Why this unexpected Arizona town was named a top place to live in 2025

Article originally posted on AZ Central on December 18, 2025

Queen Creek may not be the first name that comes to mind when people think of Arizona, but its booming growth has started to attract national attention.

The suburb 45 minutes southeast of Phoenix landed on four separate lists of the best and most up-and-coming places to live in Arizona in 2025.

April Anderson is the owner of Queen Creek Real Estate, and over the past decade has seen the town go from a place that felt like “the boondocks” to a busy community filled with brand new housing developments. In 2024, Queen Creek was the third fastest-growing city in Arizona.

“We have a Costco, for heaven’s sake. You know you’ve made it big when you have a Costco,” she said.

Part of the appeal of Queen Creek is that it has the conveniences of bigger cities while still keeping a semi-rural feel, Anderson said. It remains primarily a “bedroom community,” with many residents working outside of Queen Creek (although the construction of the $3 billion LG Energy Solutions plant might change that).

“It’s a really great place to move right now because it’s up and coming,” Anderson said.

Is Queen Creek, AZ, a good place to live?

Queen Creek was named the best city to live in Arizona by U.S. News & World Report for its 2025-2026 rankings. It was No. 93 among all cities in the country.

Queen Creek was also named one of the top boomtowns in the country in a study by GOBankingRates. Queen Creek’s population more than doubled from 2015 to 2023, growing by 120%, the study found. The per capita income, which is the average income per person in the area, grew by 66%.

A specific Queen Creek ZIP code, 85142, was the sixth hottest ZIP code to move to in the country between January and May 2025, an analysis by MovingPlace, a moving services company, found.

HGTV designated Queen Creek as one of the most up-and-coming places in the country. The town had a population of over 76,000 in 2023, and it’s expected to surpass 115,000 residents in 10 years.

What is Queen Creek, AZ, known for?

Formerly a Hohokam village, Queen Creek was a small farming community until it incorporated as a town in 1989.

Queen Creek is known for its rural past, which is still evident in the thriving “agritainment” industry in the city, Anderson said. People can pick their own vegetables and peaches at Schnepf Farms, or walk through the olive groves at Queen Creek Olive Mill.

There’s also a large equestrian center at Horseshoe Park, as well as horse and walking trails crisscrossing the city.

Is it expensive to live in Queen Creek, Arizona?

The median household income in Queen Creek is $135,444, according to 2023 Census data. The median home value is $677,600. Around 2.4% of the population lives below the poverty line, which is much lower than 12.5%, the rate for Arizona’s population.

How many people live in Queen Creek in 2025?

Queen Creek’s population is 76,046, according to 2023 Census data. The city is 72% White.