Florence and Phoenix receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.
Signals
Florence
Phoenix
Opportunity
49 · Bottom 35%
vs40 · Bottom 17%
Growth
65 · Top 25%
vs56 · Top 39%
Climate
57 · Bottom 9%
vs58 · Bottom 10%
Physical resilience
30 · Bottom 23%
vs47 · Bottom 37%
Housing affordability
81 · Top 49%
vs64 · Bottom 26%
Access
92 · Top 50%
vs99 · Top 14%
Economic stability
36 · Bottom 13%
vs59 · Bottom 47%
Measured values
| Metric | Florence | Phoenix | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 25,570 | 1,642,323 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $79,644 | $81,332 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $29,845 | $41,981 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 408/sq mi | 3,169/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $346,300 | $420,700 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $1,302 | $1,582 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 86.8% | 57.3% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | 4.7% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -3.7% | -3.9% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.3% | 33.6% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 6.9% | 13.7% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 340 | 9,707 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 5.9 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | 11.5% | 5.2% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 105°F | 104°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 42°F | 44°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 8.6" | 8.9" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 22 mi | 8 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 35.0 min | 27.6 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 43.1 | 34.9 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 6 | 483 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 17.16 | 17.93 | 2024-25 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.
Physical risk tradeoff
Florence
Elevated or high exposure: heat wave, wildfire, inland flooding.
Phoenix
Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding.
Full profiles: Florence, AZ · Phoenix, AZ · How this is calculated: methodology