Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 54/100
C−
Median home value$377,800
Phoenix $440,900
Median rent$1,672/mo
Phoenix $1,702/mo
Cost-burdened households28%
Phoenix 32%
Sun City West
Maricopa County27,425 residents3 school districts
60
C
Suburbgrade score
11th of 31 Phoenix suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by employment & income.
60
Phoenix median 54
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Sun City West yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 60 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 Sun City West is like to live in, by category
Bars show Sun City West against Phoenix. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 63/100
C+
Within-state proficiency68th pct
Phoenix median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio17.6
Phoenix median 18.0
Graduation rate95%
Phoenix median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 77/100
B
Housing cost index78
Phoenix 100
Eff. tax rate0.48%
Phoenix 0.45%
Local sales tax8.52%
Phoenix median 8.52%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 73/100
B
Mean commute21.7 min
Phoenix 26.4 min
Under 30 minutes72%
Phoenix 61%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Phoenix median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 54/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés20
Phoenix median 6 · within 2 miles
Groceries6
Phoenix median 1 · within 2 miles
Parks12
Phoenix median 26 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 40/100
D−
Median household income$63,685
Phoenix $88,301
Unemployment3.8%
Phoenix 4.7%
Professional occupations42%
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.
Nobody has answered for Sun City West 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 Sun City West on employment & income
Sun City West's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Paradise Valley24 mi from Sun City WestB+ 64 C+ New River21 mi from Sun City WestB 55 C− Anthem18 mi from Sun City WestC 63 C+ Avondale25 mi from Sun City WestC 45 D Peoria8 mi from Sun City WestC− 54 C− Surprise5 mi from Sun City WestC− 50 D+ Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Sun City West
Is Sun City West, AZ a good place to live?
Sun City West scores 60 out of 100, 11th of 31 Phoenix suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Sun City West expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $377,800, 14% below the Phoenix median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.48%. $1,672/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Sun City West?
Schools grade C+. The districts serving Sun City West sit at the 68th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 17.6 student–teacher ratio. Sun City West is served by School District Not Defined, Dysart Unified District (4243) and Peoria Unified School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Sun City West?
The mean commute is 21.7 min, with 72% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 22% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Sun City West?
Within two miles there are 6 groceries, 20 restaurants and cafés and 12 parks, which grades C− on amenities.
Are the homes in Sun City West old or new?
The median home in Sun City West was built in 1989 — older 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. 92% 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.