Best PlacesRita Ranch, Tucson, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Rita Ranch, Tucson, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Rita Ranch, Tucson ranks 805th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Rita Ranch, 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.
Rita Ranch, Tucson's strengths and weaknesses
Where Rita Ranch, Tucson ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 174 pleasant days a year, better than 83% of neighborhoods
Where Rita Ranch, Tucson ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Rita Ranch, Tucson
A household needs to earn about $90,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Rita Ranch, Tucson home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $111,326, 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 Rita Ranch, Tucson's effective rate of 0.70%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Rita Ranch, Tucson
Rita Ranch, Tucson runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Rita Ranch, Tucson.
Who works in Rita Ranch, Tucson, and how
Work in Rita Ranch, Tucson centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Rita Ranch, Tucson
Rita Ranch, Tucson has more parkland per resident than 69% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Rita Ranch, Tucson and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Rita Ranch, Tucson, month by month
Rita Ranch, Tucson sees roughly 174 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 Rita Ranch, Tucson
The nearest airport, Tucson International, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 116 miles away.
The best schools in and around Rita Ranch, Tucson
Schools across Rita Ranch, Tucson average a B, better than 72% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Ocotillo Ridge ElementaryA+ · 78% proficient
- Senita Valley Elementary SchoolA+ · 77% proficient
- Esmond Station SchoolA+ · 73% proficient
Top middle schools
- Old Vail Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Desert Sky Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Rincon Vista Middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top high schools
- Empire High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
- Vail Blended LearningB+ · 55% proficient
- Mica Mountain HighB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Rita Ranch, Tucson school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Rita Ranch, 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 Rita Ranch, Tucson against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Rita Ranch, Tucson
Is Rita Ranch, Tucson a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Rita Ranch, Tucson ranks 805th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low crime, a strong job market, and a stable housing market, and lowest on tree cover and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Rita Ranch, Tucson expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $349,683. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $111,326 median income, cost of living beats 85% of neighborhoods.
Is Rita Ranch, Tucson safe?
Yes, Rita Ranch, Tucson is safer than 98% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $173 per resident a year.
Compare Rita Ranch, Tucson with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Rita Ranch, Tucson. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Rita Ranch, 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.
Rita Ranch, Tucson detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Rita Ranch, Tucson: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Rita Ranch, Tucson: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Rita Ranch, Tucson: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Rita Ranch, Tucson: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Rita Ranch, 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.