Money does grow on cacti in Arizona’s richest places. However, we don’t want you to get ‘stuck’ trying to figure out where Arizona’s wealthiest live on your own, so we made a list of the top ten richest places in The Grand Canyon State for 2026 and listed them below.
To determine Arizona’s most affluent places, we looked at home prices according to Zillow and median incomes from the Census.
We were not surprised, however, to find that Arizona is one of the fastest-growing states or one of the best states to retire in the country with the consistent influx of snowbirds and retirees. But, we were surprised that the state is not one of the top ten richest states in America considering you need a high-paying job and a bank account to match if you want to live in one of the state’s richest places.
With fancy, rich city names like Paradise Valley and Fountain Hills, you’re going to have to bring in at least $107,067/year to live in Arizona’s wealthiest places.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In Arizona For 2026
What is the richest place in Arizona? The richest place in Arizona is Paradise Valley based on the most recent data.
Want to know more? Grab some sunscreen, head to the Salt River in Phoenix, and read on.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about Arizona:
The 10 Richest Cities In Arizona For 2026
1. Paradise Valley
/10
Population: 12,611
Median Income: $247,159
Median Home Values: $3,474,596
More on Paradise Valley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
2. Carefree
/10
Population: 3,683
Median Income: $147,165
Median Home Values: $1,292,631
More on Carefree: Data | Movers
3. Queen Creek
/10
Population: 71,867
Median Income: $141,978
Median Home Values: $632,223
More on Queen Creek: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
4. Fountain Hills
/10
Population: 23,789
Median Income: $112,654
Median Home Values: $670,052
More on Fountain Hills: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
5. Scottsdale
/10
Population: 243,821
Median Income: $110,886
Median Home Values: $858,022
More on Scottsdale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
6. Cave Creek
/10
Population: 5,091
Median Income: $107,067
Median Home Values: $1,054,561
More on Cave Creek: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
7. Litchfield Park
/10
Population: 6,916
Median Income: $126,250
Median Home Values: $525,410
More on Litchfield Park: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
8. Gilbert
/10
Population: 280,262
Median Income: $122,551
Median Home Values: $572,507
More on Gilbert: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
9. Chandler
/10
Population: 280,136
Median Income: $108,095
Median Home Values: $524,155
More on Chandler: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
10. Oro Valley
/10
Population: 48,162
Median Income: $107,117
Median Home Values: $506,583
More on Oro Valley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In Arizona For 2026
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2020-2024 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 70 places with more than 3,000 people in Arizona, we ranked each place from 1 to 70 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Paradise Valley, crowned the “Richest City In Arizona For 2026.”
The data has been updated for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the wealthiest cities in Arizona.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 70 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In Arizona For 2026
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in Arizona, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Arizona.
The richest cities in Arizona are Paradise Valley, Carefree, Queen Creek, Fountain Hills, Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Litchfield Park, Gilbert, Chandler, and Oro Valley.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in Arizona, according to data:
Poorest: Douglas
2nd Poorest: South Tucson
3rd Poorest: Willcox
For more Arizona reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In Arizona
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paradise Valley | 1.0 | $247,159 | $3,474,596 |
| 2 | Carefree | 2.0 | $147,165 | $1,292,631 |
| 3 | Queen Creek | 5.5 | $141,978 | $632,223 |
| 4 | Fountain Hills | 6.5 | $112,654 | $670,052 |
| 5 | Scottsdale | 7.0 | $110,886 | $858,022 |
| 6 | Cave Creek | 7.5 | $107,067 | $1,054,561 |
| 7 | Litchfield Park | 8.0 | $126,250 | $525,410 |
| 8 | Gilbert | 8.0 | $122,551 | $572,507 |
| 9 | Chandler | 11.0 | $108,095 | $524,155 |
| 10 | Oro Valley | 12.5 | $107,117 | $506,583 |
| 11 | Peoria | 16.5 | $95,815 | $488,595 |
| 12 | Goodyear | 16.5 | $103,319 | $469,424 |
| 13 | Marana | 17.0 | $112,606 | $436,914 |
| 14 | Sedona | 18.5 | $73,738 | $909,102 |
| 15 | Flagstaff | 21.0 | $71,512 | $656,480 |
| 16 | Surprise | 22.0 | $96,711 | $422,473 |
| 17 | Prescott | 22.5 | $70,874 | $605,543 |
| 18 | Tempe | 22.5 | $79,663 | $468,281 |
| 19 | Mesa | 25.0 | $82,752 | $435,133 |
| 20 | Avondale | 26.0 | $86,123 | $398,567 |
| 21 | Sahuarita | 26.0 | $104,680 | $353,394 |
| 22 | Prescott Valley | 26.5 | $74,569 | $462,396 |
| 23 | Williams | 27.0 | $76,136 | $442,778 |
| 24 | Taylor | 27.0 | $90,275 | $379,917 |
| 25 | Phoenix | 27.0 | $81,332 | $410,168 |
| 26 | Page | 28.0 | $88,826 | $378,791 |
| 27 | Wickenburg | 28.5 | $67,600 | $513,341 |
| 28 | Maricopa | 29.0 | $96,391 | $346,283 |
| 29 | Lake Havasu City | 29.5 | $70,148 | $463,713 |
| 30 | Thatcher | 30.5 | $82,917 | $350,904 |
| 31 | Dewey-Humboldt | 31.5 | $66,535 | $483,718 |
| 32 | Glendale | 32.5 | $73,530 | $407,332 |
| 33 | St. Johns | 33.0 | $131,968 | $234,883 |
| 34 | Payson | 33.0 | $67,710 | $446,819 |
| 35 | Chino Valley | 33.0 | $61,237 | $500,150 |
| 36 | Camp Verde | 34.0 | $69,203 | $431,371 |
| 37 | Snowflake | 36.0 | $76,174 | $344,540 |
| 38 | Florence | 36.0 | $79,644 | $333,592 |
| 39 | El Mirage | 36.5 | $78,050 | $342,377 |
| 40 | Eagar | 37.0 | $82,839 | $295,899 |
| 41 | Show Low | 39.5 | $60,368 | $436,997 |
| 42 | Clarkdale | 42.0 | $46,563 | $472,021 |
| 43 | Youn | 43.0 | $68,321 | $343,385 |
| 44 | Pinetop-Lakeside | 43.0 | $60,694 | $397,897 |
| 45 | Casa Grande | 43.5 | $69,983 | $319,031 |
| 46 | Parker | 44.0 | $66,273 | $348,325 |
| 47 | Sierra Vista | 44.0 | $70,291 | $298,883 |
| 48 | Somerton | 44.0 | $74,015 | $271,557 |
| 49 | Tolleson | 45.0 | $59,626 | $394,929 |
| 50 | Apache Junction | 45.0 | $60,975 | $376,627 |
| 51 | Clifton | 48.5 | $78,480 | $70,823 |
| 52 | Cottonwood | 49.0 | $48,448 | $397,513 |
| 53 | Yuma | 49.0 | $65,482 | $301,507 |
| 54 | Safford | 50.5 | $65,647 | $287,457 |
| 55 | Coolidge | 51.0 | $67,023 | $270,014 |
| 56 | Globe | 51.0 | $69,170 | $238,040 |
| 57 | Tucson | 52.5 | $57,073 | $324,023 |
| 58 | Kingman | 52.5 | $61,792 | $273,782 |
| 59 | Bullhead City | 56.0 | $50,556 | $299,831 |
| 60 | Eloy | 57.0 | $55,736 | $275,409 |
| 61 | San Luis | 58.0 | $59,400 | $238,910 |
| 62 | Guadalupe | 60.0 | $51,354 | $243,844 |
| 63 | Benson | 60.5 | $49,346 | $253,541 |
| 64 | Winslow | 62.0 | $58,346 | $203,633 |
| 65 | Holbrook | 62.5 | $56,502 | $203,704 |
| 66 | Bisbee | 64.0 | $47,613 | $224,750 |
| 67 | Nogales | 66.0 | $43,214 | $220,631 |
| 68 | Willcox | 67.5 | $43,929 | $201,775 |
| 69 | South Tucson | 67.5 | $33,598 | $219,314 |
| 70 | Douglas | 69.0 | $42,019 | $173,569 |