The 10 Worst Small Towns In Arizona For 2024

Most Americans have never been to small town Arizona. However, as the Arizonan who live there know, small town Arizona is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Arizona has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Grand Canyon State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 110 of Arizona’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Arizona where you’d never want to live:

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Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

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These are the worst small towns in Arizona for 2024:

1. Cibecue
2. Peridot
3. Canyon Day
4. Quartzsite
5. Casa Blanca
6. Pinon
7. Leupp
8. Lukachukai
9. Kaibito
10. Blackwater

So what is the worst small town to call home in Arizona for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Cibecue is the worst small town to live in Arizona.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Cibecue home. Everyone

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Arizona or the worst places to live in Arizona.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Arizona For 2024

1. Cibecue

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,419
Median Home Value: $95,414
Median Income: $18,250
Unemployment Rate: 16.3%

2. Peridot

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,465
Median Home Value: $0
Median Income: $40,074
Unemployment Rate: 40.6%

3. Canyon Day

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,621
Median Home Value: $103,981
Median Income: $33,284
Unemployment Rate: 13.1%

4. Quartzsite

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,141
Median Home Value: $188,335
Median Income: $19,017
Unemployment Rate: 38.9%

5. Casa Blanca

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,137
Median Home Value: $88,034
Median Income: $33,372
Unemployment Rate: 8.6%

6. Pinon

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 1,018
Median Home Value: $0
Median Income: $42,750
Unemployment Rate: 17.9%

7. Leupp

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,179
Median Home Value: $75,251
Median Income: $47,083
Unemployment Rate: 12.9%

8. Lukachukai

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,706
Median Home Value: $79,336
Median Income: $28,750
Unemployment Rate: 19.7%

9. Kaibito

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,718
Median Home Value: $83,158
Median Income: $47,212
Unemployment Rate: 16.0%

10. Blackwater

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 2,128
Median Home Value: $273,724
Median Income: $25,917
Unemployment Rate: 6.1%

Next 10 Towns

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Arizona is lousy or not?

To rank the worst small towns to live in Arizona, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

• Population Density (The lower, the worse)
• Highest Unemployment Rates
• Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
• Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
• Education (Number of high school dropouts)
• High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 110 to be exact.

We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Arizona.

There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Arizona

If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Grand Canyon State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

The worst small towns in Arizona are Cibecue, Peridot, Canyon Day, Quartzsite, Casa Blanca, Pinon, Leupp, Lukachukai, Kaibito, and Blackwater.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Arizona, according to science:

1. Kachina Village (Pop. 3,057)
2. Carefree (Pop. 3,671)
3. Rio Verde (Pop. 2,422)

For more Arizona reading, check out:

Worst Small Towns In Arizona

Rank	Town	Population	Unemployment Rate	Home Value	Median Income
1	Cibecue	1,419	16.3%	$95,414	$18,250
2	Peridot	1,465	40.6%	$0	$40,074
3	Canyon Day	1,621	13.1%	$103,981	$33,284
4	Quartzsite	2,141	38.9%	$188,335	$19,017
5	Casa Blanca	1,137	8.6%	$88,034	$33,372
6	Pinon	1,018	17.9%	$0	$42,750
7	Leupp	1,179	12.9%	$75,251	$47,083
8	Lukachukai	1,706	19.7%	$79,336	$28,750
9	Kaibito	1,718	16.0%	$83,158	$47,212
10	Blackwater	2,128	6.1%	$273,724	$25,917
11	Whiteriver	4,284	9.3%	$78,809	$37,165
12	Seven Mile	1,032	22.4%	$145,626	$50,956
13	Second Mesa	1,372	20.1%	$134,292	$50,700
14	Peach Springs	1,482	18.7%	$0	$55,000
15	Sacaton	2,713	9.4%	$123,881	$29,347
16	Chinle	3,888	11.4%	$44,939	$44,821
17	Avenue B And C	3,850	21.5%	$0	$37,346
18	Bylas	1,552	12.2%	$44,808	$39,688
19	Ak-Chin Village	1,178	14.3%	$173,038	$47,917
20	Shongopovi	1,151	28.3%	$102,531	$27,353
21	White Mountain Lake	2,817	12.1%	$174,883	$36,719
22	Sells	2,422	15.5%	$55,878	$44,038
23	San Carlos	4,405	19.6%	$71,429	$38,125
24	Dilkon	1,326	7.1%	$133,106	$40,288
25	Pirtleville	1,483	21.1%	$111,756	$48,594
26	Gila Bend	1,783	0.0%	$172,527	$52,879
27	Ehrenberg	1,012	9.7%	$338,514	$37,180
28	Tsaile	1,482	4.8%	$62,599	$39,625
29	Dolan Springs	1,397	2.4%	$127,713	$36,274
30	Scenic	1,840	22.3%	$435,745	$32,578
31	Miami	1,353	15.9%	$121,233	$30,417
32	South Tucson	4,642	14.2%	$203,732	$34,014
33	Colorado City	2,628	8.1%	$281,180	$1,000
34	First Mesa	1,454	5.6%	$79,995	$53,229
35	Black Canyon City	2,408	12.8%	$355,980	$48,468
36	Naco	1,189	5.0%	$99,236	$42,500
37	Fort Defiance	3,528	9.2%	$43,490	$50,320
38	Heber-Overgaard	2,651	26.7%	$290,198	$39,779
39	Lechee	1,453	9.6%	$123,749	$61,354
40	San Manuel	3,535	9.9%	$155,504	$45,625
41	Mammoth	1,014	17.2%	$107,802	$42,650
42	Window Rock	2,056	10.8%	$108,330	$40,242
43	Meadview	1,629	52.5%	$196,178	$55,664
44	Wilhoit	1,009	0.0%	$276,360	$43,882
45	Beaver Dam	2,013	7.7%	$299,491	$45,550
46	Moenkopi	1,064	11.3%	$141,277	$51,518
47	Willcox	3,232	16.8%	$175,200	$40,884
48	North Fork	1,689	9.9%	$107,407	$78,942
49	Ajo	2,922	7.5%	$117,764	$46,250
50	Spring Valley	1,514	2.2%	$197,023	$41,429
51	Lake Of The Woods	3,426	13.4%	$273,988	$52,480
52	Cordes Lakes	3,308	20.0%	$185,426	$51,285
53	Central Heights-Midland City	2,380	10.6%	$140,486	$68,250
54	Huachuca City	1,865	11.0%	$191,378	$44,360
55	Bouse	1,026	3.9%	$147,112	$39,279
56	Claypool	1,252	10.8%	$150,238	$53,450
57	Williams	3,275	5.5%	$419,671	$63,141
58	Grand Canyon Village	1,914	0.0%	$0	$67,256
59	Tonto Basin	1,380	0.0%	$308,074	$49,567
60	Valle Vista	2,633	11.4%	$302,059	$44,929
61	Superior	2,639	6.9%	$162,609	$39,600
62	Wellton	2,447	1.0%	$241,477	$52,654
63	Holbrook	4,842	3.9%	$177,645	$58,856
64	Springerville	2,006	1.9%	$241,279	$48,475
65	Bisbee	4,972	4.3%	$210,374	$43,512
66	Paulden	4,518	6.3%	$414,743	$65,417
67	Whetstone	2,724	5.6%	$240,382	$50,967
68	Dewey-Humboldt	4,363	8.1%	$464,319	$56,604
69	Parker	3,357	4.3%	$390,624	$67,566
70	Cienega Springs	1,441	2.3%	$228,784	$47,438
71	Fredonia	1,009	2.7%	$272,582	$57,762
72	Taylor	4,062	4.9%	$346,419	$75,125
73	Tombstone	1,046	2.9%	$218,820	$46,667
74	Six Shooter Canyon	1,325	2.3%	$242,227	$57,292
75	Clifton	3,869	1.2%	$86,321	$78,862
76	Congress	1,512	0.0%	$331,422	$61,563
77	Cactus Flats	1,238	1.8%	$342,781	$56,111
78	Red Rock Cdp (Pinal County)	3,173	5.7%	$302,718	$76,851
79	Mesa Del Caballo	1,194	4.9%	$276,360	$65,313
80	Cornville	3,582	10.2%	$496,250	$68,929
81	Star Valley	2,490	2.2%	$530,023	$62,603
82	Joseph City	2,058	5.2%	$202,031	$69,643
83	Kearny	2,327	4.3%	$163,926	$58,026
84	Cave Creek	4,966	4.5%	$980,412	$90,824
85	Bagdad	2,661	0.0%	$0	$81,417
86	Mohave Valley	2,724	4.8%	$292,366	$69,313
87	Pinetop-Lakeside	4,080	4.9%	$370,062	$57,125
88	Swift Trail Junction	2,907	0.0%	$232,079	$68,775
89	Strawberry	1,003	0.0%	$411,970	$43,083
90	St. Johns	3,419	2.2%	$214,168	$83,690
91	St. David	1,300	0.0%	$295,146	$51,705
92	Eagar	4,425	0.9%	$280,887	$82,538
93	Pima	2,847	1.8%	$280,674	$67,880
94	Mescal	1,468	0.0%	$208,357	$52,969
95	Centennial Park	1,490	6.1%	$299,686	$68,882
96	Linden	2,452	4.1%	$472,725	$79,531
97	Morenci	1,467	4.5%	$0	$83,144
98	Clarkdale	4,528	0.2%	$448,210	$40,313
99	Pine	1,526	0.0%	$466,520	$54,720
100	Desert Hills	2,651	7.6%	$282,554	$59,911