Phoenix, AZ — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Arizona·Phoenix

Maricopa County · Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler · population 1,673,164

Renter-friendlyBig-city amenities
Phoenix, AZ
Image: Wikipedia · Phoenix, Arizona
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
52
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Phoenix stands

Steady, no major recent move.

Median home $411,323
1-year -2.4%
5-yr CAGR +4.0%
vs 5-yr peak -10.5%
Population +1.0%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-07$411k$191k$287k$383k$478k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
48/100
Some transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
67/100
Strong remote-work fit
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
$1,571/mo$0$853$1,706202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent12111980100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 21.8
Lean rent

At a 21.8 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Phoenix. 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
38 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
59 · w22%
Distance from peak
43 · w18%
Population growth
65 · w16%
Rent YoY
38 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
76 · w10%
Long thesis

Phoenix has held up across the cycle: home values at $411,323 with +4.0% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Phoenix'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 Phoenix

Phoenix is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, with an estimated population of 1,673,164. It anchors the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area. The population grew 1.0% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Phoenix is $411,323 as of 2026-04, down 2.4% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +4.0% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 11% below its 5-year peak. Rents in Phoenix average $1,571 per month, down 1.5% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 52 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

○Scale = optionality: 1,673,164 population gives you airports, hospitals, a deep job market, and a real cultural scene.
○The data is the data: Phoenix 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

●Cooling: -2.4% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
●11% off recent peak — buyers are getting through-the-cycle pricing, not the peak.

About Phoenix (Wikipedia)

Phoenix is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, Phoenix is the fifth-most populous city in the United States and the most populous state capital. The Phoenix metropolitan area, with an estimated 5.19 million residents, is the tenth-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. and the most populous in the Mountain states and Southwest. Phoenix is the county seat of Maricopa County in the Salt River Valley and Arizona Sun Corridor and, with an area of 517.9 square miles, is the largest city by area in Arizona and 11th-largest city by area in the United States.

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

City facts

MayorKate Gallego
Area519.28 sq mi
Elevation1086 ft
Nicknamehlist
Density3102.92/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Things to see in Phoenix(Tourism)

  • Sky Harbor Airport
  • Agua Fria National Monument
  • Arcosanti
  • Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
  • Lost Dutchman State Park
  • Montezuma's Castle
  • Montezuma's Well
  • Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
  • Grand Canyon
  • Lake Havasu
  • Meteor Crater
  • Painted Desert

+5 more on Wikipedia.

Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.

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.

Neighborhoods of Phoenix

14 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Desert View$733,997+1.0%
2North Gateway$624,597-2.0%
3Paradise Valley$575,907+0.0%
4Camelback East$570,595+0.5%
5Ahwatukee Foothills$541,603-0.6%
6Encanto$437,768-3.0%
7Laveen$429,107-2.4%
8Deer Valley$425,578-2.4%
9North Mountain$374,525-2.8%
10Estrella$367,294-2.6%
11South Mountain$357,842-3.1%
12Alhambra$346,994-3.1%
13Central City$339,618-2.6%
14Maryvale$329,607-3.5%

Cities like Phoenix

Tucson, AZ56 · StableMesa, AZ53 · StableGlendale, AZ52 · StableChandler, AZ51 · Stable

Run the numbers for Phoenix

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

Cities similar to Phoenix

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