Casa Grande vs Fortuna Foothills

Which is the better fit for you?

Casa Grande, AZ
46
Area Score
Bottom 11% nationally
Fortuna Foothills, AZ
44
Area Score
Bottom 7% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Casa Grande receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Casa Grande to Fortuna Foothills

It stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere.

Everyday prices
16% lower
Regional price level 88.1 against 104.7 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$155 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,382 in Fortuna Foothills against $1,537 in Casa Grande.
The median home
34% less
$199,200 in Fortuna Foothills against $303,900 in Casa Grande.
The weather you would swap
Winters 6°F milder
Normal January lows are 45°F in Fortuna Foothills against 39°F in Casa Grande; July highs are 107°F against 107°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

32 occupations have a published median wage in both places. Start typing, or choose from the list.

Median wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ metro figures for that occupation, not a job offer, and the price level is the regional index; neither includes taxes, benefits or how senior you are.

Signals

Casa Grande
Fortuna Foothills
Opportunity: Casa Grande is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
37 · Bottom 13%
vs
26 · Bottom 4%
Growth: Casa Grande is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
77 · Top 7%
vs
71 · Top 14%
Climate: Fortuna Foothills is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
55 · Bottom 5%
vs
62 · Bottom 24%
Physical resilience: Casa Grande is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
30 · Bottom 23%
vs
20 · Bottom 13%
Housing affordability: Fortuna Foothills is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
56 · Bottom 30%
vs
67 · Top 48%
Schools
19 · Bottom 11%
vs
19 · Bottom 12%
Access: Fortuna Foothills is the more favorable of the two.
Access
88 · Bottom 34%
vs
89 · Bottom 38%
Economic stability: Casa Grande is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
44 · Bottom 26%
vs
41 · Bottom 23%

Measured values

MetricCasa GrandeFortuna FoothillsSource period
Population60,90528,8962024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$69,983 — more favorable$60,4742024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$36,194 ±$5,318$34,795 ±$2,3542024 ACS 5-Year
Population density535/sq mi721/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$303,900$199,2002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,386$1,141 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,537$1,382 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index104.788.1 — more favorable2023
Homeownership rate72.8%83.6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate6.2% — more favorable18.9%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−2.9% — more favorable−3.0%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher21.7% — more favorable16.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate12.6% ±2%11.7% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)7,1021,21512 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents15.1 — more favorable5.712 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−19.8%+3.1% — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Average July high107°F107°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low39°F45°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation7.9"3.6"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport28 mi12 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate25.6 min ±1.3 min24.7 min ±1.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age38.661.12024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools2512024-25 school year
Students per teacher21.521.4 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency33.9%36.0% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency37.1% — more favorable35.6%2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

3 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison.

Physical risk tradeoff

Casa Grande

Elevated or high exposure: heat wave, wildfire, inland flooding.

Fortuna Foothills

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake, heat wave.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Casa Grande
—
Casa Grande: Your Score
46
Area Score
Fortuna Foothills
—
Fortuna Foothills: Your Score
44
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Casa Grande, AZ · Fortuna Foothills, AZ · How this is calculated: methodology