El Mirage, AZ — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

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Maricopa County · Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler · population 36,468

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El Mirage, AZ
Image: Wikipedia · El Mirage, Arizona
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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51
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where El Mirage stands

Steady, no major recent move.

Median home $342,574
1-year -2.3%
5-yr CAGR +4.7%
vs 5-yr peak -12.7%
Population +0.5%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-07$343k$136k$226k$317k$408k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,867/mo$1,415$1,727$2,038202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent126124100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 15.3
Lean buy

At a 15.3 price-to-rent ratio, El Mirage is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
39 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
63 · w22%
Distance from peak
37 · w18%
Population growth
54 · w16%
Rent YoY
38 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
85 · w10%
Long thesis

El Mirage has held up across the cycle: home values at $342,574 with +4.7% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

El Mirage's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About El Mirage

El Mirage is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, with an estimated population of 36,468. It anchors the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area. The median home value in El Mirage is $342,574 as of 2026-04, down 2.3% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +4.7% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 13% below its 5-year peak. Rents in El Mirage average $1,867 per month, down 1.4% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 51 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

○The data is the data: El Mirage has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 1-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

●Cooling: -2.3% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
●13% off recent peak — buyers are getting through-the-cycle pricing, not the peak.

About El Mirage (Wikipedia)

El Mirage is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 35,805, up from 31,797 in 2010.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Maricopa County right now.

NWS active alerts (AZ)Arizona Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Maricopa County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like El Mirage

Payson, AZ61 · StableOro Valley, AZ61 · StableLake Havasu City, AZ57 · StableGlobe, AZ56 · Stable

Run the numbers for El Mirage

ToolCan I afford El Mirage?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a El Mirage rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare El Mirage to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolEl Mirage cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
65° / 41°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
106° / 79°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
286
~78% of year
Annual precip
14″ rain
2″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Very low
Wildfire
High
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Low

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current El Mirage listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
36%
Very dry climate
Median household income
$72,900
Arizona state median
Top industries (state-level)
HealthcareConstructionTech

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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