Should I Move To
Scottsdale, Arizona comes in at about 240,537 residents. Cost of living comes out moderate — 10% above the national average. Rent typically lands near $1,768/mo, and the median household income is about $104,197. Overall, 37/100 on our composite score, which works out to a F, putting it at #862 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 110 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's moderate territory. With median rent at $1,768/mo and median household income at $104,197, housing takes about 20% of gross income — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Homes typically value around $651,800.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect hot-summer weather — summers near 105°F, winters around 47°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 7 inches annually. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life. Crime rates land roughly average for a US city of this size. Air quality reads good (AQI 46).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Scottsdale is a tougher sell for families. It earns 43/100 (grade D) on the families profile. Strongest on job market (93/100); weakest on walkability (0/100).
Scottsdale is a tougher sell for retirees. It earns 24/100 (grade F) on the retirees profile. Strongest on job market (93/100); weakest on walkability (0/100).
Scottsdale is a tougher sell for remote workers. It earns 27/100 (grade F) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on job market (93/100); weakest on walkability (0/100).
Scottsdale is a tougher sell for young professionals. It earns 41/100 (grade D) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on job market (93/100); weakest on walkability (0/100).
Scottsdale, Arizona pulls a 37/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade F), currently ranked #862 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Scottsdale's cost-of-living index is 110 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the moderate band — 10% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,768/mo.
Hot-summer — summer averages around 105°F, winter averages around 47°F, with about 7 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 0/100. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life.
Scottsdale has about 240,537 residents, 61% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 48.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Scottsdale head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Scottsdale stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Scottsdale with other Arizona cities scored on UrbRank.
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