Bowie School District No. 14 · National Register of Historic Places
Bowie’s story
115 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1911Bowie is settled
BowieAZ
A town of 384, settled in 1911.
Fort Bowie National Historic Site · Photo: SonoranDesertNPS from Tucson, Arizona · CC BY 2.0
Population
384
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$72K
−14.8% in a year
Household income
$41K
median
Median age
44.5
years
Jobs based here
39
A commuter town
Is Bowie a good place to live?
45% of residents live below the poverty line in Bowie, where Arizona’s towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. No town among the 94 in Arizona we compare has a lower value of a typical home than Bowie. Bowie’s density of trails is 2.1 miles per square mile, where Arizona’s towns sit at 1.1 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Fort Bowie National Historic Site is on the National Register of Historic Places. Bowie has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
384 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Bowie: who provides what
Bowie is unincorporated, so Cochise County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSulphur Springs Valley E C14.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBowie Wid water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesCochise CountyCochise 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 hereCochise County RecorderCochise County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code8560585605 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 Bowie.
Housing
In Bowie, the median rent runs lower than in the typical Arizona or U.S. town
Values fell 15% in the year to September 2026. Homes in Bowie are typically worth about $72,000, down 14.8% in a year, 83% below the Arizona typical home. In Bowie, 80% of households own their home.
$72KZillow home value
| Bowie | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $588 a month | $1,200 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 76% | 73% |
Typical home value
Bowie$72K
Arizona$417K
−14.8%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Schools
The schools Bowie’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to the Bowie Unified District. Below: Two of its 3 schools, each with why it was picked. 2 public schools serve Bowie, with 73 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowie Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 53 | D |
| Bowie High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 20 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Natural hazards
Very high risk in Bowie, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA puts three fifths of Bowie’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 20% to wildfires. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in just over four fifths of U.S. communities.
81risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfireDrought
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
Most of Bowie’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.3 jobs for each of them
The top destinations are Phoenix (7%), San Simon (7%) and Tucson (5%). Just 6% of Bowie’s working residents have a job in town. Jobs in Bowie grew by 34 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 39. The median commute is under 46 miles.
6%work in town
| Bowie | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 6.1% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Bowie6%
Phoenix7%
San Simon7%
Tucson5%
Sahuarita4%
46 mi
median commute distance
39
jobs based in Bowie
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter30–62°
Spring44–80°
Summer64–96°
Fall47–80°
Nov 6
typical first frost
Apr 1
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Bowie is
On the CDC’s 32 measures, Bowie is ahead of Arizona on 1 and behind on 21. Bowie: nearly a fifth of adults report frequent physical distress.
| Bowie | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 21% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 12% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 15% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Arizona
1 better10 too close to call21 worse
| What stands out | Bowie | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.1% | 8.8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.4% | 7.2% |
Northern Cochise Community Hospital
21.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,085 acres
3.5 mi
of trails · 2.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Welker-Scott Memorial Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bowie
18pages on Bowie
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Bowie; the nearest are
Eastern Arizona CollegeCommunity college · Public · Thatcher39.3 mi$2,352 in-state tuitionWestern New Mexico UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Silver City, NM76.6 mi$7,856 in-state tuitionPima Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Tucson82.2 mi$2,442 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Bowie residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Bowie for work
Where Bowie’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
39jobs based in Bowie
6%of working residents work in town
46 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Bowie
Unincorporated community in the state of Arizona, United States
Bowie is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census the population of Bowie was 449.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,763 ft
- ZIP code
- 85605
- Area code
- 520
Questions about Bowie
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bowie, AZ a good place to live?
Bowie has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.