Bouse-Mining-equipment, 2017
Bouse’s story
119 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2017.
- 1907Bouse is settled
BouseAZ
A town of 1,203, settled in 1907.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,203
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$147K
+5.5% in a year
Household income
$48K
median
Median age
75.0
years
Jobs based here
34
A commuter town
Is Bouse a good place to live?
The best of Bouse’s subject grades are an A− for cost of living and the outdoors; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. Bouse’s July high is 108°F, where Arizona’s towns sit at 100°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. No town among the 141 in Arizona we compare has a higher median age than Bouse. The median household income is $48K, and 9% of residents live below the poverty line. 93% of the land in Bouse is conserved, against 14% in Arizona’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Cactus Plain Wilderness Study Area, at 6,427 acres. Bouse has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Bouse stand out
Where Bouse beats most towns.
Small town
1,203 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
UttingBouse
How Bouse grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Bouse is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →Jobs & income34 jobs based hereDOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $147K, 3 years of the county’s $49K median household incomeA−Open →HealthParker Indian Health Center 17.8 miles awayC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.6 of 20; 3.4% of households have no car; 9.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 75.0; 5% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Bouse: who provides what
Bouse is unincorporated, so La Paz County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerAPS17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBouse Dwid water system4 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLa Paz CountyLa Paz County provides services here
SchoolsBicentennial Union High School DistrictBouse Elementary District2 districts serve Bouse; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereLa Paz County RecorderLa Paz County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code8532585325 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 Bouse.
OutdoorsA−
Nearly a third of Bouse is conserved land
81 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Bouse is 0.6 miles per square mile.
92.9%conserved
92.9%
conserved · 80,566 of 86,748 acres
81 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cactus Plain Wilderness Study Area | 0.2 mi | 6,427 |
| 2. Bouse Community Park | 0.1 mi | 36 |
| 3. Camp Bouse | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Schools
The schools Bouse’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Bouse Elementary District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bouse Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 52 | D |
NCES · EDFacts
HousingCost of living grade A−
A larger share of households own their home in Bouse than in most of Arizona or the rest of the country
97% of Bouse households own their home. Typical home values rose 5.5% in the year to September 2026.
$147KZillow home value
Typical home value
Bouse$147K
Arizona$417K
+5.5%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most of Bouse’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Bouse for work: only 1% work in town. Bouse’s average trip to work is 19 minutes. The top destinations are Phoenix (13%), Salome (7%) and Vicksburg (7%).
1%work in town
| Bouse | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.9% | 12% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Bouse1%
Phoenix13%
Salome7%
Vicksburg7%
Brenda6%
98 mi
median commute distance
34
jobs based in Bouse
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
High risk in Bouse, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 74% of U.S. communities.
74risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHeat waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Bouse
Bouse has mild winters and scorching summers, with very little rain.
108°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter40–67°
Spring55–86°
Summer76–106°
Fall58–88°
Nov 28
typical first frost
Feb 18
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
108°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
On CDC estimates, Bouse is less healthy than 59% of U.S. towns
Bouse beats the Arizona average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 48% of adults have high blood pressure in Bouse. Among 141 Arizona towns, just 7 have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Bouse.
41%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Bouse | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 36% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Arizona
10 better10 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Bouse | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.5% | 12% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.4% | 15.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 12.9% | 6.4% |
Parker Indian Health Center
17.8 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bouse
16pages on Bouse
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Bouse; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Bouse residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
Get outside
81 miles of trails in Bouse
92.9% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
1
Cactus Plain Wilderness Study Area0.2 mi of trails · 6,427 acres
2
Bouse Community Park0.1 mi of trails · 36 acres
3
Camp Bouse1 acres
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
About Bouse
CDP in La Paz County, Arizona
Bouse ( BOWSS rhymes with "house") is a census-designated place (CDP) and ghost town in La Paz County, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1908 as a mining camp, the economy of Bouse is now based on tourism, agriculture, and retirees. The population was 996 at the 2010 census. It was originally named Brayton after the store owner John Brayton Martin.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 136 sq mi
- Elevation
- 948 ft
- ZIP code
- 85325
- Area code
- 928
Questions about Bouse
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bouse, AZ expensive?
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−.