Best PlacesSouthwest Mesa, Mesa, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Southwest Mesa, Mesa, 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.
Southwest Mesa, Mesa ranks 1,870th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Southwest Mesa, Mesa
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.
Southwest Mesa, Mesa's strengths and weaknesses
Where Southwest Mesa, Mesa ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- School gradeB+, better than 89% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 206 pleasant days a year, better than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Southwest Mesa, Mesa ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 34% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 41% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Southwest Mesa, Mesa
A household needs to earn about $90,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Southwest Mesa, Mesa home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $78,993, 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 Southwest Mesa, Mesa's effective rate of 0.38%, 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 Southwest Mesa, Mesa
Southwest Mesa, Mesa 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 Southwest Mesa, Mesa.
Who works in Southwest Mesa, Mesa, and how
Work in Southwest Mesa, Mesa centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in Southwest Mesa, Mesa
Southwest Mesa, Mesa has more restaurants and bars per resident than 71% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 66% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Southwest Mesa, Mesa and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Southwest Mesa, Mesa, month by month
Southwest Mesa, Mesa sees roughly 206 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 Southwest Mesa, Mesa
Phoenix Sky Harbor International sits about 9 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 Southwest Mesa, Mesa
Schools across Southwest Mesa, Mesa average a B+, better than 89% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Franklin At Brimhall ElementaryA+ · 83% proficient
- Franklin At Alma ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Ward Traditional AcademyA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Franklin Junior High SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- Mckemy Academy Of International StudiesC+ · 37% proficient
- Kyrene Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- Gilbert Classical Academy 7-12A+ · 81% proficient
- Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center Inc. - MesaB− · 41% proficient
- East Valley AcademyD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Southwest Mesa, Mesa school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Southwest Mesa, Mesa 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 Southwest Mesa, Mesa against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Southwest Mesa, Mesa suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 19% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 88% of neighborhoods and it is quieter than 66%.
Common questions about living in Southwest Mesa, Mesa
Is Southwest Mesa, Mesa a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Southwest Mesa, Mesa ranks 1,870th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low property taxes, cell coverage, and low disaster risk, and lowest on air quality and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Southwest Mesa, Mesa expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $364,774. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $78,993 median income, cost of living beats 52% of neighborhoods.
Is Southwest Mesa, Mesa safe?
Southwest Mesa, Mesa is safer than 44% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $526 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Southwest Mesa, Mesa?
July highs average about 110 degrees, and January highs near 69 with lows near 44. That works out to about 206 pleasant days a year, more than 88% of neighborhoods.
Is Southwest Mesa, Mesa good for families?
Schools beat 89% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 44%, and childcare runs $1,109 a month.
Compare Southwest Mesa, Mesa with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Southwest Mesa, Mesa. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Southwest Mesa, Mesa 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.
Southwest Mesa, Mesa detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Southwest Mesa, Mesa: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Southwest Mesa, Mesa: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Southwest Mesa, Mesa: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Southwest Mesa, Mesa: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Southwest Mesa, Mesa 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.