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

All states·Arizona·Tempe

Maricopa County · Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler · population 190,114

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Tempe, AZ
Image: Wikipedia · Tempe, Arizona
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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55
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Tempe stands

Steady, no major recent move.

Median home $468,328
1-year -1.5%
5-yr CAGR +3.8%
vs 5-yr peak -7.2%
Population +1.3%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-07$468k$230k$328k$427k$525k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
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
$1,661/mo$1,299$1,571$1,843202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent121120100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 23.5
Lean rent

At a 23.5 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Tempe. 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
43 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
58 · w22%
Distance from peak
53 · w18%
Population growth
69 · w16%
Rent YoY
37 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
72 · w10%
Long thesis

Tempe has held up across the cycle: home values at $468,328 with +3.8% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Tempe'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 Tempe

Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, with an estimated population of 190,114. It anchors the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area. The population grew 1.3% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Tempe is $468,328 as of 2026-04, down 1.5% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.8% annual growth (-7.2% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Tempe average $1,661 per month, down 1.6% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 55 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Net positive migration: population up 1.3% per year — demand fundamentals are intact.
○The data is the data: Tempe 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 Tempe (Wikipedia)

Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2020 population of 180,587.

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

City facts

MayorCorey Woods (D)
Area40.15 sq mi
Elevation1181 ft
IncorporatedOctober 15, 1892
Density4521.34/sq mi
Named forVale of Tempe

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

Things to see in Tempe(Tourism)

  • P. F. Chang's
  • Marathon

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 Tempe

75 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Circle G Ranches$1,784,836+4.6%
2Warner Estates$1,495,242-0.2%
3Buena Vista Ranchos$1,104,941+2.4%
4Raintree$1,017,147+1.1%
5Corona Del Sol$947,006+2.1%
6Alisanos$923,858+2.6%
7Sunburst Farms$878,963+3.5%
8Duskfire II$843,397-0.6%
9University Park$807,307+4.1%
10Estate La Colina$750,534+3.2%
11Camelot Village$716,406-0.1%
12Sandahl$705,919+1.8%
13Oasis at Anozira$692,508+0.3%
14Alta Mira$684,390+0.0%
15McClintock Manor$640,659+0.2%
16Warner Ranch$637,451-0.4%
17Sierra Tempe$623,808+1.3%
18Broadmor$614,344-0.5%
19Scudder Park West$600,553+2.4%
20The Lakes$597,716+2.1%
21Papago Parkway$576,703-3.6%
22Shalimar$569,929+1.1%
23Maple-Ash$568,735-1.0%
24University Estates$565,604-2.0%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Tempe

Peoria, AZ54 · StableGlendale, AZ52 · StableChandler, AZ51 · StableGilbert, AZ57 · Stable

Run the numbers for Tempe

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

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