What it's like to live in Fountain Hills
Fountain Hills is a small city in Arizona with household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Fountain Hills deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Very hot summers
How Fountain Hills compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Fountain Hills
Based on Fountain Hills's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,780
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $75,600 a year
- 47% of Fountain Hills renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$124,580
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $62,290
- Homes cost 5.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 34% above US
$1,890/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,890 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $622,900. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $622,900 · 47% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 12% below US
3.8% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.8%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety
277 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Fountain Hills doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 901/100k · Policed by Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2024 data
Getting around▲ 10% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 28.6 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 31% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 102°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 45°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 40% above US
50% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Tonto National Monument (36 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Fountain Hills's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,890/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (31% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and people who struggle with heat.
Other places near Fountain Hills
All Arizona guides →Moving to Scottsdale →
9 mi away · pop. 243,821
Rent $2,013/mo · Income $110,886
Compare with Fountain Hills →Moving to Paradise Valley →
13 mi away · pop. 12,611
Rent $3,500+/mo · Income $247,159
Compare with Fountain Hills →Moving to Mesa →
14 mi away · pop. 511,764
Rent $1,620/mo · Income $82,752
Compare with Fountain Hills →Moving to Tempe →
19 mi away · pop. 188,065
Rent $1,743/mo · Income $79,663
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