2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Palmdale, CA vs Surprise, AZ

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Highlights
- Household income in Surprise, is 8% more than it is in Palmdale and is 10% above the National Average.
- Palmdale unemployment rate is 15.6%.
- Surprise unemployment rate is 6.7%.
 Palmdale, CASurprise, AZUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock6.7%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock3.3%1.6%
 Future Job Growth30.5%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes9.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock3.4%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$24,845  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$76,623$69,021
 Family Median Income$74,639  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Palmdale, CASurprise, AZUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock5.1%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.6%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock5.2%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K8.9%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock8.3%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.9%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock13.7%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K15.6%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock21.9%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K7.2%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock5.2%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Palmdale, CASurprise, AZUnited States
 Management, business, finance9.9%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock5.1%6.5%
 Community, social services1.8%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.8%1.2%
 Education, library5.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.3%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology4.7%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.2%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement3.4%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock6.2%5.4%
 Building maintenance4.8%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.0%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support22.1%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.4%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair11.9%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock10.7%13.1%
Reviews for Palmdale    35 Reviews

Over 7 years ago

I've lived here for nine years and I haven't had any problems. The weather is hot during the summer we get real Summers during the winter it's cold and it's sometimes  More

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Over 7 years ago

I have lived here for many years and I wish I could move elsewhere. I have lived on both the east and west sides of this city. The west side is supposedly better and I  More

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Over 12 years ago

I live in West Palmdale, right by the mall and i just love it. The area is in need of more restaurants, preferably steak houses, a good old fashion Chinese restaurant  More

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Reviews for Surprise    52 Reviews

I have lived in Surprise, Az. For the past 21 years. One of the best cities to live in Az. From the police department to maintaining the streets & freeways. One thing I  More

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I am an Arizona native - 55 years - and have lived in Surprise since 2003. I wouldn't live anywhere else! I have watched this place grow and prosper. It is very family  More

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Over 12 years ago

The city of surprise is a beautiful place. It would not be a good place to live however. They have a young eager police force. You are taking a BIG risk driving  More

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