Sun City vs Storrs

Which is the better fit for you?

Sun City, AZ
49
Area Score
Bottom 16% nationally
Storrs, CT
48
Area Score
Bottom 14% nationally

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Sun City 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 Sun City to Storrs

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Everyday prices
1% lower
Regional price level 103.3 against 104.7 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$656 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $2,588 in Storrs against $1,931 in Sun City.
The median home
16% more
$325,100 in Storrs against $280,900 in Sun City.
The weather you would swap
Winters 26°F colder
Normal January lows are 18°F in Storrs against 44°F in Sun City; July highs are 83°F against 104°F (summers 21°F cooler).

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

Sun City
Storrs
Opportunity: Sun City is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
33 · Bottom 9%
vs
20 · Bottom 1%
Growth: Sun City is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
50 · Bottom 49%
vs
35 · Bottom 21%
Climate: Storrs is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
58 · Bottom 10%
vs
62 · Bottom 20%
Physical resilience: Sun City is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
47 · Bottom 38%
vs
45 · Bottom 36%
Housing affordability: Storrs is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
28 · Bottom 2%
vs
41 · Bottom 10%
Schools: Storrs is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
72 · Top 21%
vs
95 · Top 1%
Access: Sun City is the more favorable of the two.
Access
97 · Top 24%
vs
91 · Bottom 44%
Economic stability: Sun City is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
37 · Bottom 17%
vs
25 · Bottom 5%

Measured values

MetricSun CityStorrsSource period
Population37,48615,2072024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$54,586 ±$2,548$37,839 ±$17,7012024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$40,620 — more favorable$14,0732024 ACS 5-Year
Population density2,600/sq mi2,040/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$280,900$325,1002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$1,569 ±$96$1,678 ±$1612024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,931 — more favorable$2,588FY2026
Cost of living index104.7103.3 — more favorable2023
Homeownership rate84.2%26.6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.7% — more favorable5.9%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−3.3% — more favorable−4.0%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher26.0%59.0% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate11.1% ±1%18.5% ±32%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)27,5331,50712 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents6.0 — more favorable1.512 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−16.5%+3.1% — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Average July high104°F83°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low44°F18°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation8.9"43.3"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport13 mi — more favorable24 miNASR current cycle
Average commute26.4 min19.5 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age72.720.22024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools222024-25 school year
Students per teacher17.810.9 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency58.1%67.6%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency59.8%79.1%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.

Arizona and Connecticut do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Sun City

Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding.

Storrs

Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding.

Your best match

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

Sun City
—
Sun City: Your Score
49
Area Score
Storrs
—
Storrs: Your Score
48
Area Score

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

Full profiles: Sun City, AZ · Storrs, CT · How this is calculated: methodology