Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The median household income is $48K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line. Overall it grades C−, 105th among Arizona's 139 graded towns. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 83% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 10 places on the National Register. 9.4% of residents are under 18 in Bisbee, where Arizona’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 22%. Only 1 of Arizona’s 207 towns score higher on history. Bisbee's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Where Bisbee beats most towns.
Phelps Dodge General Office Building
Jack Williamson
Phelps Dodge General Office Building is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,535 in 1890, a peak of 9,914 in 1960, 4,923 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1897 and 7 maps from 1902 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Bisbee is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bisbee, and how to reach them.
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 Bisbee.
Bisbee fares better on crime within Arizona than nationally, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Arizona.
For Bisbee, the density of trails is 2.2 miles per square mile. In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 11 miles of trail. Among 136 Arizona towns, just 7 have a lower share of conserved land than Bisbee.
| Bisbee | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.2 miles per square mile | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 15% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. City Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
| 2. Garfield Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The largest public high school is New Crossroads Academy, with 311 students. Public schools: the Bisbee Unified District. 4 public schools serve Bisbee, with 929 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenway Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 198 | C+ |
| New Crossroads AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 311 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
A home in Bisbee typically sold within 49 days of listing. The town’s going rate for rent stands at $866 a month. The share of households in Bisbee who own their home: 71%.
| Bisbee | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $866 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The median household earns $47,613, against $79,964 across Arizona, one input to its D− for jobs and income.
A bachelor’s degree or higher: 31% of adults 25 and older, vs 33% across Arizona. People 65 and older are 35% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 9% of residents (22% statewide). Bisbee’s midpoint age comes in at 58.7 years.
| Bisbee | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 58.7 years | 41.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 24% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.5 points. Across Arizona, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Bisbee | AZ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.8% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.6% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.6% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.3% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.7% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 21% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 21.7% | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.3% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.2% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.1% | 23.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.2% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.7% | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.6% | 20.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.2% | 13% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,900, single groups can be off by several points
FEMA puts 50% of Bisbee’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 27% to wildfires. Paid flood insurance claims here since 1986: 12.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 4,886 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bisbee’s, it is healthier than 74%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
In Bisbee, 45% of adults have high blood pressure, and 18% report frequent physical distress. Against the Arizona average, Bisbee comes out ahead on 5 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 16. Just over a tenth of Bisbee adults binge drink.
| Bisbee | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Bisbee | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.7% | 15.3% |
| Fewer lonely adults | 27.7% | 32% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.1% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 12.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 87% of Arizona’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 1.4 per 1,000 residents.
In Bisbee, the rate of thefts and burglaries is 6.6 per 1,000 residents. The town’s rate of reported violence is 1.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Bisbee | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.6 per 1,000 residents | 11.1 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Bisbee 1wnw weather station records that about 36 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 84% of Arizona places with climate records. July afternoons average 90.4°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 79% of Arizona places with climate records; January nights average 34.2°.
About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter. The July high for Bisbee comes to 90°F.
| Bisbee | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 90°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 34°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 2,511 in 2013 to 1,886.
29% of working residents work locally in Bisbee. Employers in Bisbee shed 625 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,886. For Bisbee, the average trip to work is 20 minutes. The top destinations are Tucson (11%), Sierra Vista (10%) and Phoenix (7%).
| Bisbee | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 29% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Bisbee; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Bisbee residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arizona.
5,575 counted in 2010 and 4,923 in 2020; an estimated 4,860 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
10 places in Bisbee on the National Register of Historic Places.
20 notable people were born in Bisbee.
City in Cochise County, Arizona, US
Bisbee is a city in and the county seat of Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town was 4,923, down from 5,575 in the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bisbee grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #105 of 139 in Arizona. It grades C for health, B+ for safety and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.8 years of the area's median household income ($59,742 across the Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
20 notable people were born here, including Jack Williamson and Lloyd Hughes.
