While big cities like Glendale offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Glendale. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Glendale without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Glendale are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Glendale area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Glendale for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Glendale? Paradise Valley ranks as the best suburb of Glendale for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Paradise Valley, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Glendale ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Arizona:
The 10 Best Glendale Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 12,672
Median Income: $221,333
Unemployment Rate: 2.5%
Poverty Rate: 4.4%
More on Paradise Valley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Paradise Valley is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Glendale area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Paradise Valley.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $221,333 a year, which is the highest in the Glendale region. And only 2.51% are out of work. Homes average more than $3,234,281 each.
/10
Population: 6,794
Median Income: $117,601
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Litchfield Park: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Litchfield Park is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Glendale for 2024.
It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 4.98% of residents lack insurance, good for 4th best.
/10
Population: 3,671
Median Income: $122,328
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 7.0%
More on Carefree: Data | Real Estate
Here in Carefree, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Glendale metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Carefree.
/10
Population: 267,267
Median Income: $115,179
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 5.5%
More on Gilbert: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Gilbert ranks as the 4th best suburb of Glendale for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Gilbert and the schools are some of the best around.
Gilbert, Arizona is a fast growing community in the east valley of phoenix. The schools are absolutely amazing especially Gilbert Public Schools. There is very little crime and a ton of out door splash pads and parks.
The number of restaurants grows buy the month! Down town Gilbert has such a fun family friendly vibe with a farmers market every week. Gilbert is appealing to young families because of the safe neighborhoods and the great schools.
/10
Population: 240,537
Median Income: $104,197
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 6.8%
More on Scottsdale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Scottsdale.
Scottsdale gets kudos for having the 5th most expensive homes in the Glendale area, where houses sell for an average of $798,175. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 61,367
Median Income: $105,491
Unemployment Rate: 6.2%
Poverty Rate: 18.7%
More on Santa Cruz: Data | Real Estate
Santa Cruz is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 6.17%.
According to online reports, Santa Cruz is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Glendale area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Santa Cruz is one of my favorite places on the planet. It has a laid-back, surfer, hippie feel to it. While I would recommend holding on to one’s purse in the downtown area, the overall feel of Santa Cruz is one of chic cafes, interesting shops, artsy souvenirs, street musicians, bookstores, etc.
One of my favorite places includes Miramar’s on the wharf. I love the restaurant’s glass wall that allows me to watch surfers, sea lions and sailboats while I indulge in clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.
I especially love being in Santa Cruz for the Woodies on the Wharf parade. The classic cars are a beautiful sight against the sun, the sand and the surf.
/10
Population: 275,618
Median Income: $99,374
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 7.7%
More on Chandler: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Chandler.
Chandler schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 25.9 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 23,739
Median Income: $100,317
Unemployment Rate: 5.1%
Poverty Rate: 5.5%
More on Fountain Hills: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Fountain Hills is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 5.15% of people lack insurance, good for 5th in the area.
/10
Population: 191,292
Median Income: $86,759
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 8.4%
More on Peoria: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Peoria?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
The crime was very bad and I did not like it there
The schools were good
/10
Population: 145,591
Median Income: $87,756
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
Poverty Rate: 6.8%
More on Surprise: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Surprise.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Like every state, Arizona has its good and it’s bad areas. Crime wise, I would rate it low, there’s not a whole lot of crime that goes on, there is drug addicts and some rude people here, your not going to get shot or mugged, at most you’ll get flipped off by someone in traffic. The schools are ok at best, Arizona does not have the best schools, but if your wanting to get through school there is not a whole lot of challenges here. There is not a whole lot to do, no famous shopping centers or Arizona only restaurants. If you like the desert then you’ll love here, if you are expecting something amazing to happen then it’s definitely not in Arizona.
Honestly nothing stands out here. The only thing arizona is truly known for is the Grand Canyon and the heat. Traffic isn’t to bad, nothing like LA or NY, but there is definitely certain times of the day you don’t want to be on the road.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Glendale for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Glendale was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Glendale.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 3,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 22 suburbs to evaluate around Glendale.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 22 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Glendale.” We’re lookin’ at you, Paradise Valley.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Glendale suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Glendale ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Glendale are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Glendale but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Arizona reading, check out:
Table: Best Glendale Suburbs
Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Paradise Valley, AZ | 12,672 | $221,333 | $3,234,281 |
2 | Litchfield Park, AZ | 6,794 | $117,601 | $535,888 |
3 | Carefree, AZ | 3,671 | $122,328 | $1,227,970 |
4 | Gilbert, AZ | 267,267 | $115,179 | $566,231 |
5 | Scottsdale, AZ | 240,537 | $104,197 | $798,175 |
6 | Santa Cruz, AZ | 61,367 | $105,491 | $1,318,776 |
7 | Chandler, AZ | 275,618 | $99,374 | $519,175 |
8 | Fountain Hills, AZ | 23,739 | $100,317 | $640,087 |
9 | Peoria, AZ | 191,292 | $86,759 | $485,980 |
10 | Surprise, AZ | 145,591 | $87,756 | $432,141 |
11 | Goodyear, AZ | 97,542 | $97,307 | $479,397 |
12 | Goodyear, AZ | 97,542 | $97,307 | $479,397 |
13 | Goodyear, AZ | 97,542 | $97,307 | $479,397 |
14 | Goodyear, AZ | 97,542 | $97,307 | $479,397 |
15 | Cave Creek, AZ | 4,966 | $90,824 | $980,412 |
16 | Mesa, AZ | 503,390 | $73,766 | $431,607 |
17 | Tempe, AZ | 181,005 | $72,022 | $474,681 |
18 | Avondale, AZ | 89,214 | $76,496 | $401,338 |
19 | Tolleson, AZ | 7,221 | $47,875 | $389,180 |
20 | Phoenix, AZ | 1,609,456 | $72,092 | $417,187 |
21 | Guadalupe, AZ | 5,335 | $56,423 | $259,445 |
22 | El Mirage, AZ | 35,652 | $72,134 | $355,004 |