Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,107, settled in 1900.
Ajo gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $120K for a typical one, or 1.7 years of the Tucson metro’s $70K median household income. It grades B overall, 27th of 139 graded towns in Arizona. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $54K, and 10% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it has 57 miles of trail and 68% conserved land. Only 11 of Arizona’s 204 towns score higher on walkability. The biggest park or preserve is Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, at 1,454 acres.
Where Ajo beats most towns.
67.6% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Ajo is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D for jobs and income (better than 12%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,336 in 1920, a peak of 7,049 in 1960, 3,039 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1974 and 3 maps from 1932 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ajo is unincorporated, so Pima County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Ajo.
Ajo trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Arizona, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Its 14,363 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 97% of Arizona towns.
The trail density in Ajo is 1.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge | 0.5 mi | 1,454 |
| 2. Bud Walker Park | 0.1 mi | 27 |
| 3. Gibson Neighborhood Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Ajo Unified District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajo Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 258 | C− |
| Ajo High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 139 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $120K for the typical one, A+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 85 miles. At 1.7 years of the Tucson metro’s $70K median household income, the typical home (about $120K) costs less against local pay than in 93% of Arizona towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living.
Ajo’s median rent is $838 a month. The typical Ajo home is worth about $120,000, down 2.9% in a year, 71% below the Arizona typical home.
| Ajo | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $838 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
People 65 and older are 43% of residents (19% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 26% of residents (36% statewide). 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Arizona.
| Ajo | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 62.8 years | 41.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 12% | 21% | 22% |
Somewhere between 38% and 59% women
The Census survey reached too few of Ajo’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±10.5 points. Across Arizona, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Ajo | AZ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.1% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.6% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.1% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.1% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 4.8% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.8% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.4% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 21% | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 22% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15.1% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.1% | 23.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 32.8% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 3.9% | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.4% | 20.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.7% | 13% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,100, single groups can be off by several points
The average commute for its 837 working residents takes 16.7 minutes, against 25.4 across Arizona.
About one in 3 of Ajo’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Tucson (16%), Phoenix (13%) and Tempe (3%).
| Ajo | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 35% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.9% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Ajo weather station records that about 168 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. January nights average 43.3°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 103.5°.
Ajo has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Ajo | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 104°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 43°F | 36°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The nearest emergency room, Sells Hospital, is 57.6 miles away in a straight line. Against the 7,107 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ajo’s, it is healthier than 91%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Ajo beats the Arizona average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 12% of Ajo adults binge drink.
| Ajo | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 80% | 75% | 79% |
| What stands out | Ajo | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.9% | 15.3% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.6% | 12% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.9% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 58% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Ajo; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Ajo residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
3 places in Ajo on the National Register of Historic Places.
Community in Pima County, Arizona
Ajo ( AH-hoh) is an unincorporated community in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is the closest community to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The population was 3,039 at the 2020 census. Ajo is located on State Route 85 just 43 miles (69 km) from the Mexican border.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Ajo grades B overall, better than 61% of U.S. towns and #27 of 139 in Arizona. It grades B for health and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
