Housing data for Surprise, AZ

Surprise, AZ has an estimated 154,948 residents and 62,098 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).

It is a city in Maricopa County.

20.9% of households rent.

The median gross rent is $2,033 a month.

Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+14.4%).

Figures last updated on .

Residents
154,948 (±123)
Housing units
62,098 (±936)
Households that rent
20.9%
Median gross rent
$2,033
Residents since 2015–2019
+14.4%

What stands out in Surprise

Homes built before 1980: 2.7% (±0.6 points) in Surprise, lower than in Maricopa County (28.5%).

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 7.0% (±0.8 points) in Surprise, lower than in Maricopa County (20.7%).

Rental vacancy rate: 11.7% (±2.8 points) in Surprise, higher than in Maricopa County (6.0%).

Households that rent: 20.9% (±1.4 points) in Surprise, lower than in Maricopa County (34.8%).

Housing in Surprise at a glance

Surprise against Maricopa County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
SurpriseMaricopa CountyArizonaUnited States
Residents154,948 (±123)4,559,748 (exact)7,378,838 (exact)334,922,499
Housing units62,098 (±936)1,884,334 (±536)3,192,839 (±631)143,775,355
Households that rent20.9% (±1.4 points)34.8% (±0.3 points)32.6% (±0.3 points)34.8%
Median gross rent$2,033 (±$86)$1,708 (±$8)$1,543 (±$7)$1,413
Median household income$96,711 (±$3,521)$89,300 (±$562)$79,964 (±$407)$80,734
Median home value$435,100 (±$5,183)$452,800 (±$1,398)$394,500 (±$1,474)$332,700
Median real estate taxes (a year)$1,842 (±$38)$1,983 (±$12)$1,879 (±$10)$3,119
Built before 19802.7% (±0.6 points)28.5% (±0.3 points)29.3% (±0.3 points)49.7%
Average commute30.2 minutes (±1.0)26.0 minutes (±0.2)25.4 minutes (±0.1)26.4 minutes
Households with broadband95.6% (±0.7 points)93.1% (±0.2 points)91.5% (±0.2 points)91.0%
Median age of residents41.4 years (±0.8)37.6 years (±0.2)39.0 years (±0.1)38.9 years

Surprise covers 110.5 square miles of land, about 1,402 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).

How Surprise has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
2015–20192020–2024Amount of changeVerdict
Residents135,450 (±81)154,948 (±123)+14.4%Measurable increase
Housing units56,245 (±915)62,098 (±936)+10.4%Measurable increase
Median gross rent$1,349 (±$28)$2,033 (±$86)+50.7%Up after inflation
Median home value$239,500 (±$3,165)$435,100 (±$5,183)+81.7%Up after inflation
Median household income$69,076 (±$2,253)$96,711 (±$3,521)+40.0%Up after inflation
Median owner cost with a mortgage$1,440 (±$18)$1,860 (±$37)+29.2%Up after inflation
Median real estate taxes$1,485 (±$25)$1,842 (±$38)+24.0%No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent24.1% (±1.3 points)20.9% (±1.4 points)−3.2 percentage pointsMeasurable decrease
Rental vacancy rate5.1% (±1.9 points)11.7% (±2.8 points)+6.6 percentage pointsMeasurable increase

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Crime reported to police in Surprise

In 2025, the Surprise Police Department reported 86 violent and 781 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.

Across Maricopa County, the departments that report recorded 431 violent and 1,675 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.

ZIP codes in Surprise

ZIP Code Tabulation Areas that cover this place (2020–2024 estimates)
ZIP codeShare of the ZIP’s land in this placeResidentsMedian gross rentMedian home valueMedian household income
85374100%41,420$1,928$395,400$81,201
85379100%51,035$2,095$448,200$110,616
8538894%35,369$2,155$459,900$112,164
8537875%9,765$1,514$274,500$56,444
8538765%22,442$2,579$481,000$98,757
8536112%7,991$791$412,400$77,361

A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.

Places near Surprise

Nearest places with Census figures, by straight-line distance
PlaceDistanceMedian gross rentMedian home valueHouseholds that rent
Sun City West5.5 mi$1,672$377,80011.9%
El Mirage9.1 mi$1,806$321,90030.3%
Citrus Park9.5 mi$2,863$722,5004.3%
Youngtown10 mi$1,157$320,00035.9%
Sun City10 mi$1,569$280,90015.8%
Peoria12 mi$1,843$463,60024.0%
Circle City12 mi$850$214,70016.6%
Litchfield Park13 mi$1,922$577,00015.2%

Places in Arizona most like Surprise

PlaceMedian gross rentMedian home valueMedian household incomeHouseholds that rent
Sahuarita$1,837$364,300$104,68019.0%
Goodyear$1,956$471,300$103,31922.3%
Marana$1,818$413,800$112,60616.3%
Buckeye$1,963$419,800$99,48614.0%
Peoria$1,843$463,600$95,81524.0%
Fountain Hills$1,890$622,900$112,65415.6%

Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Arizona.

HUD Fair Market Rent for Surprise, fiscal year 2027

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ MSA, dollars a month
Studio1 bedroom2 bedrooms3 bedrooms4 bedrooms
$1,390$1,493$1,734$2,287$2,537

HUD also publishes a Small Area Fair Market Rent for each ZIP code in the area; the Fair Market Rent page for this place lists its ZIP codes.

HUD income limits for Surprise, fiscal year 2026

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ MSA, annual household income
Household sizeExtremely low (30%)Very low (50%)Low (80%)
1 person$23,600$39,350$62,950
2 people$27,000$45,000$71,950
3 people$30,350$50,600$80,950
4 people$33,700$56,200$89,900
5 people$38,680$60,700$97,100
6 people$44,360$65,200$104,300
7 people$50,040$69,700$111,500
8 people$55,720$74,200$118,700

These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $112,400.

A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Surprise

What is the average rent in Surprise, AZ?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Surprise is $2,033 (±$86) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Surprise?

The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Surprise, AZ is $1,681 (±$51) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Are renters in Surprise rent-burdened?

55.6% of renting households in Surprise pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many renters are there in Surprise?

Surprise has an estimated 11,823 (±797) renting households, 20.9% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the median household income in Surprise?

The median household income in Surprise is $96,711 (±$3,521) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the average home value in Surprise, AZ?

The Census Bureau publishes the median: $435,100 (±$5,183) for owner-occupied homes in Surprise (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is Surprise growing?

In Surprise, the number of residents went from 135,450 in 2015–2019 to 154,948 in 2020–2024 (+14.4%), a measurable increase.

What ZIP codes are in Surprise?

The ZIP codes that cover Surprise are 85374, 85379, 85388, 85378, 85387, 85361.

What is the median rent in ZIP code 85374?

The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 85374 is $1,928 (±$103) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Surprise city, Arizona (place:71510, in state:04).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.

Figures last updated on .

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