Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 42/100
D−
Median home value$455,400
Phoenix $440,900
Median rent$1,743/mo
Phoenix $1,702/mo
Cost-burdened households38%
Phoenix 32%
Tempe
Maricopa County188,065 residents3 school districts
69
B−
Suburbgrade score
3rd of 31 Phoenix suburbs. Strong on amenities and commute & transport, held back by housing & affordability.
69
Phoenix median 54
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Tempe yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 69 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 Tempe is like to live in, by category
Bars show Tempe against Phoenix. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 66/100
C+
Within-state proficiency64th pct
Phoenix median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio16.3
Phoenix median 18.0
Graduation rate89%
Phoenix median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 78/100
B+
Housing cost index100
Phoenix 100
Eff. tax rate0.51%
Phoenix 0.45%
Local sales tax8.52%
Phoenix median 8.52%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 85/100
A−
Mean commute20.9 min
Phoenix 26.4 min
Under 30 minutes77%
Phoenix 61%
Transit stops / sq mi20
Phoenix median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 98/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés206
Phoenix median 6 · within 2 miles
Groceries25
Phoenix median 1 · within 2 miles
Parks112
Phoenix median 26 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 54/100
C−
Median household income$79,663
Phoenix $88,301
Unemployment5.5%
Phoenix 4.7%
Professional occupations48%
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 Tempe 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 Tempe on housing & affordability
Tempe's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Paradise Valley11 mi from TempeA+ 64 C+ Queen Creek21 mi from TempeB 65 C+ Fountain Hills19 mi from TempeB− 60 C Scottsdale21 mi from TempeC+ 65 C+ Gilbert12 mi from TempeC+ 72 B− Sun Lakes13 mi from TempeC 64 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Tempe
Is Tempe, AZ a good place to live?
Tempe scores 69 out of 100, 3rd of 31 Phoenix suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Tempe expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B+. The median home is $455,400, 3% above the Phoenix median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.51%. $1,743/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Tempe?
Schools grade C+. The districts serving Tempe sit at the 64th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 89% graduation rate and a 16.3 student–teacher ratio. Tempe is served by Tempe Union High School District (4287), Tempe School District (4258) and Kyrene Elementary District (4267). Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Tempe?
The mean commute is 20.9 min, with 77% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 21% working from home. Transit density is 20 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Tempe?
Within two miles there are 25 groceries, 206 restaurants and cafés and 112 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Tempe old or new?
The median home in Tempe was built in 1984 — 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. 48% 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.