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Place dossier plate
SheetAZ-ORO-VALLEY-AZ · Oro Valley, AZ 47,595 pop · income 81st pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Oro Valley
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Oro Valley on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Mansfield · lowest
42,605
Mansfield · lowest
42,605 median HH income
30.7% of the leader · rank #1
Prinsburg · near
105,323
Prinsburg · near
105,323 median HH income
75.9% of the leader · rank #2
Oro Valley · this city
105,342
Oro Valley · this city
105,342 median HH income
75.9% of the leader · rank #3
East Franklin · near
105,363
East Franklin · near
105,363 median HH income
75.9% of the leader · rank #4
Forestdale · near
105,368
Forestdale · near
105,368 median HH income
75.9% of the leader · rank #5
Sinking Spring · near
105,368
Sinking Spring · near
105,368 median HH income
75.9% of the leader · rank #6
Glenview · highest
138,758
Glenview · highest
138,758 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Oro Valley on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 47,595.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Oro Valley - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Oro Valley places in the 81st percentile for household income and the 56th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
81st
percentile, household income
81st
percentile, home value
64th
percentile, median rent
56th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Oro Valley, AZ
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 47,595 residents in Oro Valley, a small city within Arizona. Median household income here is $105,342 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 3.7%. Typical homes in Oro Valley are valued around $440,400, and the median resident age is 54.6 years. 57.5% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 47.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 161 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 27% from five years earlier. Oro Valley reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 1199.7 crimes per 100,000 residents, below the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score).
Arizona tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Arizona scores 100.7 (Near Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,419 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Arizona run around $215, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Commute times here average 21.6 minutes, with 71.6% driving alone and 20.0% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 84.5 out of 100 (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Oro Valley's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from population change to comparison shortlist to schools and households to work and mobility to reported crime to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Oro Valley, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Population change
Is Oro Valley growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +867 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 161 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Which cities make useful reference points for Oro Valley?
Within Arizona, the closest population matches are Prescott Valley (48,048 residents, $70,793 income); Prescott (46,744 residents, $69,151 income); Sierra Vista (45,203 residents, $69,783 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Middletown, CT (47,646 residents); Glenview, IL (47,682 residents); Mansfield, OH (47,686 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
What does the education layer cover for Oro Valley?
The NCES join finds 9 public schools within the city match. 57.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
What does the journey to work look like in Oro Valley?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 71.6%. The reported mean trip to work is 21.6 minutes.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Oro Valley?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1199.7 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 47% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1148.3
Violent rate
51.4
Total reported rate
1199.7
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
How far does income reach against housing in Oro Valley?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 3.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Household income
$105,342
Home value
$440,400
Value / income
4.2×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Arizona average
B
City profile score · Oro Valley, AZ
72/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share A+
57.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime A-
51 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income B+
$105,342
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate B
3.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Cost of living F
100.7 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Oro Valley profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 90/100 (A+) · 57.5%
Violent crime: 83/100 (A-) · 51 /100k
Household income: 79/100 (B+) · $105,342
Poverty rate: 74/100 (B) · 3.7%
Cost of living: 37/100 (F) · 100.7 index
Where Oro Valley sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Oro Valley's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Oro Valley highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Oro Valley, AZ (this city): home $440,400, crime 1,200/100k
Middletown, CT : home $279,500, crime 1,213/100k
Glenview, IL : home $598,800, crime 1,361/100k
Wauwatosa, WI : home $307,600, crime 2,689/100k
Wilson, NC : home $192,000, crime 2,982/100k
Roswell, NM : home $139,200, crime 3,357/100k
Prescott Valley, AZ : home $376,300, crime 994/100k
Prescott, AZ : home $528,500, crime 1,452/100k
Sierra Vista, AZ : home $239,000, crime 1,881/100k
Bullhead City, AZ : home $196,900, crime 2,648/100k
Marana, AZ : home $380,100, crime 1,466/100k
How does Oro Valley compare to other US cities?
Here's how Oro Valley stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income81% higher than other cities
Home value81% pricier than other cities
Median rent64% pricier than other cities
Safety56% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Arizona and the picture shifts: Oro Valley ranks #20 of 61 Arizona cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Oro Valley against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Arizona only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Arizona-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Oro Valley near the bottom of Arizona's cities
Among the 394 Arizona cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Oro Valley ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Oro Valley only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#27 of 333
92nd percentile in Arizona
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 394
0th percentile in Arizona
Median Home Value
#37 of 327
89th percentile in Arizona
Poverty Rate
#278 of 393
29th percentile in Arizona
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#15 of 394
96th percentile in Arizona
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Arizona only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
81st percentile nationally for median household income · 56th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Oro Valley's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Oro Valley's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Oro Valley's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$440,40019th percentilemore affordable than 19% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Oro Valley's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.2×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#11,190 of 15,516
More affordable than 28% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,125 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.2×, Oro Valley sits in the moderate band:
national rank #11,190 of 15,516 and #2,125 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$105,342Oro Valley, AZ median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Oro Valley, AZ median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Oro Valley, AZ.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)57.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)3.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)47.1%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
47,595
Median Income
$105,342
Median Home Value
$440,400
Median Age
54.6
Poverty Rate
3.7%
Labor force participation
47.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
57.5%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1199.7
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
51.4
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1148.3
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
9
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Oro Valley's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
47,218 residents
2021
47,806 residents
2022
48,240 residents
2023
48,393 residents
2024
48,535 residents
2025
48,085 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
161
housing units authorized
Single-Family
161
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3.4
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
221
215
6
$85.5M
2020
385
385
0
$122.0M
2021
340
340
0
$123.0M
2022
198
198
0
$80.4M
2023
126
126
0
$61.1M
2024
161
161
0
$78.7M
Permit volume decreased 27% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
21.6 minutes
Drive Alone
71.6%
Carpool
5.7%
Public Transit
0.3%
Walk
0.7%
Work from Home
20.0%
Other
1.7%
Based on 18,465 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Arizona statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $215
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Arizona at $215 (electricity about $131 , water and sewer about $50 ).
These are Arizona statewide averages, not a meter reading for Oro Valley. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Arizona's BEA cost-of-living index is 100.7 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Oro Valley is $1,419/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Arizona statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 84.5 / 100 (High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Arizona statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Oro Valley sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Oro Valley compares to similar-size Arizona cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.