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
With 268 residents, this town was 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 middle 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
A bachelor’s degree or higher: 35% of adults 25 and older, vs 33% across Arizona. The age of the median resident in Arivaca is 67.1 years.
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
Arivaca keeps nearly a third of its land conserved
For Arivaca, the trail network density is 0.7 miles per square mile. 20 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
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
62% of Arivaca’s expected losses from natural hazards come from wildfires, followed by inland flooding at 31%. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 99% of U.S. communities.
99risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
WildfireInland floodingHeat waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
With only 0.4 jobs per working resident, most people in Arivaca work out of town
Jobs in Arivaca fell by 84 from 2013 to 2023, to 70. Only 4% of working residents stay in Arivaca for work; the rest commute out. The top destinations are Tucson (16%), Phoenix (15%) and Sahuarita (8%). For half of commuters, work is under 52 miles away.
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
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
On the CDC’s 32 measures, Arivaca is ahead of Arizona on 7 and behind on 12. For adults here, the share who binge drink is 11%. Among adults in the town, 45% have high blood pressure and 17% report frequent physical distress.
| 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
Census ACS, 2020–24 · 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.