,165 | $1,292,631 |
| 4 | Chandler | 5.29 | 280,136 | $108,095 | $524,156 |
| 5 | Fountain Hills | 5.57 | 23,789 | $112,654 | $670,052 |
| 6 | Cave Creek | 5.86 | 5,091 | $107,067 | $1,054,562 |
| 7 | Peoria | 7.57 | 196,906 | $95,815 | $488,596 |
| 8 | Mesa | 8.14 | 511,764 | $82,752 | $435,134 |
| 9 | Tempe | 8.57 | 188,065 | $79,663 | $468,281 |
| 10 | Phoenix | 10.43 | 1,642,323 | $81,332 | $410,169 |
| 11 | Glendale | 10.86 | 252,833 | $73,530 | $407,332 |
| 12 | Apache Junction | 11.00 | 41,058 | $60,975 | $376,628 |
| 13 | Guadalupe | 11.29 | 5,272 | $51,354 | $243,844 |
| 14 | El Mirage | 11.43 | 36,088 | $78,050 | $342,377 |
| 15 | Tolleson | 11.57 | 7,668 | $59,626 | $394,929 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 15 suburbs within 30 miles of Scottsdale.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Scottsdale ‘Burbs of 2026
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 Scottsdale are Paradise Valley, Gilbert, Carefree, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek, Peoria, Mesa, Tempe, and Phoenix.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Scottsdale but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Arizona? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Scottsdale FAQs
What is the best suburb of Scottsdale?
Paradise Valley is the best suburb of Scottsdale for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Gilbert and Carefree are next.
What are the best suburbs of Scottsdale?
The best suburbs of Scottsdale are Paradise Valley, Gilbert, Carefree, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek, Peoria, Mesa, Tempe, and Phoenix. We ranked all 15 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Paradise Valley?
The median household income in Paradise Valley is $247,159 and the median home costs $3,474,597. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Scottsdale?
Any place within 30 miles of Scottsdale qualifies. 15 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Scottsdale suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Paradise Valley, takes the crown.
