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Tempe's neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You've got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there's a neighborhood for everyone in Tempe.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it's not all rainbows and sunshine in Tempe. Some neighborhoods aren't as great as others.
So the question arises, which Tempe neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?
Today, we'll use science and data to determine which Tempe hoods need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the Tempe area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Alta Mira ranks way above the rest.
We examined 55 of Tempe's neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These places don't quite measure up to Tempe's reputation.
The Worst Neighborhoods In Tempe For 2022
So what's the worst neighborhood to live in Tempe for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Knoell Gardens looks to be the worst neighborhood in Tempe.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Tempe that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don't blame the messenger.
Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best. Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of Tempe.
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The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In Tempe For 2022
/10
Population: 284
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $83,100 (worst)
Median Income: $42,286 (12th worst)
More on Knoell Gardens: Data
/10
Population: 2,335
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $117,233 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $32,763 (6th worst)
More on Escalante: Data
/10
Population: 852
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $198,100 (22nd worst)
Median Income: $42,156 (10th worst)
More on Mitchell Park West: Data
/10
Population: 561
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $159,800 (8th worst)
Median Income: $19,850 (2nd worst)
More on University Heights: Data
/10
Population: 738
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $198,100 (22nd worst)
Median Income: $42,156 (10th worst)
More on Marilyn Ann: Data
/10
Population: 3,156
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $153,350 (7th worst)
Median Income: $49,605 (19th worst)
More on Pepperwood: Data
/10
Population: 1,874
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $163,500 (11th worst)
Median Income: $53,920 (26th worst)
More on Kiwanis Park: Data
/10
Population: 652
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $198,950 (24th worst)
Median Income: $52,110 (24th worst)
More on Mitchell Park East: Data
/10
Population: 838
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $187,500 (16th worst)
Median Income: $23,309 (4th worst)
More on Hudson Manor: Data
/10
Population: 4,260
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $134,400 (4th worst)
Median Income: $44,277 (14th worst)
More on Wood Park: Data
Methodology: How we determined the worst Tempe neighborhoods in 2022
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in Tempe:
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one's willing to pay to live here)
- High crime (Estimated)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Tempe, Arizona for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criteria into a "Worst Score".
The neighborhood with the lowest "Worst Score" ranks as the worst neighborhood of Tempe.
Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around Tempe to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 55 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.
Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Tempe
Well there you have it -- the worst of the neighborhoods in Tempe with Knoell Gardens landing at the bottom of the pack.
As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Tempe aren't all bad. Alta Mira takes the cake as the best place to live in Tempe.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
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