Phoenix’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 Phoenix.
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 Phoenix. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Phoenix neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Phoenix hoods need a little tender loving care. We examined 15 of Phoenix’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live.
$43,225 median income
$43,152 median income
$59,319 median income
$59,617 median income
$96,497 median income
$52,445 median income
$79,753 median income
$59,323 median income
$62,524 median income
$78,104 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 Phoenix 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 Phoenix:
- 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 Phoenix, 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 Phoenix.
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 15 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
The full plate
Most dangerous neighborhoods to live in Phoenix for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alahambra | 134,116 | $138,611 | $43,225 |
| 2 | Central City | 60,045 | $224,560 | $43,152 |
| 3 | South Mountain | 131,125 | $195,674 | $59,319 |
| 4 | Estrella | 90,378 | $179,743 | $59,617 |
| 5 | New Village | 5,653 | $172,650 | $96,497 |
| 6 | Maryvale | 247,287 | $165,803 | $52,445 |
| 7 | Laveen | 65,011 | $243,961 | $79,753 |
| 8 | Encanto | 57,606 | $281,473 | $59,323 |
| 9 | North Mountain | 178,370 | $217,423 | $62,524 |
| 10 | Deer Valley | 183,274 | $227,767 | $78,104 |
| 11 | Camelback East | 149,454 | $326,034 | $78,091 |
| 12 | Paradise Valley | 179,199 | $317,249 | $84,698 |
| 13 | Ahwatukee Foothills | 81,820 | $342,106 | $102,537 |
| 14 | North Gateway | 22,664 | $368,500 | $122,092 |
| 15 | Desert View | 57,629 | $425,209 | $124,095 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 15 Phoenix neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The worst neighborhoods around Phoenix
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Phoenix with Alahambra landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Phoenix are Alahambra, Central City, South Mountain, Estrella, New Village, Maryvale, Laveen, Encanto, North Mountain, and Deer Valley.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Phoenix aren’t all bad. Desert View takes the cake as the best place to live in Phoenix.
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 Phoenix FAQs
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Phoenix?
Alahambra ranks as the worst neighborhood in Phoenix for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Central City and South Mountain are next on the list.
What are the worst neighborhoods in Phoenix?
The worst-ranked neighborhoods in Phoenix are Alahambra, Central City, South Mountain, Estrella, New Village, Maryvale, Laveen, Encanto, North Mountain, and Deer Valley. We scored all 15 neighborhoods in the city.
Why does Alahambra rank as the worst?
Alahambra posts the roughest combined numbers in Phoenix: a median household income of $43,225 and a median home value of $138,611, 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.
