Arivaca Schoolhouse · National Register of Historic Places
Arivaca’s story
148 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1878Arivaca is settled
ArivacaAZ
A town of 268, settled in 1878.
Photo: The Old Pueblo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
268
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$72K
Census ACS
Household income
$31K
median
Median age
67.1
years
Jobs based here
70
A commuter town
Is Arivaca a good place to live?
49% of residents live below the poverty line in Arivaca, against 12% in Arizona’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. No town among the 141 in Arizona we compare has a lower median household income than Arivaca. 49% of the land in Arivaca is conserved, above both the Arizona town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, 1,074 acres with 3.4 miles of trail. Arivaca has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
268 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Getting set up
Moving to Arivaca: who provides what
Arivaca is unincorporated, so Pima County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerTrico Electric Cooperative14.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterArivaca Townsite Water CoopNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesPima CountyPima County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Arizona you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections herePima County RecorderPima County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code8560185601 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Arivaca.
Who lives here
51% of residents are 65 or older
People 65 and older are 51% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 0% of residents (23% statewide). Arivaca’s median age is 67.1 years. 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Arizona.
67.1median age · AZ 39
| Arivaca | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 67.1 years | 41.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 24% | 29% |
ArivacaArizonaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
31%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma0%
High school36%
Some college29%
Associate’s0%
Bachelor’s35%
Graduate0%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 10% and 59% women
The Census survey reached too few of Arivaca’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±24.2 points. Across Arizona, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Arivaca | AZ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 0% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.4% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 0% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 0% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 26.1% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.7% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 31% | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 19.8% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.3% | 23.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 29.2% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 0% | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 34.6% | 20.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 0% | 13% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
Outdoors
Nearly a third of Arivaca is conserved land
20 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in Arivaca is 0.7 miles per square mile.
48.8%conserved
48.8%
conserved · 8,637 of 17,710 acres
20 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge | 3.4 mi | 1,074 |
| 2. Schoolhouse Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards
In Arivaca, the FEMA risk score runs higher than in the typical Arizona or U.S. town
Only 3 of the 141 Arizona towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than Arivaca.
99risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
WildfireInland floodingHeat waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
Most of Arivaca’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Arivaca for work: only 4% work in town. Jobs based in Arivaca fell to 70 in 2023, 84 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Tucson (16%), Phoenix (15%) and Sahuarita (8%).
4%work in town
Where working residents work
In Arivaca4%
Tucson16%
Phoenix15%
Sahuarita8%
Green Valley5%
52 mi
median commute distance
70
jobs based in Arivaca
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Arivaca has mild winters and hot summers
Arivaca has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 94°, January nights drop to 32° and snow is almost unheard of.
95°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter32–64°
Spring43–78°
Summer63–94°
Fall48–81°
Nov 10
typical first frost
Apr 5
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
95°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Arivaca is
Arivaca beats the Arizona average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 11% of adults binge drink in Arivaca.
| Arivaca | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 75% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Arizona
7 better13 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Arivaca | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.9% | 15.3% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.9% | 12% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.2% | 6.6% |
Holy Cross Hospital
25.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
$365Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Arivaca
16pages on Arivaca
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Arivaca; the nearest are
Tohono O'odham Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Sells37.9 mi$932 in-state tuitionUniversity of ArizonaUniversity or college · Public · Tucson49.7 mi$13,926 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Arivaca residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Arivaca for work
Where Arivaca’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
70jobs based in Arivaca
4%of working residents work in town
52 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Arivaca
Unincorporated community in Pima County
Arivaca (O'odham: Ali Wa:pk) is an unincorporated community in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is located 11 miles (18 km) north of the Mexican border and 35 miles (56 km) northwest of the port of entry at Nogales. The European-American history of the area dates back at least to 1695, although the community was not founded until 1878. Arivaca has the ZIP code 85601. The 85601 ZIP Code Tabulation Area had a population of 909 at the 2000 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 28 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,643 ft
- ZIP code
- 85601
- Area code
- 520
Questions about Arivaca
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Arivaca, AZ a good place to live?
Arivaca has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.