Surprise, Arizona Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Surprise, AZ Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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C
Income Below average
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C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Surprise | Arizona Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 150,965 | 7,356,359 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1363.4 | 64.6 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 2.21% | 1.15% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.8 | 37.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 55,664 | 2,847,012 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Surprise grew by 82.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 150,965 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Surprise is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 22.2% of residents. That is 4.6 points above Arizona as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 27,227 18.0% -4.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 29,419 19.5% -2.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 26,827 17.8% -1.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 33,479 22.2% +4.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Arizona, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 53.0% of the people living in Surprise and men 47.0%.
- Women 53.0% Arizona 50.0%
- Men 47.0% Arizona 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
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100% of everyone living in Surprise
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Economy
Surprise has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Surprise | Arizona Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $94,681 | $80,381 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.98% | 5.72% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Surprise is about 18% higher than in Arizona.
Housing
| Metric | Surprise | Arizona Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $424,328 | $367,851 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $2,008 | $1,543 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.2% | 67.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Surprise is about 17.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $2,008 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Surprise spend about 55 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 228 hours, about 9.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Surprise | Arizona Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.4 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 54.7 | 44.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 228 | 187 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,067 | $5,798 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 19.0% | 18.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,592 | 9,219 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,334 | 1,948 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Surprise is 27 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in Arizona.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Surprise has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Surprise | Arizona Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29.0% | 29.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.70 | 2.53 | 2.53 |
Health
Surprise has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Surprise | Arizona Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.0 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.2% | 19.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.5% | 19.5% | 19.0% |
Surprise, AZ Compared With Nearby Cities
How Surprise, AZ compares with the 2 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surprise, AZ | 150,965 | $94,681 #1/3 | $424,328 #1/3 | 27.4 min #2/3 |
| Sun City West, AZ | 25,067 | $64,178 | $404,892 | 16.2 min |
| El Mirage, AZ | 34,950 | $79,919 | $274,260 | 28.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Surprise, Arizona.
How many people live in Surprise, Arizona?
About 150,965 people live in Surprise, Arizona, in 55,664 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 40.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Surprise, Arizona urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Surprise, Arizona has 1,363 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 16 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Surprise, Arizona an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 4.5 times the median household income ($424,328 against $94,681), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $2,008 a month takes about 25% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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