Are you sick of being a city slicker?
Do you long for life in suburban Arizona? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.
We do, too.
If you wanted to move out to the suburbs in Arizona, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Arizona suburb was best?
No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.
$247,159 median income · $3,474,597 median home price
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Paradise Valley is a small, affluent town in Maricopa County, Arizona. The town is known for its luxury golf courses, shopping, and restaurant scene.
It should not be confused with Paradise Valley Village, an official municipal designation, in northeast Phoenix. For instance, Paradise Valley Community College, Paradise Valley High School, Paradise Valley Hospital, Paradise Valley Mall, and Paradise Valley Golf Course are all located several miles to the north of the town, in Phoenix. T
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$126,250 median income · $525,411 median home price
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Litchfield Park is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is twenty miles northwest of Phoenix. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 5,476.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$107,117 median income · $506,584 median home price
Located in
Pima County, Arizona
Oro Valley, incorporated in 1974, is a suburban town located 6 miles north of Tucson, Arizona, United States in Pima County. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town is 41,011, an increase from 29,700 in 2000 census. Dubbed the “Upscale Tech Mecca” of Southern Arizona by the Arizona Daily Star newspaper, Oro Valley is home to over 10 high tech firms and has a median household income nearly 50% higher than the U.S. median. The town is located approximately 110 miles southeast of the state capital of Phoenix.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$141,978 median income · $632,223 median home price
Located in
Pinal County, Arizona
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$112,606 median income · $436,915 median home price
Located in
Pinal County, Arizona
Marana is a town in Pima County, Arizona, located northwest of Tucson, with a small portion in Pinal County. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town is 34,961. Marana was the fourth fastest-growing place among all cities and towns in Arizona of any size from 1990 to 2000.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$96,711 median income · $422,473 median home price
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Surprise is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona. The population was 30,848 at the 2000 census; however, rapid expansion has boosted the city’s population to 117,517 at the 2010 census, an increase of 281%. As such, it is the second fastest-expanding municipality in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area and, between 1990 and 2000, it was the sixth fastest-expanding place among all cities and towns in Arizona.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$112,654 median income · $670,052 median home price
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Fountain Hills is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Known for its impressive fountain, once the tallest in the world, it borders on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, and Scottsdale, Arizona. The population is 22,489, as of the 2010 census. Between the 1990 and 2000 censuses it was the eighth fastest-growing place among cities and towns in Arizona.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$103,319 median income · $469,424 median home price
Located in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Goodyear is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is a suburb of Phoenix and is in the Phoenix metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 65,275. Goodyear was the third fastest-growing place among all cities and towns in Arizona of any size between 1990 and 2000. The July 1, 2015, MAG population estimate was 79,003.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$95,815 median income · $488,596 median home price
Located in
Yavapai County, Arizona
Peoria is a city in Maricopa and Yavapai counties in the State of Arizona. Most of the city is located in Maricopa County, while a tiny portion in the north is in Yavapai County. It is a major suburb of Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau releases, the population of the city is 154,065. Peoria is currently the sixth largest city in Arizona for land area, and the ninth largest for population. It was named after Peoria, Illinois. The word “peoria” is a corruption of the Illini word for “prairie fire.” It is the spring training home of the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners who share the Peoria Sports Complex. In July 2008, Money magazine listed Peoria in its Top 100 Places to Live.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$104,680 median income · $353,394 median home price
Located in
Pima County, Arizona
Sahuarita is a town in Pima County, Arizona, United States. Sahuarita is located south of the Tohono O’odham Nation and abuts the north end of Green Valley, 15 miles south of Tucson. The population was 25,259 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
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
On the map
Where Arizona’s best suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Grand Canyon State
We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Arizona. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”
First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Arizona, we looked at every town with at least 5,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.
In other words, suburbs.
We paid particular attention to the following criteria:
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Population Density (Higher is Better)
- Unemployment Rates
- Commute Time
- Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We ranked each suburb in Arizona across these criteria from one to 21, with one being the best.
We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Arizona.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Arizona.
Read on to see why Paradise Valley is the ‘burb with the most, while Coolidge is probably not the best place to live in Arizona.
The full plate
The Best Suburbs In Arizona
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paradise Valley | 12,611 | $247,159 | $3,474,597 |
| 2 | Litchfield Park | 6,916 | $126,250 | $525,411 |
| 3 | Oro Valley | 48,162 | $107,117 | $506,584 |
| 4 | Queen Creek | 71,867 | $141,978 | $632,223 |
| 5 | Marana | 56,938 | $112,606 | $436,915 |
| 6 | Surprise | 154,948 | $96,711 | $422,473 |
| 7 | Fountain Hills | 23,789 | $112,654 | $670,052 |
| 8 | Goodyear | 107,645 | $103,319 | $469,424 |
| 9 | Peoria | 196,906 | $95,815 | $488,596 |
| 10 | Sahuarita | 35,862 | $104,680 | $353,394 |
| 11 | Cave Creek | 5,091 | $107,067 | $1,054,562 |
| 12 | Tempe | 188,065 | $79,663 | $468,281 |
| 13 | Avondale | 92,477 | $86,123 | $398,568 |
| 14 | Maricopa | 67,163 | $96,391 | $346,284 |
| 15 | Florence | 25,570 | $79,644 | $333,593 |
| 16 | Apache Junction | 41,058 | $60,975 | $376,628 |
| 17 | Tolleson | 7,668 | $59,626 | $394,929 |
| 18 | El Mirage | 36,088 | $78,050 | $342,377 |
| 19 | Casa Grande | 60,905 | $69,983 | $319,032 |
| 19 | Guadalupe | 5,272 | $51,354 | $243,844 |
| 21 | Coolidge | 16,636 | $67,023 | $270,015 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS via Saturday Night Science. 21 Arizona suburbs within 30 miles of a city over 200,000.
Summary
Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Arizona
If you’re measuring the locations in Arizona where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best suburbs in Arizona are Paradise Valley, Litchfield Park, Oro Valley, Queen Creek, Marana, Surprise, Fountain Hills, Goodyear, Peoria, and Sahuarita.
