Why look at Scottsdale?
- High-cost housing. Median home is $858k — expensive market.
- Stable market. Home values +1.8% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
- Higher tax state. Top marginal income tax rate around 2.5% — factor into salary comparisons.
Where Scottsdale stands
At or near all-time high.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
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 · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 33.2 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Scottsdale for most shorter stays. The premium you pay to own would take many years of saved rent to recover, and that's before maintenance, taxes, and what your down payment could earn elsewhere.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →About Scottsdale (Wikipedia)
Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott, a retired U.S. Army chaplain, the city was incorporated in 1951 with a population of 2,000. At the 2020 census, the population was 241,361, which had grown from 217,385 in 2010. Its slogan is "The West's Most Western Town". Over the past two decades, it has been one of the fastest growing cities and housing markets in the United States.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
City facts
Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.
Things to see in Scottsdale(Attractions)
- Talking Stick Resort
- OdySea Aquarium
- Scottsdale Fashion Square
Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Maricopa County right now.
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 Scottsdale
40 tracked · ranked by median home valueSee the full neighborhood ranking →
Run the numbers for Scottsdale
Arizona context
Schools
Scottsdale is served by 57 public schools enrolling about 32,331 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 20.8:1 — larger classes than the US average of ~15:1. Public-school facts are from the NCES Common Core of Data; check ratings and attendance boundaries by exact address below.
Ratings, districts & boundaries:
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
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
Find rentals & listings
Open current Scottsdale listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news in Scottsdale
6 from local press- Legislative UpdatesLOCALCity of Scottsdale (.gov)1w ago
- Man arrested for allegedly plotting attacks on Jewish centers, including Scottsdale facilityLOCALAZ Family1w ago
- Scottsdale celebrates, commemorates Memorial DayLOCALScottsdale Progress4d ago
- Kutak Rock Welcomes Thomas Salerno to its Scottsdale OfficeLOCALKutak Rock1d ago
- Phoenix Symphony draws crowd for Arcadia concert in ScottsdaleLOCALArizona Digital Free Press2d ago
- Archived: 29 arrested in HSI Phoenix, multiagency operation targeting alleged child sex and human traffickersLOCALICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (.gov)5d ago
What locals are saying
- Red lights are only suggestions r/scottsdale
- Bald Eagle perched in Scottsdale 🫡 r/scottsdale
- Best place to watch World Cup in Scottsdale area? r/scottsdale
- Scottsdale Fire Department ready for wildfire season r/scottsdale
- Apartments r/scottsdale
Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Scottsdale-specific coverage. Headlines link to original sources.
Local economy & environment
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.
Find more cities like Scottsdale
Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Scottsdale’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.
Find more like Scottsdale →Cities similar to Scottsdale
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.
Cost-of-ownership at the median
Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.
Schools & crime context
School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.
Arizona: 428 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.
Compare to where you live now
Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.
Jobs & hiring
In Scottsdale, unemployment is low at 3.6%, and hiring momentum has been steady. The strongest local sectors are tech, healthcare and hospitality & tourism.
Search current openings: