Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 48,085, settled in 1970.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Oro Valley grades B overall, 20th among Arizona's 139 graded towns. Residents are healthier than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household earns $107K. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $494K for a typical one and 7 times the Tucson metro’s $70K median household income. 36% of residents are 65 or older in Oro Valley, where Arizona’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 18%. Honey Bee Biological Corridor, at 689 acres with 7.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Among 56 Arizona towns, just 5 have a lower violent crime rate than Oro Valley.
41,011 counted in 2010 and 47,070 in 2020; an estimated 48,085 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Oro Valley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 581 in 1970, 47,070 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1957 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Oro Valley. Close and well known come first.
9 mi National ParkSaguaro National Park848K visitors a year
11 mi MountainMount Lemmon
13 mi Stadium & arenaArizona Stadium
21 mi MuseumPima Air & Space Museum
36 mi MuseumTitan Missile Museum
17 mi Zoo & aquariumArizona-Sonora Desert MuseumSaguaro National Park: Luke Jones from Yucca Valley, CC BY 2.0 · Mount Lemmon: Debby Kriegel, Public domain · Arizona Stadium: Wcarlisle4, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pima Air & Space Museum: The original uploader was MCB at English Wikipedia. Later versions were uploade, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Titan Missile Museum: Mike McBey, CC BY 2.0 · Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oro Valley, 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 Oro Valley.
Oro Valley fares better on crime within Arizona than nationally, has less food insecurity than most of Arizona and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
78 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. The trail density in Oro Valley is 2.2 miles per square mile.
| Oro Valley | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.2 miles per square mile | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.2% | 15% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Honey Bee Biological Corridor | 7.2 mi | 689 |
| 2. Cañada del Oro River Park | 7 mi | 607 |
| 3. Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve | 6.1 mi | 218 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Amphitheater Unified District. Three of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leman Academy of Excellence-Oro Valley ArizonaLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 944 | A |
| Canyon Del Oro High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,758 | B+ |
| BASIS Oro ValleyTop results in townGrades 5–12 | Grades 5–12 | 540 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Arizona is food insecurity: 6.2% of its 39,285 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.8% statewide.
12% of adults report frequent mental distress in Oro Valley. Oro Valley beats the Arizona average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 7.1% of adults smoke cigarettes in Oro Valley.
| Oro Valley | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.1% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 33% |
| What stands out | Oro Valley | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.2% | 15.8% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.1% | 12% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.1% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oro Valley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Tucson Camp Ave Exp weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 166 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 99.5°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 37.9°.
Oro Valley has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Oro Valley’s July high is 100°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Oro Valley | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 100°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 38°F | 36°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 13 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 83% of Arizona’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 584 to 484 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 7 years of the Tucson metro’s $70K median household income, the typical home (about $494K) costs more against local pay than in 81% of Arizona towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $3,686, against $1,879 across Arizona, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Oro Valley home is worth about $494,000, down 1.2% in a year, 18% above the Arizona typical home.
| Oro Valley | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,669 a month | $1,190 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 76% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jobs based here grew from 8,691 in 2013 to 11,948.
Most working residents leave Oro Valley for work: only 12% work in town. 23% of Oro Valley workers work from home. Jobs based in Oro Valley grew to 11,948 in 2023, 3,257 more than in 2013.
| Oro Valley | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $107,000 | $68,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.5% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
5 within 15 miles of the center of Oro Valley
About 6 of every 100 Oro Valley residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arizona.
Town in Pima County, Arizona
Oro Valley, incorporated in 1974, is a suburban town located 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Tucson, Arizona, United States, in Pima County. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town is 47,070, an increase from 29,700 in 2000. Dubbed the "Upscale Tech Mecca" of Southern Arizona by the Arizona Daily Star, Oro Valley is home to over 10 high tech firms and has a median household income nearly 50% higher than the U.S. median. The town is located approximately 110 miles (180 km) southeast of Phoenix, the state capital. Oro Valley is situated in the western foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains at the base of Pusch Ridge. The Tortolita Mountains are located north of the town and vist…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Oro Valley.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oro Valley | #20 | B | D | B+ | B+ | A |
| Casas Adobes | #28 | B | D | — | B+ | A |
| Catalina | #59 | C+ | C+ | — | B+ | A− |
Casas Adobes and Catalina report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Oro Valley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Oro Valley grades B overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #20 of 139 in Arizona. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
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