Best PlacesBlenman-Elm, Tucson, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Blenman-Elm, Tucson, 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.
Blenman-Elm, Tucson ranks 3,375th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Blenman-Elm, Tucson
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.
Blenman-Elm, Tucson's strengths and weaknesses
Where Blenman-Elm, Tucson ranks high
- BikingBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Short commute17.7 minutes each way, better than 91% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 176 pleasant days a year, better than 84% of neighborhoods
Where Blenman-Elm, Tucson ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 21% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Blenman-Elm, Tucson
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Blenman-Elm, Tucson home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $58,765, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Blenman-Elm, Tucson's effective rate of 0.70%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Blenman-Elm, Tucson
Blenman-Elm, Tucson's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 Blenman-Elm, Tucson.
Who works in Blenman-Elm, Tucson, and how
Work in Blenman-Elm, Tucson centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 64%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 14%
Life in Blenman-Elm, Tucson
Blenman-Elm, Tucson has more restaurants and bars per resident than 83% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Blenman-Elm, Tucson and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Blenman-Elm, Tucson, month by month
Blenman-Elm, Tucson sees roughly 176 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 103 degrees. January highs sit near 68, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs February through April, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 68° | 51° | 38° |
| April | 86° | 69° | 51° |
| July | 103° | 88° | 76° |
| October | 89° | 73° | 58° |
Flying in and out of Blenman-Elm, Tucson
The nearest airport, Tucson International, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 104 miles away.
The best schools in and around Blenman-Elm, Tucson
Schools across Blenman-Elm, Tucson average a C+, better than 66% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- John B Wright Elementary SchoolD · 20% proficient
- W V Whitmore Elementary SchoolD− · 15% proficient
- Miles-exploratory Learning CenterD− · 13% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ida Flood Dodge Traditional Middle Magnet SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- University High SchoolA+ · 90% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Blenman-Elm, Tucson school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Blenman-Elm, Tucson 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 Blenman-Elm, Tucson against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Blenman-Elm, Tucson
Is Blenman-Elm, Tucson a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Blenman-Elm, Tucson ranks 3,375th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, low disaster risk, and short commutes, 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 Blenman-Elm, Tucson expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $364,885. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $58,765 median income, cost of living beats 35% of neighborhoods.
Is Blenman-Elm, Tucson safe?
Blenman-Elm, Tucson is safer than 15% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $797 per resident a year.
Compare Blenman-Elm, Tucson with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Blenman-Elm, Tucson. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Blenman-Elm, Tucson 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.
Blenman-Elm, Tucson detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Blenman-Elm, Tucson: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Blenman-Elm, Tucson: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Blenman-Elm, Tucson: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Blenman-Elm, Tucson: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Blenman-Elm, Tucson 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.