Best PlacesNorth Mountain, Phoenix, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around North Mountain, Phoenix, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
North Mountain, Phoenix ranks 3,049th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It does not top any single list, but it lands above the national middle on low disaster risk and low property taxes. The weaker spots are summer heat, tree cover, and air quality.
The best neighborhoods in North Mountain, Phoenix
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.
North Mountain, Phoenix's strengths and weaknesses
North Mountain, Phoenix lands in the middle because its strengths and weaknesses roughly balance. Low disaster risk, low property taxes, and cell coverage carry most of that.
The one real hole is summer heat, near the bottom of the country. Tree cover and air quality also cost it ground. That varies block to block rather than evenly, and the map below shows where.
Where North Mountain, Phoenix ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 197 pleasant days a year, better than 87% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 71% of neighborhoods
Where North Mountain, Phoenix ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD+, better than only 21% of neighborhoods
- Short commute27.3 minutes each way, better than only 31% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in North Mountain, Phoenix
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North Mountain, Phoenix home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $81,022, 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 North Mountain, Phoenix's effective rate of 0.47%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in North Mountain, Phoenix
North Mountain, Phoenix runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for North Mountain, Phoenix.
Who works in North Mountain, Phoenix, and how
Work in North Mountain, Phoenix 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 74%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in North Mountain, Phoenix
North Mountain, Phoenix has more parkland per resident than 71% of neighborhoods and less late-night activity than most neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of North Mountain, Phoenix and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in North Mountain, Phoenix, month by month
North Mountain, Phoenix sees roughly 197 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 107 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 41. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 53° | 41° |
| April | 86° | 72° | 55° |
| July | 107° | 95° | 81° |
| October | 89° | 75° | 62° |
Flying in and out of North Mountain, Phoenix
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 North Mountain, Phoenix
Schools across North Mountain, Phoenix average a D+, better than 21% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Madison Traditional AcademyA+ · 76% proficient
- Peoria Traditional SchoolA+ · 73% proficient
- Mercury Mine Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
Top middle schools
- Madison #1 Elementary SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Mountain Sky Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
- Shea Middle SchoolD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Sunnyslope High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Ironwood High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Thunderbird High SchoolC · 32% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North Mountain, Phoenix school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North Mountain, Phoenix 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 North Mountain, Phoenix against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who North Mountain, Phoenix suits
Families
Schools land around the 21st percentile and crime safety beats 55%.
Retirees
The weather beats 87% of neighborhoods and it is quieter than 61%.
Common questions about living in North Mountain, Phoenix
Is North Mountain, Phoenix a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North Mountain, Phoenix ranks 3,049th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low disaster risk, low property taxes, and cell coverage, 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 North Mountain, Phoenix expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $374,691. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $81,022 median income, cost of living beats 54% of neighborhoods.
Is North Mountain, Phoenix safe?
Yes, North Mountain, Phoenix is safer than 55% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $451 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in North Mountain, Phoenix?
July highs average about 107 degrees, and January highs near 66 with lows near 41. That works out to about 197 pleasant days a year, more than 87% of neighborhoods.
Is North Mountain, Phoenix good for families?
Schools beat 21% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 55%, and childcare runs $1,109 a month.
Is North Mountain, Phoenix good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 54% of neighborhoods, though advertised internet speeds beat only 34% of neighborhoods. About 18% of workers already work from home.
Compare North Mountain, Phoenix with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North Mountain, Phoenix. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North Mountain, Phoenix 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.
North Mountain, Phoenix detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North Mountain, Phoenix: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North Mountain, Phoenix: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North Mountain, Phoenix: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North Mountain, Phoenix: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North Mountain, Phoenix 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.