Desert HillsAZ
A town of 2,944.
What should you know before moving to Desert Hills?
Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades B−, ranked 41st of 139 in Arizona. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 75% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Among 140 Arizona towns, just 3 have a higher July high than Desert Hills.
Desert Hills has grown 23% from 2010 to 2020
2,245 counted in 2010 and 2,764 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Desert Hills grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Desert Hills is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Desert Hills: who provides what
Desert Hills is unincorporated, so Mohave 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Desert Hills.
Desert Hills is a second-home town, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
49% of residents are 65 or older
18.7% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 5.2% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
People 65 and older are 49% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 6% of residents (23% statewide). 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Arizona.
| Desert Hills | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 64.5 years | 41.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 24% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 40% and 65% women
The Census survey reached too few of Desert Hills’ residents to say more: its margin here is ±12.6 points. Across Arizona, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Desert Hills | AZ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.2% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 1.5% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 1% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.4% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 6.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.7% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 26% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 32.1% | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 16.4% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.2% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.9% | 23.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 33.8% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 3.2% | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.1% | 20.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.8% | 13% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,900, single groups can be off by several points
About half of Desert Hills’ working residents commute to Lake Havasu City
33.6% of workers work from home, against 18.4% across Arizona.
Most working residents leave Desert Hills for work: only 5% work in town. 3.9% of residents live below the poverty line in Desert Hills. Jobs based in Desert Hills grew to 446 in 2023, 53 more than in 2013.
| Desert Hills | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.9% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.1% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
High risk in Desert Hills, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
On CDC estimates, Desert Hills is healthier than 70% of U.S. towns
Against the 9,495 U.S. towns with household incomes like Desert Hills’s, it is healthier than 92%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Desert Hills beats the Arizona average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 27% of Desert Hills adults feel lonely.
| Desert Hills | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 20% | 23% |
| What stands out | Desert Hills | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7% | 12% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.3% | 15.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.4% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Mild winters and hot summers in Desert Hills
The Lake Havasu City weather station records that about 178 days a year reach 90°, more than in 100% of U.S. towns. January nights average 43.4°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 109.9°.
Desert Hills has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. Desert Hills’ January low is 43°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median home in Desert Hills sells for about $905K
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Desert Hills
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Desert Hills; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Desert Hills residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
95% of working residents leave Desert Hills for work
Where Desert Hills’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Desert Hills
CDP in Mohave County, Arizona
Desert Hills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. The population was 2,764 at the 2020 census, up from 2,245 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 541 ft
Desert Hills’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Desert Hills.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Hills | #41 | B− | B | — | B+ | B+ |
| Lake Havasu City | #101 | C− | D | C+ | B+ | B− |
| Crystal Beach | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Desert Hills reports no FBI crime data of its own. Crystal Beach isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Desert Hills with a neighbor →
Questions about Desert Hills
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Desert Hills, AZ a good place to live?
Desert Hills grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #41 of 139 in Arizona. It grades B+ for health and B+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Desert Hills, AZ expensive?
The typical home is worth about $282,000, 32% 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 B.