Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Holbrook gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $198K, 3.6 years of the Show Low area’s $55K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 88th of 139 in Arizona. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $57K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. 42% of working residents work locally in Holbrook, against 10% in Arizona’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Holbrook is home to Northland Pioneer College. Only 14 of Arizona’s 207 towns score higher on history.
Where Holbrook beats most towns.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Northland Pioneer College | 2,012 |
Navajo County CourthouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Holbrook is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 206 in 1890, 4,858 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1881 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Holbrook, 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 Holbrook.
Holbrook trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Homes are within reach (about $198K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 31 miles. Values rose 5.8% in the past year while the Arizona typical home fell 1%.
61% of Holbrook households own their home. Typical home values rose 5.8% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Holbrook is $905 a month.
| Holbrook | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $905 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Holbrook Unified District. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Holbrook High School, with 660 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hulet Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 341 | B |
| Holbrook High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 660 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
The nearest emergency room, Little Colorado Medical Center, is 31 miles away in a straight line. Against the 7,883 U.S. towns with household incomes like Holbrook’s, it is less healthy than 60%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
69% of adults had a checkup this year in Holbrook. Holbrook beats the Arizona average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 24. 25% of adults worry about having enough food in Holbrook.
| Holbrook | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 75% | 79% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Holbrook | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 33.8% | 37.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.3% | 7.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons average 94.1°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 21.1°.
Holbrook has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Holbrook’s July high is 94°F. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Holbrook | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 94°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 21°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
11 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Hunt Park, at 20 acres.
| Holbrook | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.6% | 15% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hunt Park | — | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jobs based here fell from 2,901 in 2013 to 1,813. The average commute for its 1,966 working residents takes 16.7 minutes, against 25.4 across Arizona.
Jobs based in Holbrook fell to 1,813 in 2023, 1,088 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Phoenix (4%), Show Low (4%) and Winslow (4%).
| Holbrook | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Holbrook.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Holbrook
About 7 of every 100 Holbrook residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arizona.
7 places in Holbrook on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Holbrook.
City in Navajo County, Arizona, US
Holbrook (Navajo: Tʼiisyaakin) is a city in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, Holbrook had a population of 4,858. The city is the county seat of Navajo County. Holbrook was founded in 1881 or 1882, when the railroad was built, and named to honor the first chief engineer of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, Henry Randolph Holbrook.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Holbrook grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #88 of 139 in Arizona. It grades C− for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
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 B+.
4 notable people were born here, including Gene Evans and Mike Budenholzer.
