The 20 best places to live in Arizona, according to U.S. News Article originally posted on AZ Big Media on July 22, 2025 U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, has unveiled the 2025-2026 Best Places to Live in the U.S., ranking major U.S. cities based on value, desirability, job market and quality of life. This year, U.S. News expanded its data to evaluate more than 850 cities (up from 150 in previous years), publishing the top 250 as the year’s best places to live, including the best places to live in Arizona. New data considerations and the expansion of evaluated cities resulted in a new top 10 for the 2025-2026 year, with Johns Creek, Georgia, taking No. 1 due to its strong job market and desirability scores. “The expansion of the 2025-2026 Best Places to Live rankings gives consumers a more detailed view into what it’s like to live somewhere at the community level, enabling them to consider more options for potential places to settle down,” said Erika Giovanetti, consumer lending analyst at U.S. News & World Report. Carmel, Indiana, ranked No. 2 on the strength of its high desirability, value and job market scores. Texas debuted three top-10 placements due to strong value and desirability scores: Pearland, Texas, landed at No. 3, while League City, Texas, and Leander, Texas, placed at No. 6 and No. 8, respectively. The 2025-2026 Best Places to Live were determined based on a methodology that takes into account the city’s job market, value, quality of life and desirability. These measures were weighted in part based on a public survey of thousands of individuals throughout the U.S. to find what qualities they consider important in a place to live. The methodology also factors in data from U.S. News’ internal resources, Applied Geographic Solutions, and U.S. government agencies including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This year, based on consumer sentiment, the weights were stack-ranked, measuring quality of life, value, desirability and job market. The 2025-2026 rankings also include U.S. News Best States data on economy and infrastructure to deepen consumer confidence and understanding of cities’ standings on important factors that contribute to overall quality of life. “While quality of life remains the top priority for many Americans – and has the heaviest weight in determining the Best Places to Live rankings – U.S. News slightly adjusted its weights to increase priority for a location’s job market amid heightened economic uncertainty,” said Giovanetti. The 20 best places to live in Arizona The 859 cities analyzed for the 2025-2026 reveal were then ranked within state-specific rankings, including the best places to live in Arizona. Here are the 20 best places to live in Arizona, according to U.S. News & World Report. No. 1: Queen Creek Overall score: 6.2 Population: 68,717 Average Commute: 29 minutes Median Home Value: $547,271 Median Monthly Rent: $1,678 Median Household Income: $133,328 No. 2: Gilbert Overall score: 6.2 Population: 272,479 Average Commute: 23 minutes Median Home Value: $496,010 Median Monthly Rent: $1,638 Median Household Income: $120,156 No. 3: Marana Overall score: 6.1 Population: 55,483 Average Commute: 28 minutes Median Home Value: $358,011 Median Monthly Rent: $1,235 Median Household Income: $106,814 No. 4: Chandler Overall score: 6.1 Population: 276,856 Average Commute: 22 minutes Median Home Value: $482,989 Median Monthly Rent: $1,567 Median Household Income: $105,654 No. 5: Scottsdale Overall score: 6.0 Population: 264,894 Average Commute: 20 minutes Median Home Value: $698,486 Median Monthly Rent: $1,631 Median Household Income: $112,224 No. 6: Sierra Vista Overall score: 5.8 Population: 44,045 Average Commute: 14 minutes Median Home Value: $238,571 Median Monthly Rent: $844 Median Household Income: $75,622 No. 7: Peoria Overall score: 5.8 Population: 192,470 Average Commute: 25 minutes Median Home Value: $459,372 Median Monthly Rent: $1,534 Median Household Income: $94,663 No. 8: Surprise Overall score: 5.7 Population: 157,250 Average Commute: 26 minutes Median Home Value: $428,673 Median Monthly Rent: $1,581 Median Household Income: $93,430 No. 9: Maricopa Overall score: 5.5 Population: 65,976 Average Commute: 38 minutes Median Home Value: $363,014 Median Monthly Rent: $1,434 Median Household Income: $92,783 No. 10: Mesa Overall score: 5.5 Population: 530,240 Average Commute: 22 minutes Median Home Value: $427,074 Median Monthly Rent: $1,389 Median Household Income: $80,935 No. 11: Goodyear Overall score: 5.5 Population: 105,991 Average Commute: 24 minutes Median Home Value: $457,522 Median Monthly Rent: $1,576 Median Household Income: $101,421 No. 12: Buckeye Overall score: 5.3 Population: 103,727 Average Commute: 29 minutes Median Home Value: $429,097 Median Monthly Rent: $1,504 Median Household Income: $97,986 No. 13: Phoenix Overall score: 5.3 Population: 1,643,301 Average Commute: 23 minutes Median Home Value: $456,730 Median Monthly Rent: $1,392 Median Household Income: $80,819 No. 14: Avondale Overall score: 5.2 Population: 93,627 Average Commute: 24 minutes Median Home Value: $390,702 Median Monthly Rent: $1,473 Median Household Income: $83,502 No. 15: Tucson Overall score: 5.1 Population: 548,153 Average Commute: 20 minutes Median Home Value: $275,701 Median Monthly Rent: $932 Median Household Income: $55,886 No. 16: Prescott Overall score: 5.1 Population: 50,529 Average Commute: 14 minutes Median Home Value: $512,812 Median Monthly Rent: $1,058 Median Household Income: $70,318 No. 17: Glendale Overall score: 5.0 Population: 251,331 Average Commute: 25 minutes Median Home Value: $416,349 Median Monthly Rent: $1,369 Median Household Income: $74,410 No. 18: Casa Grande Overall score: 5.0 Population: 66,558 Average Commute: 19 minutes Median Home Value: $333,245 Median Monthly Rent: $1,261 Median Household Income: $69,104 No. 19: Lake Havasu City Overall score: 4.9 Population: 62,593 Average Commute: 14 minutes Median Home Value: $416,294 Median Monthly Rent: $1,059 Median Household Income: $68,131 No. 20: Tempe Overall score: 4.9 Population: 184,176 Average Commute: 20 minutes Median Home Value: $456,398 Median Monthly Rent: $1,495 Median Household Income: $78,389 “This year’s release celebrates the top 250 places that meet consumer needs best, but also offers the ability to view top-ranked cities in states of their choice,” added Giovanetti. Best Places to Live is part of U.S. News’ expanding Real Estate division, which helps individuals determine the best places to live, and places to retire, as well as better understand the housing market, determine their home value, work with a real estate agent, and buy and sell a home. 2025-2026 U.S. News Best Places to Live – Top 10 Johns Creek, GA Carmel, IN Pearland, TX Fishers, IN Cary, NC League City, TX Apex, NC Leander, TX Rochester Hills, MI Troy, MI