Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Surprise is a city of 175,304, and it grades B+ overall, 18th of 139 graded towns in Arizona. Residents are healthier than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest mark is a C in cost of living. Surprise’s July high is 105°F, above both the Arizona town median (100°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Surprise is home to Ottawa University-Surprise. Surprise's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Surprise beats most towns.
117,517 counted in 2010 and 143,148 in 2020; an estimated 175,304 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 22.5% since 2020, after 21.8% 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 Surprise is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,427 in 1970, 143,148 in 2020. The archive holds 29 old photos and papers going back to 2003 and 3 maps from 1957 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Surprise, 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 Surprise.
Surprise reports less crime than Buckeye or any other graded neighbor, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and has home values still below their peak.
12% of adults report frequent physical distress in Surprise. Surprise beats the Arizona average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Surprise.
| Surprise | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Surprise | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.9% | 14.7% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.4% | 7.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Dysart Unified District. Three of its 36 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy Traditional School - SurpriseLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 1,797 | A |
| Valley Vista High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 2,334 | B− |
| Freedom Traditional AcademyTop results in townGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 529 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here grew from 15,367 in 2013 to 26,592.
Most working residents leave Surprise for work: only 10% work in town. Surprise’s average trip to work is 30 minutes. Jobs based in Surprise grew to 26,592 in 2023, 11,225 more than in 2013.
| Surprise | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $97,000 | $68,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.6% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Youngtown weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 175 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. January nights average 41°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 105.2°.
Surprise has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. The January low in Surprise is 41°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
70 miles of trail in 54 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Heritage Park, at 65 acres.
| Surprise | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.7% | 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. Asante Community Park | 2.3 mi | 37 |
| 2. Surprise Community Park | 1.9 mi | 38 |
| 3. Surprise Farms Community Park | 0.6 mi | 33 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its B tops all 4 graded towns on its borders; Buckeye (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
Adults 18 to 34 are 19% of residents (23% statewide). Surprise has grown 22% since 2020, to 175,304 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 22% of Surprise residents are 65 or older.
| Surprise | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 22% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 24% | 29% |
52.5% women, 47.5% men
About 90 men for every 100 women. Across Arizona, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 42.0, men 40.6.
| Surprise | AZ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.1% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.9% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.7% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.8% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.1% | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.1% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.8% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.3% | 23.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.9% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.5% | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.3% | 20.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.3% | 13% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Surprise since 2003.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical value, about $416K, is 15% below its July 2022 peak.
The typical Surprise home is worth about $416,000, down 1.7% in a year, close to the Arizona typical home.
| Surprise | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,033 a month | $1,190 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 56% | 46% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 76% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Surprise. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaState Farm Stadium
15 mi Stadium & arenaDesert Diamond Arena
27 mi Stadium & arenaMortgage Matchup Center
27 mi Stadium & arenaChase Field
34 mi Stadium & arenaMountain America Stadium
35 mi Stadium & arenaMullett ArenaState Farm Stadium: Taken by en:Flickr user MCSixth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Desert Diamond Arena: Unknown, CC BY 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 · Mullett Arena: Kyvuh, CC0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Surprise
About 5 of every 100 Surprise residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arizona.
City in Maricopa County, Arizona
Surprise is a city in Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 143,148 at the 2020 census, up from 117,517 in 2010 and 30,848 in 2000.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Surprise.
It grades higher overall than all 6 graded towns on its borders; Peoria (B) comes closest.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surprise | #18 | B+ | C | B | B+ | A− |
| Sun City West | #35 | B− | C+ | — | B+ | B+ |
| Sun City | #44 | B− | B− | — | B+ | B− |
| El Mirage | #70 | C+ | C+ | C+ | B+ | B |
| Peoria | #25 | B | C− | C+ | A− | A |
| Wittmann | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Glendale | #79 | C | C | D | B+ | B |
| Buckeye | #61 | C+ | C | B | C+ | B+ |
Sun City West and Sun City report no FBI crime data of their own. Wittmann isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Surprise with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Surprise grades B+ overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #18 of 139 in Arizona. It grades A− for health, B for safety and B+ for schools.
That is 4.7 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.
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