New River

Maricopa County18,240 residentsDeer Valley Unified District (4246)
55
C−
Suburbgrade score

15th of 31 Phoenix suburbs. Strong on schools and employment & income, held back by amenities.

Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for New River yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 55 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →

What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.

What New River is like to live in, by category

Bars show New River against Phoenix. Weights are published in full.

Housing & affordability

18% of the score · 73/100
B
Median home value$640,600
Phoenix $440,900
Median rent$1,948/mo
Phoenix $1,702/mo
Cost-burdened households22%
Phoenix 32%

Schools

18% of the score · 74/100
B
Within-state proficiency80th pct
Phoenix median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio15.1
Phoenix median 18.0
Graduation rate95%
Phoenix median 91%
EDFacts SY2021–22 · NCES CCD 2024–25 · EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19Full page →

Cost of living

14% of the score · 62/100
C
Housing cost index124
Phoenix 100
Eff. tax rate0.49%
Phoenix 0.45%
Local sales tax8.52%
Phoenix median 8.52%
Composed in-house · ACS 2020–24 · ACS 2020–24 · Tax Foundation state average, January 1, 2026Full page →

Commute & transport

14% of the score · 31/100
F
Mean commute34.0 min
Phoenix 26.4 min
Under 30 minutes33%
Phoenix 61%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Phoenix median 0.0 · within 2 miles

Amenities

12% of the score · 0/100
F
Restaurants & cafés0
Phoenix median 6 · within 2 miles
Groceries0
Phoenix median 1 · within 2 miles
Parks0
Phoenix median 26 · within 2 miles

Employment & income

12% of the score · 73/100
B
Median household income$134,289
Phoenix $88,301
Unemployment3.0%
Phoenix 4.7%
Professional occupations43%
Phoenix 43%

Residents

12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.

Ask the people who live here

Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.

0 responses·Residents category: waiting for first responses·Live

Nobody has answered for New River yet. If you live here, you can be the first.

Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →

Better than New River on amenities

New River's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.

Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026

Common questions about living in New River

Is New River, AZ a good place to live?

New River scores 55 out of 100, 15th of 31 Phoenix suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.

Is New River expensive to live in?

Cost of living grades C. The median home is $640,600, 45% above the Phoenix median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.49%. $1,948/mo is the median gross rent.

How good are the schools in New River?

Schools grade B. The districts serving New River sit at the 80th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 15.1 student–teacher ratio. New River is served by Deer Valley Unified District (4246). Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.

How long is the commute from New River?

The mean commute is 34.0 min, with 33% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 27% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.

Can you walk anywhere in New River?

Within two miles there are 0 groceries, 0 restaurants and cafés and 0 parks, which grades F on amenities.

Are the homes in New River old or new?

The median home in New River was built in 2003 — newer than the Phoenix median of 1994. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 91% of homes are houses rather than flats.

Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.