Surprise, AZ

Census Place

Add Comparison
2024 Population
154,948
US Senator
Mark Kelly
Democratic Party
US Senator
Ruben Gallego
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
41.4
0.481% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
8.58%
10.1% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$96,711
3.58% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$435,100
9.87% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
69,296
5.66% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Surprise, AZ reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

97.9% of the residents in Surprise, AZ are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Surprise, AZ are Ottawa University-Surprise (181 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Surprise, AZ was $435,100, and the homeownership rate was 79.1%.

Most people in Surprise, AZ drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 30.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Surprise, AZ was 2 cars per household.

United StatesArizonaMaricopa County, AZPhoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZPhoenix (Far North) & Peoria (Northwest) Cities PUMA, AZMaricopa County--El Mirage & Sun City PUMA, AZMaricopa County--Surprise City (Central) PUMA, AZMaricopa County--Goodyear, Glendale (West) & Litchfield Park (Northwest) Cities PUMA, AZMaricopa County (West) & Gila River Indian Community (Northwest) PUMA, AZ

Population & Diversity

Surprise, AZ is home to a population of 155k people, from which 97.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 6.99% of Surprise, AZ residents were born outside of the country (10.8k people).

In 2024, there were 9.18 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (102k people) in Surprise, AZ than any other race or ethnicity. There were 11.1k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 9.14k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.9%
2024 Citizenship
97.8%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.9% of Surprise, AZ residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Surprise, AZ was 97.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Surprise, AZ compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

View Data
Save Image

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Surprise, AZ
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    102k ± 3.09k
  2. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    11.1k ± 1.72k
  3. White (Hispanic)
    9.14k ± 1.85k
20%
Hispanic Population
30.9k people

In 2024, there were 9.18 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (102k people) in Surprise, AZ than any other race or ethnicity. There were 11.1k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 9.14k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

20% of the people in Surprise, AZ are hispanic (30.9k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Surprise, AZ as a share of the total population.

View Data
Save Image

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Arizona.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    487,424 ± 16,556 people
  2. India
    44,278 ± 5,150 people
  3. Canada
    39,616 ± 4,873 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Arizona was Mexico, the natal country of 487,424 Arizona residents, followed by India with 44,278 and Canada with 39,616.

View Data
Save Image

Foreign-Born Population

6.99%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
10.8k people
6.79%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
10.1k people

As of 2024, 6.99% of Surprise, AZ residents (10.8k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Surprise, AZ was 6.79%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Surprise, AZ compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

View Data
Save Image

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    4,445 ± 441
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    4,008 ± 537
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    1,705 ± 279

Surprise, AZ has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.11 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Surprise, AZ.

View Data
Save Image

Economy

The economy of Surprise, AZ employs 69.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Surprise, AZ were Health Care & Social Assistance (10,613 people), Retail Trade (9,768 people), and Finance & Insurance (6,109 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($117,961), Public Administration ($74,564), and Wholesale Trade ($73,902).

Employment

Occupations

69.3k
2024 Value
± 2,484
5.66%
1 Year growth
± 4.93%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Surprise, AZ grew at a rate of 5.66%, from 65.6k employees to 69.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Surprise, AZ, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (9,065 people), Sales & Related Occupations (8,650 people), and Management Occupations (7,858 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Surprise, AZ.

View Data
Save Image

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Arizona.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Arizona (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

View Data
Save Image

Industries

Employment by Industries

69.3k
2024 Value
± 2,484
5.66%
1 Year growth
± 4.93%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Surprise, AZ grew at a rate of 5.66%, from 65.6k employees to 69.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Surprise, AZ, are Health Care & Social Assistance (10,613 people), Retail Trade (9,768 people), and Finance & Insurance (6,109 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Surprise, AZ, though some of these residents may live in Surprise, AZ and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

View Data
Save Image

Median Earnings by Industry

$58,996
Median earning men ± $1,662
$46,216
Median earning women ± $1,544

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($84,174), Wholesale Trade ($76,875), and Information ($72,212).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($62,000), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($59,712), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($53,697).

View Data
Save Image

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Arizona.
Y-Axis
2.3%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 3.15M people employed in Arizona. This represents a 2.3% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 9.21%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Arizona.

View Data
Save Image

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Arizona went to Donald J. Trump with 52.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (46.7%), followed by Jill Stein (0.54%).

Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego are the senators currently representing the state of Arizona. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Arizona is currently represented by 9 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Surprise, AZ. Showing the available data for Arizona.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (52.2%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (46.7%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Jill Stein (0.54%)
    Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Arizona went to Donald J. Trump with 52.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (46.7%), followed by Jill Stein (0.54%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Arizona for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

View Data
Save Image

Senator Elections

US Senators from Arizona

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Arizona.
Mark Kelly
Senator from Arizona3
Assumed office on December 2, 2020
Elected to the seat to succeed Martha McSally, who had been appointed to the seat following the death of John McCain and the resignation of Jon Kyl.
Ruben Gallego
Senator from Arizona1
Assumed office on January 3, 2025

Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego are the senators currently representing Arizona.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Arizona over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

View Data
Save Image

Education

In 2023, universities in Surprise, AZ awarded 181 degrees. The student population of Surprise, AZ in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 533 male students and 303 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Surprise, AZ are White (98 and 54.1%), Hispanic or Latino (53 and 29.3%), Two or More Races (12 and 6.63%), and Black or African American (10 and 5.52%).

The largest universities in Surprise, AZ by number of degrees awarded are Ottawa University-Surprise (181 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Surprise, AZ are General Business Administration & Management (63 and 34.8%), Kinesiology & Exercise Science (31 and 17.1%), and General Psychology (23 and 12.7%).

The median tuition cost in Surprise, AZ for private four year colleges is $31,900.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

Measure

In 2023 in Surprise, AZ, the percentage of applicants admitted was 39.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 38.9%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 836 (63.8% men and 36.2% women).

The line chart  shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

View Data
Save Image

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 836 students enrolled in Surprise, AZ, 63.8% men and 36.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 341 records, of which 39% were women and 61% men.

View Data
Save Image

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Kinesiology & Exercise Science
    31 degrees awarded
  2. General Psychology
    23 degrees awarded
  3. General Business Administration & Management
    39 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Surprise, AZ was Kinesiology & Exercise Science with 31 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Surprise, AZ according to their major.

View Data
Save Image

Universities

Gender
Race
Ottawa University-Surprise
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
181 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Ottawa University-Surprise with 181 degrees awarded.

View Data
Save Image

Student Diversity

In 2023, 100 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Surprise, AZ, which is 1.23 times more than the 81 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 98 degrees mean that there were 1.85 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 53 degrees awarded.

View Data
Save Image

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($31,900) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($3,400) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

View Data
Save Image

Housing & Living

The median property value in Surprise, AZ was $435,100 in 2024, which is 1.31 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $396,000 to $435,100, a 9.87% increase. The homeownership rate in Surprise, AZ is 79.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Surprise, AZ have an average commute time of 30.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Surprise, AZ is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$435,100
Median Property Value 2024
±$5,183
$44,683
Median Property Taxes
±$1,664

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Surprise, AZ the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Surprise, AZ compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

Rent vs Own

79.1%
Homeownership
2024
70.3%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 79.1% of the housing units in Surprise, AZ were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 79%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Surprise, AZ compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

View Data
Save Image

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$96,711
Median Household Income
± $3,521
56.5k
Number of Households
± 1,947

In 2024, the median household income of the 56.5k households in Surprise, AZ grew to $96,711 from the previous year's value of $93,371.

The following chart displays the households in Surprise, AZ distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

View Data
Save Image

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Surprise, AZ is from Arizona.
0.457
2023 Wage GINI in Arizona
0.457
2022 Wage GINI in Arizona

In 2023, the income inequality in Arizona was 0.457 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.105% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Arizona was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Arizona in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Arizona across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

View Data
Save Image

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (69.4%)
  2. Worked At Home (19.5%)
  3. Carpooled (8.46%)

In 2024, 69.4% of workers in Surprise, AZ drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (19.5%) and those who carpooled to work (8.46%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

View Data
Save Image

Commute Time

30.2 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Surprise, AZ have a longer commute time (30.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.83% of the workforce in Surprise, AZ have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Surprise, AZ compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

View Data
Save Image
View Data
Save Image

Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Surprise, AZ distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Surprise, AZ have 2 cars.

View Data
Save Image

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.58% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Surprise, AZ (13.2k out of 154k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 75+, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Surprise, AZ is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

View Data
Save Image

Health

93.9% of the population of Surprise, AZ has health coverage, with 49.6% on employee plans, 10% on Medicaid, 16.3% on Medicare, 14.9% on non-group plans, and 3.15% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Arizona see 1,505 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,505 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1509 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 509 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.3% were men and 52.7% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.5% under 18 years, 17.2% between 18 and 34 years, 36.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 22.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.3% were men and 52.7% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

View Data
Save Image

Uninsured People

6.1%
Uninsured
49.6%
Employer Coverage
10%
Medicaid
16.3%
Medicare
14.9%
Non-Group
3.15%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Surprise, AZ declined by 5.35% from 6.44% to 6.1%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Surprise, AZ changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

View Data
Save Image