While big cities like Tempe 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 Tempe. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Tempe without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Tempe 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 Tempe area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Tempe for 2025:
What’s the best suburb of Tempe? Paradise Valley ranks as the best suburb of Tempe 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 Tempe ‘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 Tempe 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 Tempe 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 Tempe 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 Tempe 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 Tempe 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 Tempe 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.
/10
Population: 66,369
Median Income: $134,719
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.6%
More on Queen Creek: Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Queen Creek.
Queen Creek gets kudos for having the 4th most expensive homes in the Tempe area, where houses sell for an average of $576,600. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
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: 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 Tempe area, meaning you need to get in soon.
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
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 8.5 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 4th in the area.
/10
Population: 102,891
Median Income: $101,814
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
Poverty Rate: 5.8%
More on Goodyear: Data
Is ‘Everything Better In Goodyear?’
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: 102,891
Median Income: $101,814
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
Poverty Rate: 5.8%
More on Goodyear: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is Goodyear.
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 Tempe for 2025
Figuring out the best suburbs around Tempe 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 Tempe.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 5,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 21 suburbs to evaluate around Tempe.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 21 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 Tempe.” 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 Tempe suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Tempe ‘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 Tempe are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Tempe 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 Tempe 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 | Queen Creek, AZ | 66,369 | $134,719 | $576,600 |
| 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 | Goodyear, AZ | 102,891 | $101,814 | $441,900 |
| 10 | Goodyear, AZ | 102,891 | $101,814 | $441,900 |
| 11 | Goodyear, AZ | 102,891 | $101,814 | $441,900 |
| 12 | Goodyear, AZ | 102,891 | $101,814 | $441,900 |
| 13 | Mesa, AZ | 507,478 | $78,779 | $364,300 |
| 14 | Maricopa, AZ | 62,986 | $94,208 | $338,600 |
| 15 | Avondale, AZ | 90,644 | $81,260 | $348,700 |
| 16 | Guadalupe, AZ | 5,293 | $58,507 | $233,500 |
| 17 | Phoenix, AZ | 1,624,832 | $77,041 | $381,900 |
| 18 | Glendale, AZ | 250,193 | $70,139 | $347,000 |
| 19 | Apache Junction, AZ | 39,746 | $58,619 | $196,700 |
| 20 | El Mirage, AZ | 35,823 | $74,764 | $282,000 |
| 21 | Tolleson, AZ | 7,233 | $55,015 | $287,000 |