Best PlacesDowntown Tempe, Tempe, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Tempe, Tempe, 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 Tempe, Tempe ranks 2,980th 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 Downtown Tempe, Tempe
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 Tempe, Tempe's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Tempe, Tempe ranks high
- BikingBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Tempe, Tempe ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Tempe, Tempe
A household needs to earn about $171,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Tempe, Tempe home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $61,046, 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 Tempe, Tempe's effective rate of 0.64%, 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 Downtown Tempe, Tempe
Downtown Tempe, Tempe 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 Tempe, Tempe.
Who works in Downtown Tempe, Tempe, and how
Work in Downtown Tempe, Tempe centers on education and hospitality & food. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 50%
- Work from home 24%
- Transit, walk, or bike 26%
Life in Downtown Tempe, Tempe
Downtown Tempe, Tempe has more restaurants and bars per resident than 94% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 80% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Downtown Tempe, Tempe and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Tempe, Tempe, month by month
Downtown Tempe, Tempe sees roughly 207 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 110 degrees. January highs sit near 69, with lows near 44. The comfortable stretch runs November through March.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 69° | 56° | 44° |
| April | 90° | 76° | 61° |
| July | 110° | 98° | 85° |
| October | 92° | 78° | 65° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Tempe, Tempe
Phoenix Sky Harbor International sits about 5 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 Tempe, Tempe
Schools across Downtown Tempe, Tempe average a C, better than 46% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Ward Traditional AcademyA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mckemy Academy Of International StudiesC+ · 37% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Tempe, Tempe school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Tempe, Tempe 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 Tempe, Tempe against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Tempe, Tempe
Is Downtown Tempe, Tempe a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Tempe, Tempe ranks 2,980th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, population health, and transit, and lowest on tree cover and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Tempe, Tempe expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $670,901. The overall cost of living runs about 1% above the national average. Set against a $61,046 median income, cost of living beats 20% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Tempe, Tempe safe?
Downtown Tempe, Tempe is safer than 13% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $899 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Tempe, Tempe with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Tempe, Tempe. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Tempe, Tempe 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 Tempe, Tempe detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Tempe, Tempe: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Tempe, Tempe: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Tempe, Tempe: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Tempe, Tempe: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Tempe, Tempe 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.