Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 89,770, settled in 1913.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Queen Creek grades A− overall, 10th among Arizona's 139 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 94% of the country. The median household earns $142K and its public schools beat 75% of Arizona towns on state tests and graduation. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $630K, 7.1 years of the Phoenix metro’s $88K median household income. Queen Creek’s July high is 105°F, above both Arizona’s towns (100°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Among 140 Arizona towns, just 2 have a higher median household income than Queen Creek. Rittenhouse Elementary School is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Queen Creek beats most towns.
26,361 counted in 2010 and 59,519 in 2020; an estimated 89,770 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 51.4% since 2020, after 125.8% in the decade before.
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 Queen Creek is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,378 in 1980, 59,519 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Queen Creek, 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 Queen Creek.
Queen Creek reports less crime than Gilbert or any other graded neighbor and has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Arizona.
Its widest gap with Arizona is tooth loss: 8.7% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.7% statewide. Against the 3,405 U.S. towns with household incomes like Queen Creek’s, it is healthier than 79%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
10% of adults report frequent physical distress in Queen Creek. Queen Creek beats the Arizona average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 28% of adults have high blood pressure in Queen Creek.
| Queen Creek | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 37% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Queen Creek | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.7% | 14.7% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.9% | 13.2% |
| More binge drinkers | 18% | 15.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Three of its 34 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faith Mather Sossaman Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 1,153 | A |
| Dr. Camille Casteel High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 2,816 | A− |
| Katherine Mecham Barney ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 908 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
At 7.1 years of the Phoenix metro’s $88K median household income, the typical home (about $630K) costs more against local pay than in 82% of Arizona towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Gilbert is next at $566K.
Queen Creek’s median rent is $2,210 a month. The typical Queen Creek home is worth about $630,000, about the same as a year ago, 51% above the Arizona typical home. 90% of Queen Creek households own their home.
| Queen Creek | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,210 a month | $1,190 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 90% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 79% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Queen Creek.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 5,414 in 2013 to 14,389.
Only 3 of the 140 Arizona towns we compare have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Queen Creek. The average trip to work in Queen Creek is 31 minutes. Since 2013, Queen Creek has added 8,975 jobs, to 14,389 in 2023.
| Queen Creek | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 26% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
38 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Frontier Family Park, at 94 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mansel Carter Oasis Park | 2.1 mi | 52 |
| 2. Desert Mountain Park | 1.3 mi | 28 |
| 3. Founders' Park | 0.8 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Apache Junction 5 Ne weather station, 17 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 304 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. The Apache Junction 5 Ne weather station, 17 miles away, records that about 168 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Queen Creek has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Its B tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Gilbert (B) comes closest. At 13.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 81% of Arizona’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Queen Creek. Close and well known come first.
30 mi Stadium & arenaMortgage Matchup Center
30 mi Stadium & arenaChase Field
23 mi Stadium & arenaMountain America Stadium
22 mi Stadium & arenaMullett Arena
17 mi National MonumentCasa Grande Ruins National Monument88K visitors a year
28 mi MountainCamelback MountainMortgage 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 · Mullett Arena: Kyvuh, CC0 · Casa Grande Ruins National Monument: Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Camelback Mountain: Dru Bloomfield from Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, CC BY 2.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Queen Creek
About 6 of every 100 Queen Creek residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arizona.
Where Queen Creek’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Maricopa and Pinal counties in Arizona, United States
Queen Creek is a town in the state of Arizona, United States, mostly in Maricopa County but partly in Pinal County. The population was 59,519 at the 2020 census, and is 83,700 as of 2024. Queen Creek is a suburb of Phoenix, located in the far southeast of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area – known locally as the Valley of the Sun – which the United States Office of Management and Budget designates as the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As such, it is also part of the Arizona Sun Corridor megaregion.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Queen Creek.
Apache Junction next door grades lower for schools (C+ to Queen Creek’s A−) and higher for cost of living (A− to C−).
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen Creek | #10 | A− | C− | B | A− | A |
| San Tan Valley | #63 | C+ | C | — | B− | B+ |
| Gilbert | #4 | A | C− | B | A− | A+ |
| Apache Junction | #67 | C+ | A− | C | C+ | C |
| Mesa | #50 | B− | C | C− | B | A− |
San Tan Valley reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Queen Creek with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Queen Creek grades A− overall, better than 77% of U.S. towns and #10 of 139 in Arizona. It grades A for health, B for safety and A− for schools. Hazard risk 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 C−.
2 notable people were born here, including Brock Purdy and Donovan Parisian.
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