Elevation of Scottsdale
1,259ft
above sea level · 384 m
Scottsdale is a city in Arizona with 243,006 people, the 7th most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 39th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 33.51° N · 111.90° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 33° 30′ 33″ N · 111° 53′ 57″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 12S · 416,501 E · 3,708,102 N
- Zone 12 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Mountain Standard Time (no DST)
- UTC−7 all year: no daylight saving time
- Population (2025)
- 243,006 people
- 184 sq mi of land · 1,321 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from November 2021: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Scottsdale had 243,006 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 0.7% more than in April 2020, when it had 241,326. Its 184 sq mi of land work out to 1,321 people/sq mi; the state average is 67 people/sq mi.
It’s the 7th most populous of the 467 places the Census counts in Arizona (cities, towns and CDPs), after Phoenix (1,665,481), and holds 3.2% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Maricopa County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 12 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000
Scottsdale sits at 1,259 ft (384 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Scottsdale is 397 ft above it.
The state capital, Phoenix, is 11 mi away in a straight line and 171 ft lower than Scottsdale.
The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Mesa, 7.4 mi away in a straight line and 17 ft lower.
Of the 14 cities in Arizona with a page, Scottsdale is the 2nd highest: the highest is Tucson (2,481 ft) and the lowest is Yuma (141 ft).
The highest point in Arizona is Humphreys Peak, at 12,633 ft according to the USGS: 11,374 ft above Scottsdale, 128 mi away in a straight line.
- 39 Scottsdale 1,259 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Scottsdale.
What is the elevation of Scottsdale?
Scottsdale is 1,259 feet (384 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Scottsdale?
Latitude 33.50921 and longitude -111.89903, in decimal degrees (33° 30′ 33″ N · 111° 53′ 57″ W). In UTM, zone 12: 416,501 E and 3,708,102 N, on NAD83.
How does Scottsdale rank among the highest US cities of its size?
It’s the 39th highest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).
What county is Scottsdale in?
Maricopa County, Arizona.
Which is higher, Scottsdale or Phoenix?
Scottsdale. Scottsdale sits at 1,259 ft and Phoenix at 1,088 ft: a difference of 171 ft, 11 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know