Report: Buckeye top Arizona city for income equality

PHOENIX — According to a report by a housing research company, Buckeye is the best Arizona city for income equality.

The HomeArea.com report measured income equality in 17 Arizona cities with a population of 60,000 or more.

Income equality was measured on a scale from 0 to 100, with lower values indicating that household income is more evenly distributed in a city.

Buckeye scored a 34.4, while Scottsdale–the worst on the list–scored 50.1.

“Buckeye is very proud to top this list,” Annie DeChance, communications manager for city of Buckeye told KTAR News 92.3 FM last week. “The diversity that’s in our city makes Buckeye just a great place to live.”

This is the first year that Buckeye was ranked in the report.

DeChance said the city is focused on “doing a lot of the right things, planning now for growth and in the future,” which includes providing a variety of housing options for residents.

“Especially in the housing area, we offer both an urban and a rural lifestyle for residents so we’ve got really nice executive homes and we’ve got quality homes for folks that are first-time homebuyers,” DeChance said. “And if you want an acre of property or more, we’ve got that right there in the city as well, too.”

Goodyear experienced the largest increase in income inequality, rising from a score of 36.9 to 40.3, while Flagstaff decreased inequality, dropping from a score of 46.7 to 44.

Phoenix ranked No. 14 with a score of 48.

Cities in the U.S. generally range from scores of 30 to 65.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Griselda Zetino contributed to this report.

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