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Arizona›Graham County
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Cactus FlatsAZ

A town of 1,508.

Population
1,508
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$314K
Census ACS
Household income
$58K
median
Median age
43.2
years
Jobs based here
12
A commuter town

Is Cactus Flats a good place to live?

The best of Cactus Flats’ subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for the outdoors; the weakest is a D for walkability. No town among the 141 in Arizona we compare has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Cactus Flats. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 81% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Among 141 Arizona towns, just 5 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Cactus Flats. The biggest park or preserve is Roper Lake State Park, at 86 acres. Cactus Flats has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

StrongestACost of livingA−OutdoorsWeakestDWalkabilityDHazard riskDJobs & income
A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Cactus Flats for work

Where Cactus Flats’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

37% → Safford Safford 37% 9% → Morenci Morenci 9% 8% → Tucson Tucson 8% 7% → Phoenix Phoenix 7% 5% → Thatcher Thatcher 5% 2% → Pima Pima 2% Cactus Flats · 0% stay
12jobs based in Cactus Flats
0%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

How Cactus Flats grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Cactus Flats is from typical.

How grading works

Cost of livingTypical home $314K, 4.7 years of the Safford area’s $67K median household incomeAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.5 of 20; 1.3% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →Jobs & income$58K median household incomeDOpen →SchoolsBeat 62% of Arizona districts on tests and graduationBOpen →HealthMt. Graham Regional Medical Center 4.3 miles awayC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors7 miles of trails; 12% conserved landA−Open →HistoryD−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 43.2; 4% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Cactus Flats: who provides what

Cactus Flats is unincorporated, so Graham County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerGraham County Electric CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Safford water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesGraham CountyGraham County provides services here
SchoolsSafford Unified DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereGraham County RecorderGraham County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code8554685546 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 Cactus Flats.

81risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
81Very high riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingHeat wavesWildfire
Full pageCactus Flats’ hazards pageOpen the page
What it facesVery high riskFlood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on recordPast disasters10 disaster declarations · Declared for the countyGet ready1.7 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commuteJobs & income grade D

Most of Cactus Flats’ workers commute out: the town has 0.0 jobs for each of them

At 19 minutes, Cactus Flats’ average trip to work is against 24 minutes in Arizona’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Cactus Flats fell to 12 in 2023, 31 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Safford (37%), Morenci (9%) and Tucson (8%).

0%work in town
Cactus FlatsArizona townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work19 minutes24 minutes25 minutes
Below the poverty line12%12%9.6%

Where working residents work

In Cactus Flats0%
Safford37%
Morenci9%
Tucson8%
Phoenix7%
7 mi
median commute distance
12
jobs based in Cactus Flats
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns
Full pageCactus Flats’ work & commute pageOpen the page
The jobs here12 jobs based here · A commuter townWhere people work0% work in Cactus FlatsCommute times19 minutes · The average commuteHow far they goHalf commute less than 7 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

In Cactus Flats, expect mild winters and hot summers

Cactus Flats has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. At 99°F, Cactus Flats’ July high is close to Arizona’s towns (100°F) and above U.S. towns (85°F).

99°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter32–63°
Spring47–82°
Summer68–98°
Fall50–82°
Nov 9
typical first frost
Mar 25
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
99°
typical summer high
Full pageCactus Flats’ climate pageOpen the page
A year of weatherJuly highs 99°, January lows 31°Rain & snow10″ of rain a year · Snow is almost unheard ofHeating & coolingBoth heating and coolingThen and now+1.3° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

OutdoorsA−

Cactus Flats has set aside 12.2% of its land for conservation

7.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Cactus Flats’ trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile.

12.2%conserved
12.2%
conserved · 489 of 4,000 acres
7.4 mi
of trails · 1.2 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Roper Lake State Park0.9 mi86
Full pageCactus Flats’ outdoors pageOpen the page
Trail map7.4 miles of trail, mappedPick a walk0.9 miles of trail · Roper Lake State ParkConserved land12.2% conserved · 489 acres protectedQuestions“Where can I hike in Cactus Flats?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

HealthC+

Residents of Cactus Flats are less healthy than 58% of U.S. towns

Cactus Flats beats the Arizona average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 73% of Cactus Flats adults had a checkup this year.

42%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
Cactus FlatsArizona townsU.S. towns
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)73%75%79%
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)14%12%8.1%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)23%21%19%
Food insecurity (CDC PLACES)18%15%14%
32 measures vs. Arizona
0 better24 too close to call8 worse
What stands outCactus FlatsAZ
More older adults who have lost all their teeth19.3%14.7%
More smokers14.8%11.4%
More adults with COPD8.3%6.6%
Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center
4.3 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
Full pageCactus Flats’ health reportOpen the page
Everyday habitsMore smokersHospitals & doctors nearby4.3 miles to an ER · Mt. Graham Regional Medical CenterHow adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor healthEvery CDC estimateBetter than AZ on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Cactus Flats

15pages on Cactus Flats
The big questions
SchoolsBBeat 62% of AZ districtsHealthC+Better than AZ on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingAWork & commuteD$58K median household income · 12 jobs hereNatural hazardsDFEMA risk higher than 81% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
OutdoorsA−7 mi of trails · 12% conserved landPlacesLibrarySafford City-Graham County LibraryCollegesEastern Arizona College is 6.2 mi away
The story
Climate99° summer highs
Day to day
NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Cactus Flats

Eastern Arizona CollegeCommunity college · Public · Thatcher6.2 mi$2,352 in-state tuition

About 6 of every 100 Cactus Flats residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arizona.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Cactus Flats

CDP in Graham County, Arizona

Cactus Flats is a census-designated place in Graham County, Arizona, United States. Its population was 1,524 as of the 2020 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
6.2 sq mi
Elevation
3,127 ft
Area code
928

Cactus Flats’s neighbors

One town shares a border with Cactus Flats.

Explore the map →
Swift Trail JunctionSwift Trail JunctionCactus Flats
Swift Trail Junction
S
Visit
How the neighbors grade
TownAZ rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Cactus Flats——A—BC+
Swift Trail Junction#56B−A—BB+

Cactus Flats has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Cactus Flats and Swift Trail Junction report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Cactus Flats with a neighbor →

Questions about Cactus Flats

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Cactus Flats, 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.