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Moving to
San Tan Valley.
San Tan Valley is an unincorporated community in Pinal County, AZ. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in San Tan Valley
San Tan Valley is a large unincorporated community in Arizona with household incomes running above the national average, a growing population, 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. San Tan Valley deals with rent well above the national average, long average commutes, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and extreme summer heat.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Long commutes
- Air quality concerns
- Extreme summer heat
How San Tan Valley compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to San Tan Valley
Based on San Tan Valley's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,170
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $83,400 a year
- 44% of San Tan Valley renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$82,020
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $41,010
- Homes cost 4.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 48% above US
$2,085/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,085 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 run above average, with a median around $410,100. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $410,100 · 44% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in Pinal County is 4.4%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Pinal County (county-wide)
Safety
112 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
San Tan Valley doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Pinal 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 457/100k · Policed by Pinal County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 40% above US
36 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 36.4 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; 19% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 106°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 38°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 34% below US
24% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 24%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
22 public schools inside the boundary
There are 22 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (13 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
San Tan Valley's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a growing population; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and long average commutes. A year of median rent ($2,085/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (19% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget, people who dread long commutes, and people who struggle with heat.
Other places near San Tan Valley
All Arizona guides →Moving to Queen Creek →
6 mi away · pop. 71,867
Rent $2,210/mo · Income $141,978
Compare with San Tan Valley →Moving to Florence →
11 mi away · pop. 25,570
Rent $1,302/mo · Income $79,644
Compare with San Tan Valley →Moving to Gold Canyon →
12 mi away · pop. 13,107
Rent $1,542/mo · Income $93,377
Compare with San Tan Valley →Moving to Apache Junction →
13 mi away · pop. 41,058
Rent $1,146/mo · Income $60,975
Compare with San Tan Valley →Not sure San Tan Valley is the one?
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