Go with a plan.
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Phoenix at 47/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than United States's national picture overall (69/100 vs 73/100).
City page · part of United States
The one number a country page can't give you
What people who actually live in Phoenix report
Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside United States's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.
Crime Index
53.3
Safety Index
46.7
Sub-scores
Same real inputs as United States's national page, with crime swapped for Phoenix's own Numbeo number above.
Local know-how
Staying safe in Phoenix, specifically
- • Despite being a nice vacation destination, Phoenix is a major American city and as such does contain a fair amount of violent crime.
- • Maryvale, a commercial/residential district on the west side of the city of Phoenix (extending north into Glendale as well), should be avoided at almost all times unless there is a specific reason to go there.
- • Most of the suburban areas are safe during day and night; however, parts of Mesa and Glendale can be dangerous at night.
- • The Sunnyslope area (north central city of Phoenix) has some homeless and other crime issues but a police station at Peoria and 7th Ave has dramatically reduced crime.
- • The town of Guadalupe (immediately west of Tempe and bounded by Interstate 10 on the west) is unsafe at night, but is an incredibly interesting Hispanic/Native American community to visit during the day.
- • In every portion of the Phoenix area, just use common sense and be aware of your surroundings.
Legal status (national law)
Legal in some states since 1962, nationwide since 2003+ UN decl. sign.
Source: Wikipedia — LGBTQ rights by country →Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
A / B · 120V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 911 / ambulance: 911 / fire: 911
Tipping
Tipping is widely practiced in the United States. Standards vary, but gratuities are always given to servers in restaurants and bars, taxi drivers, parking valets, and bellstaff in hotels. When traveling in the U.S., try to keep some $1 and $5 bills in your wallet for small tips.
SIM / Data
The three largest mobile phone networks in the U.S. are AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile. These all have good coverage of practically all urban/suburban and many rural areas of the country, although each network has strong and weak areas. There are many mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) that rebrand service on the major carriers' networks.
Cash vs. Card
The U.S. currency is the United States dollar ($), divided into 100 cents (¢). Foreign currencies are almost never accepted, though some major hotel chains may accept traveller's checks in other currencies. Some establishments close to the Canadian and Mexican borders accept their currencies, though usually at poor exchange rates. Japanese yen is sometimes accepted in Hawaii.
How this compares to United States
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Phoenix at 47/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than United States's national picture overall (69/100 vs 73/100).
See the full United States page and all receipts →