Best PlacesApache Junction, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Apache Junction, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Apache Junction ranks 1,658th of 2,098 U.S. cities on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Apache Junction
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Apache Junction's strengths and weaknesses
Where Apache Junction ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 98% of cities
- Low property taxBetter than 95% of cities
- Local economyBetter than 91% of cities
- Nice weatherabout 192 pleasant days a year, better than 91% of cities
- Disaster safetyBetter than 90% of cities
Where Apache Junction ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 1% of cities
- Heat safetyBetter than only 2% of cities
- Low vacancyBetter than only 3% of cities
- Air qualityBetter than only 6% of cities
- WalkabilityBetter than only 9% of cities
What it costs to buy a home in Apache Junction
A household needs to earn about $67,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Apache Junction home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $69,362, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Apache Junction's effective rate of 0.46%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Apache Junction
Apache Junction runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Apache Junction.
Who works in Apache Junction, and how
Work in Apache Junction centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in Apache Junction
Apache Junction has more parkland per resident than 76% of cities. That concentrates in some parts of Apache Junction and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Apache Junction, month by month
Apache Junction sees roughly 192 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 106 degrees. January highs sit near 65, with lows near 41. The comfortable stretch runs February through April, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 65° | 52° | 41° |
| April | 86° | 71° | 56° |
| July | 106° | 94° | 82° |
| October | 89° | 74° | 61° |
Flying in and out of Apache Junction
The nearest airport, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 27 miles away.
The best schools in and around Apache Junction
Schools across Apache Junction average a D+, better than 10% of cities.
Top elementary schools
- Franklin At Brimhall ElementaryA+ · 83% proficient
- MeridianA− · 61% proficient
- Brinton ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- Franklin Junior High SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- Imagine Superstition MiddleD · 20% proficient
- Cactus Canyon Junior HighD− · 17% proficient
Top high schools
- Combs High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Imagine Prep SuperstitionD+ · 25% proficient
- East Valley AcademyD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Apache Junction school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Apache Junction measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Apache Junction against the other 2,097 cities.
Who Apache Junction suits
Families
Schools land around the 10th percentile and crime safety beats 70%.
Retirees
The weather beats 91% of cities and health care access beats 59%.
Common questions about living in Apache Junction
Is Apache Junction a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Apache Junction ranks 1,658th of 2,098 cities. It scores highest on cell coverage, low property taxes, and a strong job market, and lowest on tree cover and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Apache Junction expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $268,511. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $69,362 median income, cost of living beats 17% of cities.
Is Apache Junction safe?
Yes, Apache Junction is safer than 70% of cities. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $279 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Apache Junction?
July highs average about 106 degrees, and January highs near 65 with lows near 41. That works out to about 192 pleasant days a year, more than 91% of cities.
Is Apache Junction good for families?
Schools beat 10% of cities, crime safety beats 70%, and childcare runs $886 a month.
Compare Apache Junction with other cities
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Apache Junction. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Apache Junction represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Apache Junction detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Apache Junction: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Apache Junction: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Apache Junction: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Apache Junction: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Apache Junction detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.