What it's like to live in El Mirage
El Mirage is a small city in Arizona. The numbers below lay out what daily life there actually looks like.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. El Mirage deals with rent well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and college degree attainment below the national average.
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
- Extreme summer heat
How El Mirage compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to El Mirage
Based on El Mirage's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,612
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $72,240 a year
- 46% of El Mirage renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$64,380
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $32,190
- Homes cost 4.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 28% above US
$1,806/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,806 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $321,900. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $321,900 · 46% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
3.9% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 23% below US
254 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1098/100k · El Mirage Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 16% above US
30 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.1 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 15% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 104°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 42°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 56% below US
16% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (62 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Nothing in El Mirage's numbers stands out as a clear strength, and the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,806/mo) equals 28% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget, anyone who doesn't drive, and people who struggle with heat.
Other places near El Mirage
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