Nearly 7.3 million people lived in Arizona as of 2019, representing a 13.9% increase in population since 2010. Perhaps one of the reasons why Arizona remains so popular is due to its varied geography, allowing for a complete change of scenery in just a few hours’ drive. For example, the warm, dry desert air around the capital city of Phoenix — as well as other cities to the south such as Glendale, Tucson and Yuma — is a welcome break from the cold winter snow drifts common in the mountainous region of Flagstaff just two hours north. The state is also known for stunning landmarks found in Grand Canyon National Park and Tonto National Forest. Find out which cities made our list of safest cities in Arizona and see why below.
How We Determined the Safest Cities in Arizona
We narrowed down the safest cities in each state based on two primary categories. First, we evaluated public safety factors including violent, property and hate crimes in each area to help determine the safest areas to live. We then evaluated financial and socioeconomic factors including household income, average rent and health insurance. In addition, we evaluated each state for natural disaster safety and public health safety. You can find a detailed breakdown of our methodology and links to sources here.
Here are the public safety factors we counted for each city:
*Public safety data is based on a population of 10,000 (for example, a “2” means two incidents for every 10,000 people).
- Property crime – Number of property crimes reported in the city (FBI Crime Report)
- Violent crime – Number of violent crimes reported in the city (FBI Crime Report)
- Aggravated assaults – Number of aggravated assaults reported in the city (FBI Crime Report)
- Hate crime – Number of hate crimes reported in the city (FBI Hate Crime Report)
- Officer-related incidents – Number of officer-involved shootings reported in the city (Gun Violence Archive)
- Mass shootings – Incidents in which four or more people are shot/killed in the city (Gun Violence Archive)
Here are the financial safety factors we counted for each city:
- Annual rent – Annualized median rent
- Unemployment rate – The average rate of unemployed residents in each city
- Cost of living – The average annual rent and household income per city
- Poverty rate – Percentage of families that reported experiencing poverty in the last 12 months
- Uninsured employed – Percentage of employed residents that reported not having health insurance
- Uninsured unemployed – Percentage of unemployed residents that reported not having health insurance
18 Safest Cities in Arizona
No. 1 GILBERT
Gilbert is located just Southeast of Phoenix, in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. Gilbert’s rate of crime is a bit higher than the top eight safest cities in Arizona, with a little more violent crime and property crime, but a low rate of officer incidents. Once known as the hay shipping capital of the world, Gilbert is home to a number of attractions such as the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch and the San Tan Mountain Regional Park.
86out of 100
Public Safety
80out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 4.404699 (3rd) 5.05126 (1st) 132.2622 (2nd) 0.04041 (4th) 0.04041 (4th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 17148 (1st) 92350 (1st) 0.044 (16th) 0.043 (18th) 0.006 (16th) 0.182 (16th) No. 2 Maricopa
Maricopa is part of the greater Phoenix metropolitan area and has just over 50,000 residents. Maricopa is a great place for families due to its low rate of violent crimes, including aggravated assault, and very low rates of officer-involved incidents.
92out of 100
Public Safety
70out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 4.31566 (2nd) 14.79655 (5th) 100.4932 (1st) 0.205508 (10th) 0.205508 (10th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 16116 (2nd) 69572 (5th) 0.046 (15th) 0.067 (15th) 0.015 (8th) 0.387 (2nd) No. 3 SURPRISE
Surprise is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the Phoenix metro area, growing by 20% from 2010 to 2019. Surprise is not the safest city in Arizona, but violent and property crime is nevertheless much lower than the median for the state.
89out of 100
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68out of 100
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Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 4.758036 (4th) 7.320055 (2nd) 153.9408 (4th) 0.219602 (11th) 0.219602 (11th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 15468 (3rd) 65160 (6th) 0.069 (8th) 0.071 (12th) 0.012 (9th) 0.158 (17th) No. 4 PEORIA
Peoria is another major suburb of Phoenix. With a population of over 175,000, Peoria is one of the Phoenix area’s many large municipalities. As such, the crime rate in Peoria is higher than in some smaller Arizona communities, but is still quite low. Peoria is home to Lake Pleasant Regional Park, which is a 23,000-acre “oasis in the desert” with two marinas and opportunities for a variety of water-based recreation.
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Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 7.52158 (5th) 15.27821 (6th) 190.4488 (5th) 0.058762 (6th) 0.058762 (6th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 14460 (6th) 73039 (4th) 0.055 (11th) 0.056 (17th) 0.008 (12th) 0.253 (8th) No. 5 SCOTTSDALE
Although Scottsdale is an affluent city, with average rent and household income higher than other Arizona cities, its crime rate is a bit higher as well. Known for spas and golf courses such as TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale is a bigger city at just over 258,000 residents, so a higher crime rate should be expected. Still, Scottsdale is a safe city compared to the national average.
80out of 100
Public Safety
78out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 8.471884 (6th) 8.079667 (3rd) 222.8968 (10th) 0.196108 (9th) 0.196108 (9th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 15408 (4th) 84601 (2nd) 0.037 (18th) 0.06 (16th) 0.008 (12th) 0.29 (6th) No. 6 CHANDLER
Chandler is another large city in the greater Phoenix metro area. Similar to Scottsdale, Chandler is a more affluent city than most in Arizona. Due to its size, just over 261,000 residents, Chandler’s crime rate is higher than some Arizona towns, but still well below the national average. Chandler is home to many recreational attractions, including Desert Breeze Park, Veterans Oasis Park and Tumbleweed Park.
78out of 100
Public Safety
78out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 10.66465 (9th) 13.00852 (4th) 212.121 (8th) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 14952 (5th) 80716 (3rd) 0.041 (17th) 0.068 (14th) 0.006 (16th) 0.224 (12th) No. 7 Prescott
Prescott has very low rates of violent crime and property crime, even for a small city. The city sits two hours north of Phoenix and is home to a number of natural attractions including Watson Lake, Lynx Lake and Goldwater Lake.
81out of 100
Public Safety
71out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 3.474474 (1th) 28.02743 (10th) 207.5419 (7th) 0.231632 (12th) 0.231632 (12th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 10752 (14th) 54037 (14th) 0.071 (7th) 0.069 (13th) 0.028 (4th) 0.186 (14th) No. 8 MESA
Other than Phoenix itself, Mesa is the largest city in the Phoenix metropolitan area with over 518,000 people. Mesa’s crime rate approaches the state’s median for both violent and property crimes but is still under that mark. Mesa is a center of culture for the Phoenix area, with a number of attractions such as the Arizona Museum of Natural History and the Mesa Arts Center.
67out of 100
Public Safety
68out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 13.31028 (13th) 23.07511 (9th) 198.545 (6th) 0.059421 (7th) 0.059421 (7th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed N/A 54700 (12th) 0.054 (13th) 0.134 (7th) 0.008 (12th) 0.327 (3rd) No. 9 Avondale
Avondale crime rate is incredibly low, making it the third-safest city in Arizona. Avondale is in Maricopa county, situated just 18 miles west of Phoenix. Avondale is home to desert attractions such as the Estrella Mountain Regional Park, as well as the Desert Diamond Casino.
65out of 100
Public Safety
67out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 11.61917 (12th) 21.94733 (8th) 321.4638 (11th) 0.117365 (8th) 0.117365 (8th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 13644 (8th) 58938 (8th) 0.055 (11th) 0.133 (8th) 0.019 (6th) 0.184 (15th) No. 10 Coolidge
Home to Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Coolidge is another small town of around 13,000. Coolidge enjoys a low rate of property crime, violent crime and officer-involved incidents, but has the third-highest rate of hate crimes on our top 18 list.
70out of 100
Public Safety
58out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 9.364027 (7th) 19.50839 (7th) 337.8853 (12th) 1.560671 (16th) 1.560671 (16th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 9324 (17th) 44063 (17th) 0.124 (2nd) 0.162 (5th) 0.03 (3rd) 0.233 (11th) No. 11 TEMPE
Tempe is also part of the Phoenix metro area and lies just east of Phoenix proper. Crime in Tempe is a little higher than some of the other Phoenix suburbs we’ve mentioned here. Tempe’s Tempe Center for the Arts is a center for concerts, dance and comedy shows, and Tempe Town Lake is a popular spot for kayaking, pedal boats and paddle boarding.
50out of 100
Public Safety
66out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 19.62417 (16th) 28.7998 (11th) 413.8048 (16th) 0.053038 (5th) 0.053038 (5th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 13368 (9th) 54210 (13th) 0.054 (13th) 0.124 (9th) 0.009 (10th) 0.251 (9th) No. 12 GLENDALE
Glendale comes in at number 16 on our Arizona list, due to a relatively high rate of property crime, which is above the state’s average rate, and a moderate violent crime rate. Glendale is most notably home to the Arizona Cardinals NFL football stadium and the Arizona Coyotes NHL hockey stadium.
50out of 100
Public Safety
64out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 17.77429 (15th) 28.94327 (12th) 407.7678 (15th) 0.320257 (14th) 0.320257 (14th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 11496 (12th) 52314 (15th) 0.058 (10th) 0.162 (5th) 0.009 (10th) 0.291 (5th) No. 13 Flagstaff
Flagstaff is a rare Arizona city in that it’s a mountain town sitting at nearly 7,000 feet, with cold winters and an overall mountain climate. The city enjoys a low rate of property crime and violent incidents. Flagstaff is near a host of natural attractions and outdoor recreational activities such as Humphrey’s Peak and the Arizona Snowball ski resort.
47out of 100
Public Safety
64out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 10.8439 (10th) 36.10059 (13th) 338.3572 (13th) 0.274529 (13th) 0.274529 (13th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 14400 (7th) 56015 (10th) 0.072 (6th) 0.093 (11th) 0.017 (7th) 0.188 (13th) No. 14 Phoenix
Phoenix comes in lower on our list for Arizona’s safest cities. Phoenix’s rate of violent crime exceeds both Arizona and the country’s median rate by quite a bit, as does its rate of property crime. Still, Phoenix is a vibrant city known for its high-end spa resorts, lively night clubs and golf courses.
42out of 100
Public Safety
64out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 26.19353 (17th) 47.06366 (16th) 349.239 (14th) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0.17543 (17th) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 11988 (10th) 54765 (11th) 0.061 (9th) 0.179 (2nd) 0.004 (18th) 0.314 (4th) No. 15 Yuma
Yuma is yet another Arizona city with very low incidents of violent and property crimes overall, although there have been several officer-involved incidents. Yuma is in the southwest corner of Arizona, just 7 miles from the Mexican border, which means visitors could easily make a day trip to Baja California, Mexico.
46out of 100
Public Safety
59out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 10.50759 (8th) 40.57386 (14th) 212.3365 (9th) 0.728249 (15th) 0.728249 (15th) 0.416142 (18th) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 10692 (15th) 47702 (16th) 0.095 (3rd) 0.171 (3rd) 0.023 (5th) 0.276 (7th) No. 16 Page
Page is a small town of around 7,500 residents near the Glen Canyon Dam and was originally founded in 1957 as a community to house workers building the dam. While Page’s overall crime rate is very low, it does have the highest rate of hate crimes on our list.
36out of 100
Public Safety
66out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 14.51954 (14th) 89.75713 (18th) 510.8237 (18th) 3.959873 (18th) 3.959873 (18th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 11352 (13th) 57475 (9th) 0.095 (3rd) 0.109 (10th) 0.069 (2nd) 0.133 (18th) No. 17 Tucson
Tucson has a notably higher rate of property crime and violent crime than Phoenix and the other cities in Arizona, although hate crimes are almost nonexistent in Tucson. Nevertheless, Tucson is home to the University of Arizona, the Pima Air & Space Museum and the Tucson Museum of Art.
38out of 100
Public Safety
59out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 33.02989 (18th) 40.62212 (15th) 495.4112 (17th) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 9900 (16th) 41625 (18th) 0.084 (5th) 0.192 (1st) 0.008 (12th) 0.239 (10th) No. 18 St. Johns
Located in East-Central Arizona next to the New Mexico border, St. Johns is quite a small town at just over 3,500 residents. Not surprisingly, total violent crimes, including aggravated assault, and property crime, including burglary, are low in St. Johns. However, its hate-crime rate is the second-highest on our list.
58.1out of 100
Public Safety
27.17777778out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 11.39601 (11th) 48.43305 (17th) 136.7521 (3rd) 2.849003 (17th) 2.849003 (17th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed NA () 61442 (7th) 0.224 (1st) 0.17 (4th) 0.087 (1st) 0.442 (1st)
Arizona State Safety
Natural Disaster Safety
Arizona ranks 34th out of 50 in terms of natural disaster risk in the U.S. The Arizona State Climate Office notes that some of the weather hazards common to the state include extreme heat, lightning strikes, flash floods, dust storms, wildfires, tornadoes and winter storms. The Arizona Geological Survey indicates that a fault line exists in the northern part of the state near Flagstaff, which could result in earthquakes.
34out of 50
Natural Disaster
Health Safety
In terms of public health, Arizona ranked the 31st healthiest state in the U.S. in 2019. Air quality is of particular concern in Arizona. Most Arizona counties earned C and F ratings in the American Lung Association’s State of the Air report, and the Phoenix metropolitan area was ranked the 7th most polluted city in the U.S. for both ozone and year-round particle pollution. Drug use and overdose represents another pressing health problem for the state, with synthetic opioid deaths sharply on the rise, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading cause of death in Arizona remains heart disease.
31out of 50
Health Safety
Top 18 Safest Cities in Arizona
| GILBERT | 247,463 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Maricopa | 48,660 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| SURPRISE | 136,611 | 2 | 8 | 3 |
| PEORIA | 170,177 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| SCOTTSDALE | 254,961 | 6 | 2 | 5 |
| CHANDLER | 255,986 | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| Prescott | 43,172 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| MESA | 504,873 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
| Avondale | 85,204 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Coolidge | 12,815 | 8 | 17 | 10 |
| TEMPE | 188,543 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
| GLENDALE | 249,799 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
| Flagstaff | 72,852 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
| Phoenix | 1,653 | 16 | 14 | 14 |
| Yuma | 96,121 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Page | 7,576 | 18 | 10 | 16 |
| Tucson | 537,392 | 17 | 16 | 17 |
| St. Johns | 3,510 | 11 | 18 | 18 |