Best PlacesWest Central, Mesa, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West Central, 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.
West Central, Mesa ranks 3,302nd 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 West Central, 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.
West Central, Mesa's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Central, Mesa ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- School gradeB+, better than 92% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 208 pleasant days a year, better than 88% of neighborhoods
Where West Central, Mesa ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in West Central, Mesa
A household needs to earn about $75,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Central, Mesa home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $61,010, 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 West Central, Mesa's effective rate of 0.36%, 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 West Central, Mesa
West Central, Mesa 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 West Central, Mesa.
Who works in West Central, Mesa, and how
Work in West Central, Mesa centers on construction and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in West Central, Mesa
West Central, Mesa has more restaurants and bars per resident than 68% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 75% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of West Central, Mesa and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in West Central, Mesa, month by month
West Central, Mesa sees roughly 208 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 107 degrees. January highs sit near 67, with lows near 44. The comfortable stretch runs November through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 55° | 44° |
| April | 88° | 74° | 60° |
| July | 107° | 96° | 84° |
| October | 90° | 77° | 65° |
Flying in and out of West Central, Mesa
Phoenix Sky Harbor International sits about 11 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 West Central, Mesa
Schools across West Central, Mesa average a B+, better than 92% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Franklin At Brimhall ElementaryA+ · 83% proficient
- Neely Traditional AcademyA+ · 82% proficient
- Franklin East Elementary SchoolA · 65% proficient
Top middle schools
- Franklin Junior High SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- Mesquite Jr High SchoolC · 32% proficient
Top high schools
- Gilbert Classical Academy 7-12A+ · 81% proficient
- Heritage AcademyA− · 62% proficient
- East Valley AcademyD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West Central, Mesa school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West Central, 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 West Central, Mesa against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who West Central, Mesa suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 11% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 88% of neighborhoods and it is quieter than 64%.
Common questions about living in West Central, Mesa
Is West Central, Mesa a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Central, Mesa ranks 3,302nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low property taxes, good schools, and low disaster risk, and lowest on air quality and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is West Central, Mesa expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $307,144. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $61,010 median income, cost of living beats 23% of neighborhoods.
Is West Central, Mesa safe?
West Central, Mesa is safer than 46% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $520 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in West Central, Mesa?
July highs average about 107 degrees, and January highs near 67 with lows near 44. That works out to about 208 pleasant days a year, more than 88% of neighborhoods.
Is West Central, Mesa good for families?
Schools beat 92% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 46%, and childcare runs $1,109 a month.
Compare West Central, Mesa with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Central, Mesa. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West Central, 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.
West Central, Mesa detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Central, Mesa: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Central, Mesa: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Central, Mesa: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Central, Mesa: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West Central, 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.