Mesa, Arizona
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Mesa.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Mesa compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 507,478City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $78,779Incorporated place (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($78,538)U.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 115ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)15% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $364,300City limits (ACS)20% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,478City limits (ACS)10% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.1%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 25 minNear U.S. avg (25 min)U.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3718% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 376.9annualized per 100k · citywide37% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 1868.7annualized per 100k · citywide39% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 105°F18.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 47°F13.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 7.2 in78% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 33225% above U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Mesa with another city
About 507,478 people live in Mesa, AZ. Households here report a median income near $78,779; our housing-derived cost index is about 115 (above the national housing-cost baseline). Entry home prices around $364,300 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Desert heat and monsoon bursts define the outdoor calendar. Summer highs near 105°F make shade, pools, and strong A/C practical necessities. Commutes average near 25 minutes one-way, with walkability near 37/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 4.1% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates around 376.9 per 100k are moderate for a large U.S. city, with meaningful variation by neighborhood.
Mesa sits in that mid-to-large city band where urban and quieter residential pockets often share one municipal boundary. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Mesa with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Mesa city, 1600000US0446000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN040130000000003 (Maricopa County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00023183 PHOENIX SKY HARBOR INTL AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28