Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 60/100
C
Median home value$455,200
Phoenix $440,900
Median rent$1,938/mo
Phoenix $1,702/mo
Cost-burdened households32%
Phoenix 32%
Sun Lakes
Maricopa County13,924 residentsChandler Unified District #80 (4242)
64
C+
Suburbgrade score
6th of 31 Phoenix suburbs. Strong on cost of living and commute & transport, held back by employment & income.
64
Phoenix median 54
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Sun Lakes yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 64 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 Lakes is like to live in, by category
Bars show Sun Lakes against Phoenix. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 72/100
B−
Within-state proficiency82nd pct
Phoenix median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio17.2
Phoenix median 18.0
Graduation rate93%
Phoenix median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 76/100
B
Housing cost index88
Phoenix 100
Eff. tax rate0.65%
Phoenix 0.45%
Local sales tax8.52%
Phoenix median 8.52%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 75/100
B
Mean commute20.5 min
Phoenix 26.4 min
Under 30 minutes71%
Phoenix 61%
Transit stops / sq mi0.2
Phoenix median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 59/100
C
Restaurants & cafés19
Phoenix median 6 · within 2 miles
Groceries2
Phoenix median 1 · within 2 miles
Parks46
Phoenix median 26 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 38/100
D−
Median household income$67,853
Phoenix $88,301
Unemployment4.5%
Phoenix 4.7%
Professional occupations41%
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 Lakes 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 Lakes on employment & income
Sun Lakes'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 LakesB+ 64 C+ Gilbert10 mi from Sun LakesB 72 B− Queen Creek15 mi from Sun LakesB− 65 C+ Chandler5 mi from Sun LakesB− 72 B− San Tan Valley18 mi from Sun LakesC 52 D+ Tempe13 mi from Sun LakesC− 69 B− Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Sun Lakes
Is Sun Lakes, AZ a good place to live?
Sun Lakes scores 64 out of 100, 6th 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 Lakes expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $455,200, 3% above the Phoenix median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.65%. $1,938/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Sun Lakes?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Sun Lakes sit at the 82nd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 93% graduation rate and a 17.2 student–teacher ratio. Sun Lakes is served by Chandler Unified District #80 (4242). Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Sun Lakes?
The mean commute is 20.5 min, with 71% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 21% working from home. Transit density is 0.2 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Sun Lakes?
Within two miles there are 2 groceries, 19 restaurants and cafés and 46 parks, which grades C on amenities.
Are the homes in Sun Lakes old or new?
The median home in Sun Lakes was built in 1991 — close to 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. 87% 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.