Oro Valley, AZ — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Arizona·Oro Valley

Pima County · Tucson · population 48,855

Oro Valley, AZ
Image: Wikipedia · Oro Valley, Arizona
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
61
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Oro Valley stands

Steady, no major recent move.

Median home $505,923
1-year -1.0%
5-yr CAGR +4.8%
vs 5-yr peak -2.5%
Population +0.9%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-09$506k$0k$180k$360k$540k201620182020202220242026

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
87/100
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
$1,690/mo$0$895$1,791202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent11211380100202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 25.0
Lean rent

At a 25.0 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Oro Valley. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
45 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
64 · w22%
Distance from peak
75 · w18%
Population growth
64 · w16%
Rent YoY
54 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
68 · w10%
Long thesis

Oro Valley has held up across the cycle: home values at $505,923 with +4.8% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Oro Valley'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 Oro Valley

Oro Valley is a city in Pima County, Arizona, with an estimated population of 48,855. It anchors the Tucson metro area. The population grew 0.9% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Oro Valley is $505,923 as of 2026-04, down 1.0% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +4.8% annual growth (-2.5% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Oro Valley average $1,690 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+1.3%). The composite momentum score is 61 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Held the highs: currently -2.5% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
○The data is the data: Oro Valley has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Oro Valley (Wikipedia)

Oro Valley, incorporated in 1974, is a suburban town located 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Tucson, Arizona, United States, in Pima County. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town is 47,070, an increase from 29,700 in 2000. Dubbed the "Upscale Tech Mecca" of Southern Arizona by the Arizona Daily Star, Oro Valley is home to over 10 high tech firms and has a median household income nearly 50% higher than the U.S. median. The town is located approximately 110 miles (180 km) southeast of Phoenix, the state capital.

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 Pima County right now.

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

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

Cities like Oro Valley

Prescott, AZ61 · StablePayson, AZ61 · StableLake Havasu City, AZ57 · StableEl Mirage, AZ51 · Stable

Run the numbers for Oro Valley

ToolCan I afford Oro Valley?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Oro Valley rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Oro Valley to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolOro Valley 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.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Oro Valley 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 sports teams

Major professional teams the Tucson area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

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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