Best PlacesHoughton, Tucson, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Houghton, Tucson, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Houghton, Tucson ranks 943rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on health care access by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Houghton, 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.
Houghton, Tucson's strengths and weaknesses
Where Houghton, Tucson ranks high
- Healthcare accessBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
Where Houghton, Tucson ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Houghton, Tucson
A household needs to earn about $121,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Houghton, Tucson home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $121,182, 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 Houghton, Tucson's effective rate of 0.79%, 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 Houghton, Tucson
Houghton, Tucson 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 Houghton, Tucson.
Who works in Houghton, Tucson, and how
Work in Houghton, Tucson centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 68%
- Work from home 27%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in Houghton, Tucson
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Houghton, Tucson.
What the weather is like in Houghton, Tucson, month by month
Houghton, Tucson sees roughly 173 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 Houghton, Tucson
The nearest airport, Tucson International, is about 13 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 111 miles away.
The best schools in and around Houghton, Tucson
Schools across Houghton, Tucson average a C−, better than 30% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Soleng Tom Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ida Flood Dodge Traditional Middle Magnet SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- Sahuaro High SchoolD− · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Houghton, Tucson school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Houghton, 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 Houghton, Tucson against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Houghton, Tucson
Is Houghton, Tucson a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Houghton, Tucson ranks 943rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on health care access, low crime, and civic engagement, 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 Houghton, Tucson expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $464,422. The overall cost of living runs about 5% below the national average. Set against a $121,182 median income, cost of living beats 91% of neighborhoods.
Is Houghton, Tucson safe?
Yes, Houghton, Tucson is safer than 98% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $179 per resident a year.
Compare Houghton, Tucson with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Houghton, Tucson. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Houghton, 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.
Houghton, Tucson detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Houghton, Tucson: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Houghton, Tucson: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Houghton, Tucson: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Houghton, Tucson: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Houghton, 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.