Money does grow on cacti in Arizona’s richest places. However, we don’t want you to get ‘stuck’ trying to figure out where Arizona’s wealthiest live on your own, so we made a list of the top ten richest places in The Grand Canyon State for 2024 and listed them below.
To determine Arizona’s most affluent places, we looked at home prices according to Zillow and median incomes from the Census.
We were not surprised, however, to find that Arizona is one of the fastest-growing states or one of the best states to retire in the country with the consistent influx of snowbirds and retirees. But, we were surprised that the state is not one of the top ten richest states in America considering you need a high-paying job and a bank account to match if you want to live in one of the state’s richest places.
With fancy, rich city names like Paradise Valley and Fountain Hills, you’re going to have to bring in at least $90,824/year to live in Arizona’s wealthiest places.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In Arizona For 2024
What is the richest place in Arizona? The richest place in Arizona is Paradise Valley based on the most recent data.
Want to know more? Grab some sunscreen, head to the Salt River in Phoenix, and read on.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about Arizona:
The 10 Richest Cities In Arizona For 2024
1. Paradise Valley
/10
Population: 12,672
Median Income: $221,333
Median Home Values: $3,234,281
More on Paradise Valley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
2. Carefree
/10
Population: 3,671
Median Income: $122,328
Median Home Values: $1,227,970
More on Carefree: Data | Real Estate
3. Queen Creek
/10
Population: 61,788
Median Income: $127,182
Median Home Values: $627,569
More on Queen Creek: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
4. Scottsdale
/10
Population: 240,537
Median Income: $104,197
Median Home Values: $798,175
More on Scottsdale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
5. Fountain Hills
/10
Population: 23,739
Median Income: $100,317
Median Home Values: $640,087
More on Fountain Hills: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
6. Gilbert
/10
Population: 267,267
Median Income: $115,179
Median Home Values: $566,231
More on Gilbert: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
7. Litchfield Park
/10
Population: 6,794
Median Income: $117,601
Median Home Values: $535,888
More on Litchfield Park: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
8. Cave Creek
/10
Population: 4,966
Median Income: $90,824
Median Home Values: $980,412
More on Cave Creek: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
9. Oro Valley
/10
Population: 47,053
Median Income: $101,394
Median Home Values: $500,520
More on Oro Valley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
10. Chandler
/10
Population: 275,618
Median Income: $99,374
Median Home Values: $519,175
More on Chandler: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In Arizona For 2024
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 70 places with more than 3,000 people in Arizona, we ranked each place from 1 to 70 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Paradise Valley, crowned the “Richest City In Arizona For 2024.”
The data has been updated for 2024. This is our tenth time ranking the wealthiest cities in Arizona.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 70 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In Arizona For 2024
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in Arizona, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Arizona.
The richest cities in Arizona are Paradise Valley, Carefree, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Litchfield Park, Cave Creek, Oro Valley, and Chandler.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in Arizona, according to data:
Poorest: South Tucson
2nd Poorest: Douglas
3rd Poorest: Willcox
For more Arizona reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In Arizona
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paradise Valley | 1.0 | $221,333 | $3,234,281 |
| 2 | Carefree | 2.5 | $122,328 | $1,227,970 |
| 3 | Queen Creek | 5.0 | $127,182 | $627,569 |
| 4 | Scottsdale | 6.0 | $104,197 | $798,175 |
| 5 | Fountain Hills | 7.5 | $100,317 | $640,087 |
| 6 | Gilbert | 7.5 | $115,179 | $566,231 |
| 7 | Litchfield Park | 7.5 | $117,601 | $535,888 |
| 8 | Cave Creek | 8.0 | $90,824 | $980,412 |
| 9 | Oro Valley | 11.0 | $101,394 | $500,520 |
| 10 | Chandler | 11.5 | $99,374 | $519,175 |
| 11 | Goodyear | 13.5 | $97,307 | $479,397 |
| 12 | Peoria | 15.5 | $86,759 | $485,980 |
| 13 | Marana | 16.0 | $105,624 | $431,013 |
| 14 | Surprise | 19.5 | $87,756 | $432,141 |
| 15 | Flagstaff | 21.0 | $65,652 | $630,887 |
| 16 | Prescott | 21.5 | $66,330 | $591,042 |
| 17 | Tempe | 22.5 | $72,022 | $474,681 |
| 18 | Sedona | 23.5 | $62,901 | $903,499 |
| 19 | Mesa | 24.5 | $73,766 | $431,607 |
| 20 | Sahuarita | 25.5 | $97,133 | $360,541 |
| 21 | Maricopa | 26.0 | $88,795 | $361,705 |
| 22 | Prescott Valley | 26.5 | $66,617 | $449,398 |
| 23 | Wickenburg | 26.5 | $63,301 | $526,044 |
| 24 | Avondale | 26.5 | $76,496 | $401,338 |
| 25 | Phoenix | 27.5 | $72,092 | $417,187 |
| 26 | Lake Havasu City | 30.0 | $64,027 | $459,760 |
| 27 | Page | 30.0 | $79,521 | $358,463 |
| 28 | Florence | 31.5 | $74,025 | $358,475 |
| 29 | Parker | 32.0 | $67,566 | $390,624 |
| 30 | Glendale | 32.0 | $66,375 | $405,468 |
| 31 | Taylor | 32.5 | $75,125 | $346,419 |
| 32 | El Mirage | 33.5 | $72,134 | $355,004 |
| 33 | Payson | 34.0 | $60,095 | $432,786 |
| 34 | Williams | 34.5 | $63,141 | $419,671 |
| 35 | Dewey-Humboldt | 35.0 | $56,604 | $464,319 |
| 36 | Eagar | 35.5 | $82,538 | $280,887 |
| 37 | Chino Valley | 36.5 | $55,682 | $477,451 |
| 38 | Snowflake | 37.0 | $71,029 | $326,502 |
| 39 | Thatcher | 38.0 | $71,591 | $304,034 |
| 40 | Show Low | 38.0 | $57,406 | $418,453 |
| 41 | St. Johns | 39.0 | $83,690 | $214,168 |
| 42 | Sierra Vista | 41.0 | $70,899 | $283,365 |
| 43 | Casa Grande | 42.0 | $64,535 | $324,372 |
| 44 | Pinetop-Lakeside | 43.0 | $57,125 | $370,062 |
| 45 | Camp Verde | 44.0 | $50,247 | $408,890 |
| 46 | Clarkdale | 45.0 | $40,313 | $448,210 |
| 47 | Clifton | 45.0 | $78,862 | $86,321 |
| 48 | Apache Junction | 46.0 | $56,209 | $366,015 |
| 49 | Safford | 47.0 | $64,860 | $244,967 |
| 50 | Tolleson | 47.0 | $47,875 | $389,180 |
| 51 | Coolidge | 47.0 | $60,682 | $286,315 |
| 52 | Somerton | 47.5 | $64,180 | $257,097 |
| 53 | Youn | 48.0 | $56,449 | $345,944 |
| 54 | Yuma | 48.5 | $59,312 | $284,259 |
| 55 | Cottonwood | 50.0 | $43,273 | $385,989 |
| 56 | Globe | 50.0 | $64,516 | $213,967 |
| 57 | Tucson | 51.5 | $52,049 | $324,757 |
| 58 | Eloy | 53.0 | $57,364 | $247,454 |
| 59 | Kingman | 54.0 | $56,360 | $265,190 |
| 60 | Guadalupe | 54.0 | $56,423 | $259,445 |
| 61 | Bullhead City | 55.0 | $47,129 | $301,043 |
| 62 | Holbrook | 57.0 | $58,856 | $177,645 |
| 63 | Benson | 59.0 | $49,955 | $239,970 |
| 64 | San Luis | 61.0 | $46,747 | $234,684 |
| 65 | Bisbee | 63.5 | $43,512 | $210,374 |
| 66 | Winslow | 64.5 | $43,918 | $177,709 |
| 67 | Nogales | 66.5 | $36,682 | $205,633 |
| 68 | Willcox | 67.5 | $40,884 | $175,200 |
| 69 | Douglas | 67.5 | $41,594 | $148,672 |
| 70 | South Tucson | 67.5 | $34,014 | $203,732 |