Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 513,656 people, Mesa can't be summed up by one letter: its B− averages neighborhoods that are worlds apart. Within Arizona, that puts it 50th of 139. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 79% of the country and it is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. What weighs on its grade: it reports more crime per resident than 76% of U.S. towns, including 2,182 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Mesa’s July high is 106°F, above both the Arizona town median (100°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Its National Register listings include Mesa Woman's Club and Wilbur Street Historic District. Mesa's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Mesa beats most towns.
Park of the Canals
Troy Kotsur
Census counts: 722 in 1900, 504,258 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 5 maps from 1913 on.
32 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Mesa is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mesa. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaState Farm Stadium
21 mi Stadium & arenaMortgage Matchup Center
21 mi Stadium & arenaChase Field
13 mi Stadium & arenaMountain America Stadium
33 mi Stadium & arenaDesert Diamond Arena
12 mi Stadium & arenaMullett ArenaState Farm Stadium: Taken by en:Flickr user MCSixth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mortgage Matchup Center: Troutfarm27, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chase Field: U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tyler J. Bolken, Public domain · Mountain America Stadium: Clintus McGintus, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Desert Diamond Arena: Unknown, CC BY 2.0 · Mullett Arena: Kyvuh, CC0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mesa, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Mesa.
Mesa has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns, has home values still below their peak and has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings.
73% of adults had a checkup this year in Mesa. Mesa beats the Arizona average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 31% of adults have high blood pressure in Mesa.
| Mesa | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 75% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 37% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Mesa | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.4% | 14.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Mesa Unified District. Three of its 175 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Valley ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 1,384 | A− |
| Mountain View High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 3,421 | B+ |
| Mesa Academy for Advanced StudiesTop results in townGrades 4–9 | Grades 4–9 | 379 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 10,631 to 8,892 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Mesa’s violent crime rate is 4.2 per 1,000 residents. Mesa reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 76% report less.
| Mesa | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.9 per 1,000 residents | 11 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
July afternoons average 105.5°, hotter than in 100% of U.S. towns; January nights average 40.4°.
Mesa has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. The January low in Mesa is 40°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
91 miles of trail in 205 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Red Mountain Park, at 321 acres.
| Mesa | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.4% | 15% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Temple Square | 2.8 mi | 16 |
| 2. Eastmark Great Park | 2.1 mi | 34 |
| 3. Desert Trails Park | 1.8 mi | 42 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jobs based here grew from 125,009 in 2013 to 169,672.
About one in 4 of Mesa’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Mesa grew to 169,672 in 2023, 44,663 more than in 2013. 19% of Mesa workers work from home.
| Mesa | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 10% | 8% |
| Work from home | 19% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $83,000 | $68,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 37 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mesa.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Arizona.
| Mesa | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.4 years | 41.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 24% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 22% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 21% | 22% |
50.0% women, 50.0% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±0.5 points. Across Arizona, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.7, men 36.3.
| Mesa | AZ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.4% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.1% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.9% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.3% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.5% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.7% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.6% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.8% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.7% | 23.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.4% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.7% | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.4% | 20.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.1% | 13% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical value, about $429K, is 9% below its July 2022 peak.
The typical Mesa home is worth about $429,000, down 0.7% in a year, close to the Arizona typical home.
| Mesa | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,620 a month | $1,190 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 76% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 55% | 46% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
10 within 15 miles of the center of Mesa
About 6 of every 100 Mesa residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arizona.
32 places in Mesa on the National Register of Historic Places.
54 notable people were born in Mesa.
City in Arizona, United States
Mesa ( MAY-sə) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix and Tucson, the 38th-most populous city in the U.S., and the most populous city that is not a county seat (except for independent cities Washington, D.C. and Baltimore which are not part of any county). It is the most populous city in the East Valley of the Phoenix metropolitan area. It borders Tempe on the west, the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community on the north, Chandler and Gilbert on the south along with Queen Creek, and Apache Junction on the east. At least ten colleges and universities were located in M…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Mesa.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesa | #50 | B− | C | C− | B | A− |
| Gilbert | #4 | A | C− | B | A− | A+ |
| Tempe | #53 | B− | C− | D | B | A |
| Chandler | #9 | A− | C− | B− | A− | A |
| Apache Junction | #67 | C+ | A− | C | C+ | C |
| Queen Creek | #10 | A− | C− | B | A− | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mesa grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #50 of 139 in Arizona. It grades A− for health, C− for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.9 years of the area's median household income ($88,301 across the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
54 notable people were born here, including Troy Kotsur and Mike Lee.
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