Gilbert, Arizona

Area Profile

280,262 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Gilbert, in Maricopa County.

59out of 100
Area Score
Top 50% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 16 sources
Opportunity2,328th of 4,199 cities measured54
SchoolsTop 12% of 4,162 cities measured80
Growth3,302nd of 4,224 cities measured35
Housing affordability2,393rd of 4,218 cities measured64
Climate3,715th of 4,225 cities measured59
Physical resilience2,628th of 4,226 cities measured47
AccessTop 9% of 4,226 cities measured99
Economic stabilityTop 11% of 4,226 cities measured75
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.1% and median household income $122,551, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured.

Public schools test above most of the state: 64% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 12% of published profiles for schools.

Residential permitting has slowed: 500 units authorized over the past twelve months, 70% below the prior year.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
280,262
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$122,551
Top 9% nationally
Density
4,075/sq mi
68.8 sq mi of land
Median age
36.1
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Arizona
Nearest major airport
IWA
5 mi · Mesa Gateway
Median home value
$575,100
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.1%, lower than in 58% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment fell 3.3% over the past year, to 152,471 employed residents.

48% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 87% of measured US cities.

Median household income of $122,551 is higher than in 91% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsMaricopa County, AZ’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$88,57070th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftMaricopa County, AZ’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$78,08961st percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$3,4142024 ACS 5-Year$122,551Top 9%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,2072024 ACS 5-Year$52,085Top 15%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±0.5%2024 ACS 5-Year5.0%Top 24%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.5 min2024 ACS 5-Year27.4 minBottom 46%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year48.2%Top 13%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year63.0%16th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 2026152,471Top 37%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−1.8%Bottom 27%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−3.3%Bottom 5%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJuly 2026159,05863rd percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year85.0%Top 24%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wagePhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$69,630Top 46%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wagePhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$51,380Top 49%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.1%2024 ACS 5-Year0.4%78th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.5%Bottom 19%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20264.1%Top 42%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year26.1%92nd percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/074.12.2
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.1% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

2021202220232024123k106k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $122,551 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

Largest occupations — Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
General and Operations Managers81,520$98,610
Retail Salespersons69,060$35,960
Customer Service Representatives68,930$46,410
Home Health and Personal Care Aides57,940$36,930
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand56,420$44,950
Fast Food and Counter Workers54,900$34,540

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

64% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 63% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 16.4 students for every full-time teacher across 64 public schools, more than in most measured places.

Public schools
73
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
16.4
across 64 of them
Math proficiency
64.3%
Top 9% in Arizona
Reading proficiency
63.2%
Top 12% in Arizona
The 12 largest of 73 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Highland High SchoolGilbert Unified District (4239)2,99221.778%69%
Gilbert High SchoolGilbert Unified District (4239)2,41819.554%56%
Perry High SchoolChandler Unified District #80 (4242)2,37320.166%60%
American Leadership Academy Gilbert North K-12 · charterAmerican Leadership Academy Inc. (4348)2,35712.357%57%
Williams Field High SchoolHigley Unified School District (4248)2,15019.961%60%
Higley High SchoolHigley Unified School District (4248)2,00518.971%64%
Campo Verde High SchoolGilbert Unified District (4239)1,86320.379%71%
Mesquite High SchoolGilbert Unified District (4239)1,30317.852%52%
EDUPRIZE SCHOOL Gilbert · charterEduprize Schools LLC (89412)1,27012.856%63%
Greenfield Junior High SchoolGilbert Unified District (4239)1,16020.761%51%
Legacy Traditional School ? Gilbert · charterLegacy Traditional School - Gilbert (92047)96016.675%76%
Greenfield Elementary SchoolGilbert Unified District (4239)91918.477%74%

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Arizona’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 5% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 104.7, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area is up 36% over five years, and up 0.8% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,417 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.42% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $2,290, some 9% above the $2,110 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $2,290 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $91,600 a year, about 75% of the median household income here of $122,551.

The typical renter household here spends 29% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $2,110 a month.

A median home at $575,100 costs 4.0 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $143,787, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Cost of living
104.7

Prices here run about 5% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Published for the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
28.9%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.0×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$2,290
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$2,110
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$575,100
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Gilbert’s median household income of $122,551, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area’s figure2023104.7Bottom 34%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+0.8%15th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+35.8%30th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+119.6%87th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year4.0Bottom 17%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year73.1%44th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±1,3572024 ACS 5-Year100,33699th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,969Bottom 21%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$3,057Bottom 18%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$2,290Bottom 21%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$372024 ACS 5-Year$2,110Bottom 6%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$7,0832024 ACS 5-Year$575,10091st percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$342024 ACS 5-Year$2,41764th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$2,8872024 ACS 5-Year$143,787Top 8%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.01%2024 ACS 5-Year0.42%6th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year28.9%Bottom 47%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±2622024 ACS 5-Year1,01098th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year1.0%62nd percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year3.0%26th percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±6142024 ACS 5-Year3,97399th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

35/ 100
Ranks 3,302 of 4,224 published city profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 7% since 2020, reaching 288,790 in 2024.

Permitting has turned downward after moving the other way the year before: 1,043 units authorized in 2025, 44% below the prior year.

Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 288,790 residents in 2024, up 0.8% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.

Federal tax returns show that people moving in from elsewhere in the US and people moving out roughly balanced across Maricopa County, which contains Gilbert, in the most recent year. Households that moved in reported an average income of $88,570, above the $78,089 of households that moved out.

At 1.8 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
500
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
1.8
Bottom 38% nationally
Year over year
−70%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
56.6%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

20202021202220232024289k269k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 4 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
+0.1%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
81%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$88,570
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$78,089
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Pinal County, AZ 11,753 people · 7.9% of arrivals
  2. Los Angeles County, CA 5,844 people · 3.9% of arrivals
  3. Pima County, AZ 5,043 people · 3.4% of arrivals
  4. San Diego County, CA 3,877 people · 2.6% of arrivals
  5. Orange County, CA 2,978 people · 2.0% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Pinal County, AZ 20,751 people · 14% of departures
  2. Pima County, AZ 4,305 people · 3.0% of departures
  3. Yavapai County, AZ 3,909 people · 2.7% of departures
  4. Los Angeles County, CA 3,155 people · 2.2% of departures
  5. San Diego County, CA 2,636 people · 1.8% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Maricopa County, AZ. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

2020202120222023202420253k898
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was lower than 2020 (−58%).

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 107°F and January a low of 46°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 7.2 inches.

Air quality measures a median index of 77, in the Moderate band, and about 73 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

30°50°70°90°110°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station PHOENIX SKY HARBOR INTL AP, 17.1 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND0.9"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year1132024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals7.2"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals46°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals107°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals71991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year732024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year772024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals40°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
77
Moderate on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
113
90th percentile index
Days above 100
73
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

47 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, heat wave and wildfire, with inland flooding alone responsible for 51% of it.

Heat waveModerate
Inland floodingElevated
WildfireModerate
HailModerate
LandslideModerate
AvalancheModerate

Low or minimal exposure: strong wind, drought, earthquake, lightning, tornado, winter weather, hurricane, cold wave, coastal flooding, tsunami, ice storm, volcanic activity.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
117
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
878
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Gilbert's police department reported 117 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 878.

Maricopa County records 5.2 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 15.8 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 38.2 per 100,000 residents in Maricopa County.

Homicide
5.2
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
15.8
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
38.2
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
16.7
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Gilbert’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Gilbert (Maricopa County) rather than Gilbert itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

6 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Mesa Gateway at 5 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year96.9%Top 16%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle5 miTop 9%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle6Top 27%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.5%2024 ACS 5-Year1.8%Top 18%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Mesa GatewayIWA5 mi10,401 ft
Phoenix Sky Harbor IntlPHX18 mi11,489 ft
ScottsdaleSDL24 mi8,249 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
59
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Other cities in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
PhoenixMaricopa County1,642,32352Phoenix vs Gilbert
MesaMaricopa County511,76452Mesa vs Gilbert
ChandlerMaricopa County280,13656Chandler vs Gilbert
GlendaleMaricopa County252,83349
ScottsdaleMaricopa County243,82157
PeoriaMaricopa County196,90656
TempeMaricopa County188,06554
SurpriseMaricopa County154,94857
San Tan ValleyPinal County109,18951
GoodyearMaricopa County107,64557
BuckeyeMaricopa County104,92355
AvondaleMaricopa County92,47750

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Gilbert side by side with a similar place.

Gilbert vs ChandlerGilbert vs Highlands Ranch

Moving to Gilbert from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Gilbert

6 ZIP areas

Every ZIP area in Gilbert with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Gilbert closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
8529556,744$118,467$579,500—
8529653,076$118,982$561,400—
8523451,283$121,102$550,900—
8529844,114$156,425$652,400—
8523339,077$111,160$513,000—
8529737,475$130,755$600,600—