Every city has safe neighborhoods and dangerous neighborhoods. We believe you should know which neighborhoods in Phoenix are the safest before you move.
Every year, more than 30 million Americans move. Sometimes, it’s for a job, other times it’s to escape the big city. But no matter where you move, you want a neighborhood that’s family friendly, clean, and most importantly, safe.
We’ve analyzed the FBI crime report’s data on violent and property crimes for every single neighborhood in Phoenix. Then, we calculated your chances of being the victim of a crime in each one.
What Phoenix neighborhoods can you leave your doors unlocked at night? Here’s the list.
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
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Arizona’s statewide median.
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the safest Phoenix hoods in 2026
You can ask people which neighborhoods are the safest, or you can look at the unbiased raw data. We choose data.
Instead of relying on speculation and opinion, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the numbers from the FBI’s most recent crime report for every neighborhood in Phoenix.
To be more specific, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. We then ran an analysis to calculate each neighborhood’s property and violent crimes per capita. We used the following criteria:
- Total Crimes Per Capita
- Violent Crimes Per Capita
- Property Crimes Per Capita
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 15 in each category, where 1 was the safest.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a safe neighborhood index.
Finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest safest neighborhood index the “Safest City Neighborhood In Phoenix.” We’re lookin’ at you, North Gateway.
We updated this article for 2026. Skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from safest to most dangerous.
The full plate
Detailed list of the safest neighborhoods to live in Phoenix for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Crime Per 100K |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Gateway | |
| 2 | Desert View | |
| 3 | Ahwatukee Foothills | |
| 4 | New Village | |
| 5 | Paradise Valley | |
| 6 | Deer Valley | |
| 7 | Laveen | |
| 8 | Maryvale | |
| 9 | Estrella | |
| 10 | South Mountain | |
| 11 | Camelback East | |
| 12 | North Mountain | |
| 13 | Encanto | |
| 14 | Alahambra | |
| 15 | Central City |
Source: FBI UCR. All 15 Phoenix neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The safest places in Phoenix
Looking at the data, you can tell that North Gateway is as safe as they come, according to science and data.
The safest neighborhoods in Phoenix are North Gateway, Desert View, Ahwatukee Foothills, New Village, Paradise Valley, Deer Valley, Laveen, Maryvale, Estrella, and South Mountain.
But as most Arizona residents would agree, almost every place here has its safe and not safe parts. So make sure you’re informed ahead of time.
We ranked the neighborhoods from safest to most dangerous in the chart below. Not sold on Arizona? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Safest Neighborhoods In Phoenix FAQs
What is the safest neighborhood in Phoenix?
North Gateway is the safest neighborhood in Phoenix for 2026, based on FBI crime data. Desert View and Ahwatukee Foothills are next.
What are the safest neighborhoods in Phoenix?
The safest neighborhoods in Phoenix are North Gateway, Desert View, Ahwatukee Foothills, New Village, Paradise Valley, Deer Valley, Laveen, Maryvale, Estrella, and South Mountain. We ranked all 15 neighborhoods in the city.
How do you measure neighborhood safety?
Neighborhoods are ranked on violent and property crimes per capita, using FBI crime data mapped to each neighborhood. The lowest combined crime rate wins.
Which neighborhood ranked last for safety?
Central City posts the highest crime rate of the 15 Phoenix neighborhoods we scored. Our separate worst neighborhoods in Phoenix ranking digs into that end of the list.
Does a low crime rate guarantee safety?
No. Crime rates are averages across a whole neighborhood, and conditions change block by block and hour by hour. The numbers tell you where the odds are best, not that anywhere is risk-free.
