Mesa’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Mesa.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Arizona thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Mesa. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Mesa neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Mesa hoods need a little tender loving care. We examined 23 of Mesa’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live.
$29,329 median income
$33,724 median income
$62,094 median income
$54,452 median income
$45,524 median income
$93,977 median income
$53,295 median income
$76,872 median income
$35,982 median income
$44,903 median income
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Arizona’s statewide median.
Arizona statewide median: $423,330
Arizona statewide median: $79,964
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Mesa neighborhoods in 2026
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Mesa:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Mesa, Arizona for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Mesa.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026. Skip to the end to see the list of all 23 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
The full plate
Most dangerous neighborhoods to live in Mesa for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glenwood-Wilbur | 284 | $143,043 | $29,329 |
| 2 | Downtown | 2,377 | $143,064 | $33,724 |
| 3 | Sunland Village East | 1,379 | $190,841 | $62,094 |
| 4 | Rancho del Mar | 500 | $173,034 | $54,452 |
| 5 | Mesa Grande | 8,617 | $148,554 | $45,524 |
| 6 | Crismon Creek | 423 | $201,964 | $93,977 |
| 7 | Superstition Springs | 5,530 | $190,841 | $53,295 |
| 8 | Parkwood Ranch | 2,818 | $183,194 | $76,872 |
| 9 | C.A.N.D.O. | 2,651 | $172,030 | $35,982 |
| 10 | Heritage Park | 510 | $214,448 | $44,903 |
| 11 | Sunland Village | 2,563 | $199,643 | $42,883 |
| 12 | North Center Street | 2,250 | $204,655 | $47,460 |
| 13 | Apache Wells | 1,445 | $209,154 | $3,007,045 |
| 14 | Red Mountain Ranch | 2,353 | $224,326 | $71,092 |
| 15 | Northeast | 4,071 | $544,266 | $95,862 |
| 16 | Marlborough Mesa | 1,524 | $182,471 | $66,121 |
| 17 | Alta Mesa | 7,971 | $239,452 | $60,862 |
| 18 | Dobson Ranch | 11,657 | $230,332 | $62,994 |
| 19 | Ridgeview | 900 | $255,609 | $88,878 |
| 20 | Dobson Woods | 3,454 | $199,495 | $72,016 |
| 21 | The Groves | 5,555 | $405,759 | $106,534 |
| 22 | Northgrove | 1,987 | $416,540 | $7,983,126 |
| 23 | Lehi | 8,424 | $369,367 | $80,903 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 23 Mesa neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The worst neighborhoods around Mesa
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Mesa with Glenwood-Wilbur landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Mesa are Glenwood-Wilbur, Downtown, Sunland Village East, Rancho del Mar, Mesa Grande, Crismon Creek, Superstition Springs, Parkwood Ranch, C.A.N.D.O., and Heritage Park.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Mesa aren’t all bad. Lehi takes the cake as the best place to live in Mesa.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best 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
Worst Neighborhoods In Mesa FAQs
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Mesa?
Glenwood-Wilbur ranks as the worst neighborhood in Mesa for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Downtown and Sunland Village East are next on the list.
What are the worst neighborhoods in Mesa?
The worst-ranked neighborhoods in Mesa are Glenwood-Wilbur, Downtown, Sunland Village East, Rancho del Mar, Mesa Grande, Crismon Creek, Superstition Springs, Parkwood Ranch, C.A.N.D.O., and Heritage Park. We scored all 23 neighborhoods in the city.
Why does Glenwood-Wilbur rank as the worst?
Glenwood-Wilbur posts the roughest combined numbers in Mesa: a median household income of $29,329 and a median home value of $143,043, with crime, unemployment, and density folded into the score.
Are these neighborhoods dangerous everywhere?
No. The scores are neighborhood-wide averages, and conditions change block by block and hour by hour. Plenty of people live in these neighborhoods without incident; the numbers just say the odds run tougher.
How do you rank the worst neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on crime, unemployment, income, density, and home values, using Census tract and FBI data. The worst combined score tops the list.
