Surprise makes Arizona’s top 10 on 2 lists
Surprise is ranked on 34 lists against the 140 Arizona towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 12.
Longer growing season than 100% of Arizona
Not better or worse, just Surprise’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Surprise does best on
Each list ranks every AZ town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Surprise marked.
1 spot from the top 10 for safety
Lists where Surprise sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Surprise lands in the top half on 16 of 23 lists
Each dot is Surprise’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in AZ, the right end is last. Areas where Surprise does best come first.
Surprise out-ranks 3 of its 6 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Surprise lands in every AZ ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Heber-Overgaard · 55.6%
#60
Most new homes#1 Queen Creek · 28.4 per 1,000
#8
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Avra Valley · +96.2%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Clifton · 22.2 per home
#16 
Health
Healthiest#1 Kachina Village · 98 / 100
#29
Lowest obesity#1 Kachina Village · 21%
#32
Fewest smokers#1 Catalina Foothills · 6%
#30
Most active#1 Kachina Village · 12%
#33
Fewest uninsured#1 Paradise Valley · 4%
#52
Lowest depression#1 Sun City West · 14%
#29
Closest to a top hospital#1 Chandler · 1.7 mi
#66 Safety
Safest#1 Clarkdale · 6.9
#11 
People
Most educated#1 Paradise Valley · 74.3%
#52
Youngest#1 Colorado City · 19.4
#64
Oldest#1 Sun City West · 74.8
#77
Most residents 65+#1 Sun City West · 85%
#66
Most kids#1 Colorado City · 46.1%
#50 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Star Valley · 93.3%
#85
Most trails#1 Pima · 5.8 mi / sq mi
#117
Most walkable#1 Litchfield Park · 177 / sq mi
#32 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Avenue B and C · 0.2 yrs
#105
Cheapest rent#1 Eagar · $494/mo
#122
Lowest property tax#1 Avenue B and C · $274/yr
#88
Rent easiest to afford#1 New Kingman-Butler · 35.7%
#35 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Bagdad · 8.5 min
#111 
The number on the right is Surprise’s spot. All of Arizona’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every AZ list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.