Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 6,277 people live in this town, in Arizona.
Low prices, and some weak spots to weigh against them. Overall, Avra Valley earns a C−: better than 24% of U.S. towns, and 93rd of 139 in Arizona. The weak point is hazard risk — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Cost of living is its strong suit (A+): a typical home costs about $158K, 2.3 years of the Tucson metro’s $70K median household income. It also does well on schools: its schools outperform 68% of the state's. Incomes are weaker too: the median household income is $54K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. Health is weaker too: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country. Walkability is weaker too. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 95% of U.S. towns.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · FEMA National Risk Index · health, CDC PLACES.
Where Avra Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Avra Valley is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 1%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,403 in 1990, 5,569 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2011 and 3 maps from 1959 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Avra Valley. Close and well known come first.
10 mi National ParkSaguaro National Park848K visitors a year
26 mi Stadium & arenaArizona Stadium
32 mi MountainMount Lemmon
34 mi MuseumPima Air & Space Museum
15 mi State parkPicacho Peak State Park
16 mi Zoo & aquariumArizona-Sonora Desert MuseumSaguaro National Park: Luke Jones from Yucca Valley, CC BY 2.0 · Arizona Stadium: Wcarlisle4, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Lemmon: Debby Kriegel, Public domain · Pima Air & Space Museum: The original uploader was MCB at English Wikipedia. Later versions were uploade, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Picacho Peak State Park: Tony the Marine (talk), Public domain · Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0
Avra Valley 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 Avra Valley.
Avra Valley trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Arizona (mostly inland flooding).
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Arizona towns, with expected losses of about $801 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
The national flood insurance program has paid 4 claims in Avra Valley since 1983. FEMA puts 78% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 15% to heat waves.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its one school is below. Avra Valley’s only public school teaches 372 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roadrunner Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 372 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
For adults in Avra Valley, the share who have obesity is 38%. 42% of adults have high blood pressure here, above both Arizona’s towns (36%) and U.S. towns (35%). Also worth knowing: only 10 of the 140 Arizona towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Avra Valley. Two figures for adults in the town: 20% report frequent mental distress, 29% say their health is fair or poor.
| Avra Valley | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 21% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Avra Valley | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.2% | 15.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.5% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Avra Valley has 144 jobs for its 2,036 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 33.6 minutes, against 25.4 across Arizona.
Only 2% of working residents stay in Avra Valley for work; the rest commute out. This Arizona town had 144 jobs in 2023, up 84 from 2013. Its average trip to work comes in at 34 minutes. The top destinations are Tucson (31%), Marana (16%) and Phoenix (8%).
| Avra Valley | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Avra Valley’s trail network density comes in at 0.5 miles per square mile. Trails run 11 miles in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Ironwood Forest National Monument, 3,277 acres with 2.1 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ironwood Forest National Monument | 2.1 mi | 3,277 |
| 2. Los Robles Wash | — | 73 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Tucson 17 Nw weather station, 14 miles away, records that about 161 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 103.5°, hotter than in 100% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.9°.
Snow is almost unheard of. Avra Valley’s July high stands at 104°F.
| Avra Valley | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 104°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 39°F | 36°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes are within reach (A+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 27 miles. At 2.3 years of the Tucson metro’s $70K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 89% of Arizona towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living.
76% of Avra Valley households own their home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Avra Valley; the nearest are
About 9 of every 100 Avra Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
CDP in Pima County, Arizona
Avra Valley (O'odham: Ko:jĭ Pi Bak) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pima County, Arizona, United States. The population was 6,050 at the 2010 census, up from 5,038 in 2000.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Avra Valley.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avra Valley | #93 | C− | A+ | — | B+ | D |
| Picture Rocks | #90 | C | B+ | — | B+ | C+ |
Avra Valley and Picture Rocks report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Avra Valley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Avra Valley grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #93 of 139 in Arizona. It grades D for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $158,000, 62% below the Arizona typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
