Best suburbs of Tucson
We scored all 13 towns and communities of 10,000+ people in the Tucson, AZ metro area on what most people weigh when they pick a suburb: what homes cost compared with local pay, household income, poverty, commute times, education, homeownership and how many families with kids live there. Vail, Tucson Mountains and Marana come out on top.
The top 25
| # | Place | Score | Population | Median home | Home vs income | Household income | Commute | Poverty | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vail, AZ | 68 | 16,315 | $414,600 | 3.2× | $130,904 | 29.7 min | 4.3% | 14 |
| 2 | Tucson Mountains, AZ | 60 | 11,353 | $473,200 | 3.5× | $134,474 | 26.9 min | 8.9% | 15 |
| 3 | Marana, AZ | 58 | 65,523 | $413,800 | 3.7× | $112,606 | 27.7 min | 4.9% | 27 |
| 4 | Tanque Verde, AZ | 58 | 15,866 | $607,900 | 5.0× | $121,599 | 28.5 min | 2.3% | 11 |
| 5 | Catalina Foothills, AZ | 54 | 52,593 | $652,000 | 5.7× | $115,304 | 22.0 min | 4.5% | 10 |
| 6 | Sahuarita, AZ | 47 | 37,694 | $364,300 | 3.5× | $104,680 | 28.6 min | 8.6% | 16 |
| 7 | Oro Valley, AZ | 46 | 48,085 | $475,700 | 4.4× | $107,117 | 26.7 min | 6.5% | 20 |
| 8 | Drexel Heights, AZ | 46 | 27,675 | $250,100 | 3.4× | $73,508 | 26.8 min | 14.6% | 10 |
| 9 | Valencia West, AZ | 46 | 14,728 | $323,000 | 3.2× | $99,884 | 37.0 min | 15.0% | 14 |
| 10 | Flowing Wells, AZ | 44 | 16,559 | $41,100 | 1.0× | $39,774 | 21.8 min | 24.0% | 13 |
| 11 | Tucson Estates, AZ | 43 | 12,136 | $205,400 | 3.1× | $66,582 | 31.4 min | 7.8% | 15 |
| 12 | Casas Adobes, AZ | 42 | 72,059 | $343,400 | 4.1× | $83,683 | 25.6 min | 6.6% | 15 |
| 13 | Green Valley, AZ | 38 | 22,114 | $293,500 | 4.7× | $62,063 | 24.9 min | 7.7% | 23 |
Most affordable homes
- Flowing Wells 1 years of income, $41,100
- Tucson Estates 3.1 years of income, $205,400
- Vail 3.2 years of income, $414,600
- Valencia West 3.2 years of income, $323,000
- Drexel Heights 3.4 years of income, $250,100
Most families with kids
- Valencia West 41.5% of households
- Drexel Heights 35.5% of households
- Sahuarita 35.3% of households
- Vail 34.1% of households
- Marana 32.4% of households
How the score works
For each measure we rank the 13 places from worst to best within this metro area, then combine the ranks with these weights: home value compared with household income (20%), household income (15%), poverty rate (15%), average commute (15%), share of adults with a bachelor's degree (10%), homeownership (10%), households with children (10%) and population growth since 2020 (5%). Unincorporated communities have no official growth estimate, so they get the middle value for that part. A score of 100 would mean first on every measure.
Everything comes from the Census Bureau: the American Community Survey 2020-2024 and the 2025 population estimates. We leave out crime and school ratings because comparable official data for every town does not exist; check local school district and police data for the places on your shortlist.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best suburbs of Tucson?
On our data-only score, Vail, Tucson Mountains and Marana rank highest among 13 places of 10,000+ people in the Tucson, AZ metro area.
What is the most affordable suburb of Tucson?
Flowing Wells has the lowest ratio of median home value to household income (1 years), with a median home of $41,100.
Which Tucson suburb has the shortest commute?
Flowing Wells, where the average commute is 21.8 minutes each way.
Back to the Tucson city profile, or see the best suburbs of other big cities.
Places are incorporated cities, towns and villages plus census-designated places with 10,000 or more residents, assigned to the metro area by county (OMB 2023 delineations). Distances are straight lines from the center of Tucson. The Census Bureau caps published medians at $250,000 for income and $2,000,000 for home values, shown with a plus sign.