Surprise and Peoria Just Made a National “Best Real Estate Markets” List

So What Were They Looking At?

This wasn’t simply a list of places where home prices have gone up the most.

WalletHub compared cities using 17 different factors related to both housing and the local economy.

They looked at things like home-price appreciation, affordability, foreclosure rates, newer homes, job growth and unemployment.

So there’s quite a bit going into that final ranking.

And I think that’s important context.

A city being #27 or #42 on a national list doesn’t mean every neighborhood in that city is the same. It certainly doesn’t mean everyone should suddenly decide to move there.

But it can tell us something interesting about what’s happening in the bigger picture.

Surprise Came In at #27

Surprise was the second-highest Arizona city on the list, behind Gilbert.

That probably catches some people off guard.

If you haven’t spent much time in the Northwest Valley, you may not realize just how much Surprise has grown or how much development continues to happen in and around the city.

There’s a mix of established neighborhoods, newer communities and areas where we’re still watching development unfold.

Interestingly, Surprise also showed up in another WalletHub study this year. It ranked #1 among midsize cities in WalletHub’s 2026 list of Best Cities for First-Time Home Buyers.

Those are two separate studies looking at different things, so I wouldn’t read too much into combining the rankings.

I just think it’s interesting to see Surprise getting that kind of national attention.

And Then There’s Peoria at #42

Peoria also made the top 50, coming in at #42 overall.

And this is where national rankings can only tell you so much.

If someone tells me they’re thinking about moving to Peoria, one of my first thoughts is usually, which part?

Peoria covers a lot of ground.

You can be in a more established area closer to shopping and restaurants, or farther north in a newer community where you’re closer to Lake Pleasant and outdoor recreation.

Those can be very different day-to-day experiences even though the address still says Peoria.

That’s something a national ranking isn’t really designed to capture.

Would I Choose a City Based on a Ranking Like This?

No.

I’d use it as one piece of information.

If you’re researching Arizona from another state, lists like this can be helpful because they may put a city on your radar that you hadn’t considered before.

But once you’re seriously thinking about where you want to live, I think the questions get much more personal.

Do you want a newer home or an established neighborhood?

How close do you want to be to restaurants and shopping?

Is freeway access important?

Do you want to be closer to hiking, boating and outdoor recreation?

What can you actually buy within your budget?

And what does the neighborhood feel like when you’re driving around on a regular Tuesday afternoon?

Those aren’t things you’re going to find by looking at #27 versus #42.

What I Found Most Interesting About the List

For me, the interesting part isn’t really whether Surprise should be #27 or Peoria should be #42.

It’s that five Arizona cities made the top 50 out of 300 cities studied nationwide, and two of them are right here in the Northwest Valley.

I’ve lived in this part of the Valley for a long time, and I’ve watched these communities change quite a bit.

So it’s interesting to see places like Surprise and Peoria showing up in national conversations about real estate.

Just don’t let a ranking make the decision for you.