The 10 Best Scottsdale Suburbs To Live In For 2024


The best Scottsdale suburbs are Paradise Valley and Carefree for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

While big cities like Scottsdale 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 Scottsdale. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Scottsdale without actually having to be in the city.

Of course, not all suburbs of Scottsdale 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 Scottsdale area.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


What’s the best suburb of Scottsdale? Paradise Valley ranks as the best suburb of Scottsdale for 2024 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 Scottsdale ‘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 Scottsdale Suburbs To Live For 2024

Paradise Valley, AZ

Source: Wikipedia User Tony the Marine (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 12,672
Median Income: $221,333
Unemployment Rate: 2.5%
Poverty Rate: 4.4%
More on Paradise Valley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

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 $221,333 a year, which is the highest in the Scottsdale region. And only 2.51% are out of work. Homes average more than $3,234,281 each.

Carefree, AZ

Source: Wikipedia User Marine 69-71 | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,671
Median Income: $122,328
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 7.0%
More on Carefree: Data | Real Estate

Carefree is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Scottsdale for 2024.

It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 4.69% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.

Gilbert, AZ

Source: Wikipedia User Tony the Marine (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 267,267
Median Income: $115,179
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 5.5%
More on Gilbert: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Here in Gilbert, 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 Gilbert.

Review Of Gilbert by HomeSnacks User

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.

Chandler, AZ

Source: Wikipedia User Ixnayonthetimmay | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 275,618
Median Income: $99,374
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 7.7%
More on Chandler: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Chandler ranks as the 4th best suburb of Scottsdale for 2024.

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.

Fountain Hills, AZ

Source: Wikipedia User Bernard Gagnon | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 23,739
Median Income: $100,317
Unemployment Rate: 5.1%
Poverty Rate: 5.5%
More on Fountain Hills: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

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 $640,087. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.

Peoria, AZ

Source: Wikipedia User Tony the Marine (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 191,292
Median Income: $86,759
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 8.4%
More on Peoria: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Peoria 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 3.85%.

According to online reports, Peoria is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Scottsdale area, meaning you need to get in soon.

Review Of Peoria by HomeSnacks User

It was mainly suburban areas there so not much as far as crime, but being in the big city you always have the chance of something happening.

I really liked going to the outdoor malls and all the wonderful mexican food restaraunts. One restaraunt to look out for is Filibertos mexican food. The bad thing is that it is the suburbs so there isn’t much to do as in activities.

Mesa, AZ

Source: Wikipedia User Ixnayonthetimmay | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 503,390
Median Income: $73,766
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%
Poverty Rate: 11.2%
More on Mesa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Mesa.

Mesa 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 21.2 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.

Review Of Mesa by HomeSnacks User

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.

Cave Creek, AZ

Source: Wikipedia User Marine 69-71 | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 4,966
Median Income: $90,824
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 13.0%
More on Cave Creek: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Cave Creek 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 15.65% of people lack insurance, good for 15th in the area.

Tempe, AZ

Source: Wikipedia User Nick | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 181,005
Median Income: $72,022
Unemployment Rate: 5.7%
Poverty Rate: 16.8%
More on Tempe: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

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.

Review Of Tempe by HomeSnacks User

I like Tempe because it’s where I grew up. It’s pretty central to a lot of places. The Phoenix Zoo and Downtown Phoenix are very close to Tempe as well. Tempe is home to Arizona State University too. There are lots of neighborhood parks and activities that happen year round in Downtown Tempe.

Favorite places are Tempe Town Lake. The neighborhoods in South Tempe are really nice. Some bad things are that so many people are moving here and there is a lot of development which is good for a city’s growth but it has taken away the small town feel that we had here when I was kid.

Tolleson, AZ

Source: Wikipedia User Angelica Phoenix from Phoenix, Arizona, USA | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 7,221
Median Income: $47,875
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
Poverty Rate: 22.0%
More on Tolleson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Tolleson.

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.

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Scottsdale for 2024

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 2018-2022 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 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Scottsdale suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.

Summary: Welcome to the Best Scottsdale ‘Burbs of 2024

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 .

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.

For more Arizona reading, check out:

Table: Best Scottsdale Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income Average Home Price
1 Paradise Valley, AZ 12,672 $221,333 $3,234,281
2 Carefree, AZ 3,671 $122,328 $1,227,970
3 Gilbert, AZ 267,267 $115,179 $566,231
4 Chandler, AZ 275,618 $99,374 $519,175
5 Fountain Hills, AZ 23,739 $100,317 $640,087
6 Peoria, AZ 191,292 $86,759 $485,980
7 Mesa, AZ 503,390 $73,766 $431,607
8 Cave Creek, AZ 4,966 $90,824 $980,412
9 Tempe, AZ 181,005 $72,022 $474,681
10 Tolleson, AZ 7,221 $47,875 $389,180
11 Phoenix, AZ 1,609,456 $72,092 $417,187
12 Glendale, AZ 248,083 $66,375 $405,468
13 El Mirage, AZ 35,652 $72,134 $355,004
14 Apache Junction, AZ 38,855 $56,209 $366,015
15 Guadalupe, AZ 5,335 $56,423 $259,445
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.