What it's like to live in Goodyear
Goodyear is a mid-size city in Arizona with household incomes running above the national average and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Goodyear 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
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
How Goodyear compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Goodyear
Based on Goodyear's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,912
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $78,240 a year
- 60% of Goodyear renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$94,260
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $47,130
- Homes cost 4.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 38% above US
$1,956/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $1,956 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $471,300. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $471,300 · 60% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.1% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.1%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 28% below US
236 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 1364/100k · Goodyear Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 14% above US
30 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.6 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 22% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 106°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 44°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 3.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforceNear US average
36% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 36% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
30 public schools inside the boundary
There are 30 public schools inside the boundary and 7 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 22:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (51 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Goodyear's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a population that has grown fast since 2020; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,956/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime and remote workers (22% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and people who struggle with heat.
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