Scottsdale’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 Scottsdale.
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 Scottsdale. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Scottsdale neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Scottsdale hoods need a little tender loving care. We examined 10 of Scottsdale’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live.
$74,871 median income
$59,712 median income
$103,339 median income
$84,623 median income
$93,496 median income
$95,047 median income
$72,681 median income
$104,811 median income
$118,978 median income
$128,895 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 Scottsdale 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 Scottsdale:
- 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 Scottsdale, 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 Scottsdale.
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 10 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
The full plate
Most dangerous neighborhoods to live in Scottsdale for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Downtown | 3,235 | $499,157 | $74,871 |
| 2 | Indian Bend | 54,912 | $254,493 | $59,712 |
| 3 | East Shea | 4,542 | $602,794 | $103,339 |
| 4 | Via Linda Corridor | 7,609 | $602,794 | $84,623 |
| 5 | McCormick Ranch | 15,572 | $444,853 | $93,496 |
| 6 | Resort Corridor | 4,133 | $377,981 | $95,047 |
| 7 | Monterey Arcadia | 23,972 | $708,552 | $72,681 |
| 8 | West Cactus | 8,039 | $768,685 | $104,811 |
| 9 | Airpark | 2,352 | $733,439 | $118,978 |
| 10 | Sonoran Regional Core | 3,921 | $672,914 | $128,895 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 10 Scottsdale neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The worst neighborhoods around Scottsdale
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Scottsdale with Downtown landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Scottsdale are Downtown, Indian Bend, East Shea, Via Linda Corridor, McCormick Ranch, Resort Corridor, Monterey Arcadia, West Cactus, Airpark, and Sonoran Regional Core.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Scottsdale aren’t all bad. Sonoran Regional Core takes the cake as the best place to live in Scottsdale.
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 Scottsdale FAQs
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Scottsdale?
Downtown ranks as the worst neighborhood in Scottsdale for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Indian Bend and East Shea are next on the list.
What are the worst neighborhoods in Scottsdale?
The worst-ranked neighborhoods in Scottsdale are Downtown, Indian Bend, East Shea, Via Linda Corridor, McCormick Ranch, Resort Corridor, Monterey Arcadia, West Cactus, Airpark, and Sonoran Regional Core. We scored all 10 neighborhoods in the city.
Why does Downtown rank as the worst?
Downtown posts the roughest combined numbers in Scottsdale: a median household income of $74,871 and a median home value of $499,157, 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.
