You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Arizona. Best suburbs in Arizona. Best counties in Arizona.
Etc., etc., etc.
But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Grand Canyon State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in Arizona based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.
We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in Arizona ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.
$125,625 median income · 0.6% unemployment
$131,723 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$90,375 median income · 1.7% unemployment
$131,968 median income · 0.0% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$73,359 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$69,583 median income · 4.0% unemployment
$68,495 median income · 5.8% unemployment
$147,165 median income · 3.8% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$62,361 median income · 2.9% unemployment
$111,891 median income · 5.7% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Arizona’s statewide median.
Arizona statewide median: $79,964
Arizona statewide median: $423,330
Arizona statewide median: 5.1%
On the map
Where Arizona’s best small towns are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Arizona
We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in Arizona possible.
Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 99 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 99, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Arizona. Top of that list — Fort Valley.
This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in Arizona.
The full plate
Best Small Towns In Arizona
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Valley | 1,761 | $125,625 | $971,030 | 0.6% |
| 2 | Rio Verde | 2,261 | $131,723 | $843,247 | 0.0% |
| 3 | Kachina Village | 3,212 | $90,375 | $443,718 | 1.7% |
| 4 | St. Johns | 3,395 | $131,968 | $234,884 | 0.0% |
| 5 | Tubac | 1,294 | $73,359 | $503,137 | 0.0% |
| 6 | Morenci | 1,673 | $69,583 | $0 | 4.0% |
| 7 | Wagon Wheel | 1,716 | $68,495 | $343,815 | 5.8% |
| 8 | Carefree | 3,683 | $147,165 | $1,292,631 | 3.8% |
| 9 | Desert Hills | 2,944 | $62,361 | $302,179 | 2.9% |
| 10 | Mountainaire | 1,103 | $111,891 | $531,711 | 5.7% |
| 11 | Centennial Park | 1,839 | $167,872 | $600,388 | 2.5% |
| 12 | Parks | 1,706 | $78,333 | $624,733 | 1.0% |
| 13 | Cornville | 3,618 | $72,596 | $528,168 | 8.0% |
| 14 | Eagar | 4,416 | $82,839 | $295,900 | 3.2% |
| 15 | Clifton | 3,822 | $78,480 | $70,823 | 0.8% |
| 16 | Pima | 2,995 | $97,960 | $338,034 | 4.1% |
| 17 | Pinetop-Lakeside | 4,101 | $60,694 | $397,898 | 5.7% |
| 18 | St. David | 1,098 | $53,188 | $302,892 | 0.0% |
| 19 | Wellton | 2,527 | $58,470 | $252,932 | 0.5% |
| 20 | Pinetop Country Club | 2,054 | $79,719 | $498,016 | 5.9% |
| 21 | Star Valley | 2,525 | $65,426 | $492,896 | 0.0% |
| 22 | Parker | 3,388 | $66,273 | $348,325 | 7.4% |
| 23 | Clarkdale | 4,758 | $46,563 | $472,021 | 2.7% |
| 24 | Williams | 3,369 | $76,136 | $442,779 | 5.0% |
| 25 | Lake Montezuma | 4,929 | $64,455 | $306,042 | 2.4% |
| 26 | Dewey-Humboldt | 4,501 | $66,535 | $483,719 | 9.9% |
| 27 | Pine | 1,740 | $59,432 | $482,184 | 0.0% |
| 28 | Strawberry | 1,094 | $60,492 | $397,361 | 0.0% |
| 29 | Linden | 2,502 | $98,038 | $441,358 | 9.1% |
| 30 | Bagdad | 2,814 | $107,885 | $0 | 6.5% |
| 31 | Swift Trail Junction | 2,859 | $63,074 | $219,767 | 0.0% |
| 32 | Bisbee | 4,977 | $47,613 | $224,750 | 13.6% |
| 33 | Taylor | 4,183 | $90,275 | $379,918 | 3.6% |
| 34 | Mescal | 1,760 | $55,417 | $205,280 | 3.9% |
| 35 | Paulden | 4,795 | $91,741 | $449,339 | 1.5% |
| 36 | Springerville | 2,008 | $49,051 | $259,624 | 3.8% |
| 37 | Cordes Lakes | 3,808 | $61,708 | $236,399 | 4.6% |
| 38 | Beaver Dam | 1,624 | $72,650 | $318,393 | 6.8% |
| 39 | Oracle | 3,146 | $63,774 | $526,704 | 3.6% |
| 40 | Grand Canyon Village | 1,599 | $73,418 | $0 | 1.5% |
| 41 | Colorado City | 2,702 | $64,167 | $361,746 | 4.1% |
| 42 | Huachuca City | 1,614 | $50,625 | $218,815 | 3.7% |
| 43 | Kearny | 2,109 | $47,031 | $170,816 | 4.4% |
| 44 | Holbrook | 4,858 | $56,502 | $203,704 | 3.4% |
| 45 | Cienega Springs | 1,958 | $46,575 | $205,924 | 7.4% |
| 46 | Tombstone | 1,026 | $34,901 | $235,026 | 0.8% |
| 47 | Lake of the Woods | 3,250 | $55,987 | $292,092 | 15.3% |
| 48 | Ajo | 3,107 | $53,958 | $138,105 | 6.9% |
| 49 | Superior | 2,535 | $45,030 | $196,126 | 6.2% |
| 50 | Golden Shores | 1,555 | $44,077 | $225,132 | 0.0% |
| 51 | Cactus Flats | 1,508 | $58,021 | $336,625 | 17.8% |
| 52 | Congress | 1,491 | $57,159 | $353,781 | 0.0% |
| 53 | Fredonia | 1,061 | $62,887 | $302,300 | 6.0% |
| 54 | St. Michaels | 1,142 | $65,556 | $217,299 | 12.7% |
| 55 | Tonto Basin | 1,750 | $50,762 | $332,849 | 0.0% |
| 56 | Heber-Overgaard | 3,621 | $58,542 | $291,019 | 16.4% |
| 57 | Willcox | 3,222 | $43,929 | $201,775 | 13.0% |
| 58 | Window Rock | 2,477 | $55,694 | $91,104 | 8.6% |
| 59 | Bouse | 1,203 | $47,691 | $150,977 | 4.5% |
| 60 | North Fork | 1,463 | $123,313 | $112,244 | 5.8% |
| 61 | Claypool | 1,259 | $57,900 | $126,623 | 12.0% |
| 62 | Valle Vista | 2,369 | $46,161 | $300,248 | 7.7% |
| 63 | Fort Defiance | 3,351 | $56,045 | $40,133 | 11.2% |
| 64 | Central Heights-Midland City | 2,909 | $61,400 | $129,413 | 11.9% |
| 65 | Mohave Valley | 2,555 | $60,134 | $303,995 | 9.3% |
| 66 | Joseph City | 2,153 | $75,227 | $189,506 | 7.8% |
| 67 | Gila Bend | 1,363 | $52,254 | $227,529 | 0.0% |
| 68 | Miami | 1,405 | $40,875 | $134,295 | 17.3% |
| 69 | Black Canyon City | 2,181 | $47,465 | $369,285 | 10.5% |
| 70 | Whetstone | 2,971 | $51,625 | $229,532 | 8.4% |
| 71 | LeChee | 1,307 | $61,731 | $92,392 | 3.3% |
| 72 | Tsaile | 1,696 | $48,819 | $50,113 | 6.2% |
| 73 | South Tucson | 4,550 | $33,598 | $219,315 | 10.6% |
| 74 | Chinle | 4,147 | $53,239 | $42,065 | 12.0% |
| 75 | White Mountain Lake | 2,910 | $50,263 | $185,321 | 4.8% |
| 76 | San Manuel | 3,491 | $48,314 | $157,253 | 2.4% |
| 77 | Spring Valley | 1,673 | $42,817 | $218,157 | 1.6% |
| 78 | Naco | 1,060 | $57,540 | $79,730 | 8.1% |
| 79 | Kayenta | 4,927 | $58,423 | $40,133 | 13.5% |
| 80 | Mammoth | 1,191 | $47,266 | $105,591 | 17.6% |
| 81 | First Mesa | 1,459 | $57,889 | $51,830 | 6.6% |
| 82 | San Carlos | 4,973 | $56,302 | $72,111 | 18.2% |
| 83 | Avenue B and C | 4,001 | $44,240 | $15,774 | 19.9% |
| 84 | Ak-Chin Village | 1,132 | $47,344 | $176,629 | 9.7% |
| 85 | Wilhoit | 1,101 | $57,708 | $247,238 | 7.5% |
| 86 | Peach Springs | 1,234 | $60,054 | $97,114 | 18.1% |
| 87 | Canyon Day | 1,182 | $36,207 | $62,561 | 8.7% |
| 88 | Pirtleville | 1,939 | $48,589 | $96,792 | 16.4% |
| 89 | Summit | 4,896 | $47,064 | $161,391 | 22.3% |
| 90 | Whiteriver | 4,545 | $37,440 | $63,848 | 9.7% |
| 91 | Meadview | 1,517 | $26,490 | $213,686 | 22.0% |
| 92 | Sacaton | 3,429 | $49,327 | $0 | 14.0% |
| 93 | Pinon | 1,159 | $45,563 | $88,314 | 29.8% |
| 94 | Kaibito | 1,661 | $46,932 | $64,599 | 10.0% |
| 95 | Dilkon | 1,270 | $37,656 | $82,627 | 8.7% |
| 96 | Bylas | 1,551 | $29,318 | $23,715 | 27.3% |
| 97 | Lukachukai | 1,969 | $37,011 | $55,156 | 20.5% |
| 98 | Cibecue | 2,228 | $25,791 | $114,390 | 13.3% |
| 99 | Casa Blanca | 1,697 | $30,282 | $0 | 10.4% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 99 Arizona towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these small towns in Arizona are the best in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
The best small towns in Arizona are Fort Valley, Rio Verde, Kachina Village, St. Johns, Tubac, Morenci, Wagon Wheel, Carefree, Desert Hills, and Mountainaire.
