Best PlacesSunset, Tempe, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Sunset, Tempe, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Sunset, Tempe ranks 3,321st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Sunset, Tempe
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.
Sunset, Tempe's strengths and weaknesses
Where Sunset, Tempe ranks high
- BikingBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 207 pleasant days a year, better than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Sunset, Tempe ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Sunset, Tempe
A household needs to earn about $82,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Sunset, Tempe home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $61,297, 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 Sunset, Tempe's effective rate of 0.48%, 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 Sunset, Tempe
Sunset, Tempe 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 Sunset, Tempe.
Who works in Sunset, Tempe, and how
Work in Sunset, Tempe centers on finance & insurance and professional & technical. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 62%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 24%
Life in Sunset, Tempe
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Sunset, Tempe.
What the weather is like in Sunset, Tempe, month by month
Sunset, Tempe sees roughly 207 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 Sunset, Tempe
Phoenix Sky Harbor International sits about 3 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 Sunset, Tempe
Schools across Sunset, Tempe average a C, better than 46% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Ward Traditional AcademyA− · 60% proficient
- Scales Technology AcademyF · 8% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mckemy Academy Of International StudiesC+ · 37% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Sunset, Tempe school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Sunset, Tempe 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 Sunset, Tempe against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Sunset, Tempe
Is Sunset, Tempe a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Sunset, Tempe ranks 3,321st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, low disaster risk, and population health, and lowest on a weak job market and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Sunset, Tempe expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $330,200. The overall cost of living runs about 0% below the national average. Set against a $61,297 median income, cost of living beats 24% of neighborhoods.
Is Sunset, Tempe safe?
Sunset, Tempe is safer than 30% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $614 per resident a year.
Compare Sunset, Tempe with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Sunset, Tempe. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Sunset, Tempe 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.
Sunset, Tempe detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Sunset, Tempe: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Sunset, Tempe: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Sunset, Tempe: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Sunset, Tempe: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Sunset, Tempe 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.