Best PlacesDowntown Glendale, Glendale, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Glendale, Glendale, 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.
Downtown Glendale, Glendale ranks 4,746th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Glendale, Glendale
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.
Downtown Glendale, Glendale's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Glendale, Glendale ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 185 pleasant days a year, better than 86% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 79% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 71% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Glendale, Glendale ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD, better than only 13% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Glendale, Glendale
A household needs to earn about $71,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Glendale, Glendale home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $55,275, 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 Downtown Glendale, Glendale's effective rate of 0.43%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Downtown Glendale, Glendale
Downtown Glendale, Glendale runs younger 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 Downtown Glendale, Glendale.
Who works in Downtown Glendale, Glendale, and how
Work in Downtown Glendale, Glendale centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Downtown Glendale, Glendale
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Downtown Glendale, Glendale.
What the weather is like in Downtown Glendale, Glendale, month by month
Downtown Glendale, Glendale sees roughly 185 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 108 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 43. The comfortable stretch runs November through March.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 57° | 43° |
| April | 87° | 77° | 60° |
| July | 108° | 99° | 87° |
| October | 89° | 79° | 63° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Glendale, Glendale
Phoenix Sky Harbor International sits about 12 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 25.2 million passengers in 2025, with 177 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Downtown Glendale, Glendale
Schools across Downtown Glendale, Glendale average a D, better than 13% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Horizon SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- Glendale Elementary Online (g.e.o.) LearningD · 20% proficient
- Roadrunner Elementary SchoolD · 19% proficient
Top middle schools
- Palo Verde Middle SchoolD− · 15% proficient
Top high schools
- Apollo High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Glendale High SchoolD− · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Glendale, Glendale school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Glendale, Glendale 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 Downtown Glendale, Glendale against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Glendale, Glendale
Is Downtown Glendale, Glendale a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Glendale, Glendale ranks 4,746th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low property taxes, low disaster risk, and the weather, and lowest on summer heat and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Glendale, Glendale expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $285,856. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $55,275 median income, cost of living beats 23% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Glendale, Glendale safe?
Downtown Glendale, Glendale is safer than 37% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $605 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Glendale, Glendale with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Glendale, Glendale. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Glendale, Glendale 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.
Downtown Glendale, Glendale detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Glendale, Glendale: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Glendale, Glendale: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Glendale, Glendale: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Glendale, Glendale: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Glendale, Glendale 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.