Best PlacesNorth Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around North Scottsdale, Scottsdale, 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.
North Scottsdale, Scottsdale ranks 890th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $139,922, wages outrun the cost of living, and an educated workforce ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are summer heat, air quality, and an overheated housing market.
The best neighborhoods in North Scottsdale, Scottsdale
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 Scottsdale, Scottsdale's strengths and weaknesses
North Scottsdale, Scottsdale ranks where it does because the parts of life that are hardest to change mostly work here. Low property taxes is the standout, in the top 2% of neighborhoods. Health care access and civic engagement follow.
The one real hole is summer heat, near the bottom of the country. Air quality and an overheated housing market also cost it ground. The measures below break that down, and the map shows how much of it holds street by street.
Where North Scottsdale, Scottsdale ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Household income$139,922 median, better than 88% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where North Scottsdale, Scottsdale ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in North Scottsdale, Scottsdale
A household needs to earn about $235,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North Scottsdale, Scottsdale home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $139,922, 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 Scottsdale, Scottsdale's effective rate of 0.40%, 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 North Scottsdale, Scottsdale
North Scottsdale, Scottsdale 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 North Scottsdale, Scottsdale.
Who works in North Scottsdale, Scottsdale, and how
Work in North Scottsdale, Scottsdale centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 61%
- Work from home 35%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in North Scottsdale, Scottsdale
North Scottsdale, Scottsdale has more restaurants and bars per resident than 75% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 79% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of North Scottsdale, Scottsdale and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in North Scottsdale, Scottsdale, month by month
North Scottsdale, Scottsdale sees roughly 197 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 108 degrees. January highs sit near 67, with lows near 41. The comfortable stretch runs February through April, November, and December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 54° | 41° |
| April | 87° | 73° | 58° |
| July | 108° | 96° | 83° |
| October | 90° | 76° | 62° |
Flying in and out of North Scottsdale, Scottsdale
Phoenix Sky Harbor International sits about 15 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 Scottsdale, Scottsdale
Schools across North Scottsdale, Scottsdale average a B, better than 76% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Basis Scottsdale Primary - East CampusA+ · 90% proficient
- Basis Scottsdale Primary - West CampusA+ · 83% proficient
- Sequoya Elementary SchoolA+ · 82% proficient
Top middle schools
- Franklin Junior High SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- Cocopah Middle SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Desert Canyon Middle SchoolA− · 58% proficient
Top high schools
- Great Hearts Academies - Scottsdale PrepA · 71% proficient
- Pinnacle High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Desert Mountain High SchoolB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North Scottsdale, Scottsdale school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North Scottsdale, Scottsdale 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 Scottsdale, Scottsdale against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who North Scottsdale, Scottsdale suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 88% of neighborhoods and 35% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 87% of neighborhoods, health care access beats 97%, and it is quieter than 74%.
Common questions about living in North Scottsdale, Scottsdale
Is North Scottsdale, Scottsdale a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North Scottsdale, Scottsdale ranks 890th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low property taxes, health care access, and civic engagement, and lowest on summer heat and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is North Scottsdale, Scottsdale expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $953,016. The overall cost of living runs about 20% above the national average. Set against a $139,922 median income, cost of living beats 88% of neighborhoods.
Is North Scottsdale, Scottsdale safe?
Yes, North Scottsdale, Scottsdale is safer than 78% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $335 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in North Scottsdale, Scottsdale?
July highs average about 108 degrees, and January highs near 67 with lows near 41. That works out to about 197 pleasant days a year, more than 87% of neighborhoods.
Is North Scottsdale, Scottsdale good for families?
Schools beat 76% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 78%, and childcare runs $1,109 a month.
Is North Scottsdale, Scottsdale good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 88% of neighborhoods, though advertised internet speeds beat only 35% of neighborhoods. About 35% of workers already work from home.
Compare North Scottsdale, Scottsdale with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North Scottsdale, Scottsdale. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North Scottsdale, Scottsdale 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 Scottsdale, Scottsdale detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North Scottsdale, Scottsdale: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North Scottsdale, Scottsdale: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North Scottsdale, Scottsdale: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North Scottsdale, Scottsdale: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North Scottsdale, Scottsdale 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.