St. Joseph Bridge · National Register of Historic Places
Joseph City’s story
102 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1924Joseph City is settled
Joseph CityAZ
A town of 2,153, settled in 1924.
St. Joseph Bridge · Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
2,153
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$177K
Census ACS
Household income
$75K
median
Median age
23.2
years
Jobs based here
258
Balanced
Is Joseph City a good place to live?
Joseph City’s best subject grade is a B+ for cost of living; its weakest is a D for walkability. 44% of residents are under 18 in Joseph City, against 21% in Arizona’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Among 141 Arizona towns, just 1 have a lower median age than Joseph City. 17% of the land in Joseph City is conserved, near the Arizona town median (14%) and above the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). St. Joseph Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Joseph City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
How Joseph City grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Joseph City is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.8 of 20; 2.3% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Jobs & income$75K median household incomeC−Open →HealthLittle Colorado Medical Center 21.1 miles awayCOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $177K, 3.2 years of the Show Low area’s $55K median household incomeB+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →SchoolsB−Open →
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.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Joseph City: who provides what
Joseph City is unincorporated, so Navajo County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerAPS17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterJoseph City Dwid water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesNavajo CountyNavajo 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 hereNavajo County RecorderNavajo County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code8603286032 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 Joseph City.
SchoolsB−
Public schools in Joseph City beat 52% of Arizona districts
Its public schools are run by the Joseph City Unified District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
52%of AZ districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph City Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 190 | A− |
| Joseph City High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 128 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
HealthC
Joseph City is less healthy than 68% of U.S. towns
Joseph City beats the Arizona average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 71% of Joseph City adults had a checkup this year.
32%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Joseph City | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 75% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Arizona
1 better10 too close to call21 worse
| What stands out | Joseph City | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.6% | 15.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.4% | 6.6% |
Little Colorado Medical Center
21.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsC+
Joseph City has set aside 16.7% of its land for conservation
6.3 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. The trail density in Joseph City is 0.9 miles per square mile.
16.7%conserved
16.7%
conserved · 790 of 4,728 acres
6.3 mi
of trails · 0.9 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Joseph City has mild winters and hot summers
Joseph City has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Joseph City’s July high is 94°F.
3″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–51°
Spring37–72°
Summer58–92°
Fall40–73°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 22
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Most of Joseph City’s workers commute out: the town has 0.9 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Joseph City for work: only 11% work in town. Since 2013, Joseph City has added 49 jobs, to 258 in 2023. The top destinations are Winslow (20%), Phoenix (14%) and Holbrook (9%).
11%work in town
| Joseph City | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Joseph City11%
Winslow20%
Phoenix14%
Holbrook9%
Mesa5%
59 mi
median commute distance
258
jobs based in Joseph City
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Moderate risk in Joseph City, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities.
58risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingLightningWildfire
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade B+
Homes in Joseph City sell for about $339K
$339Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Joseph City
17pages on Joseph City
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Joseph City
About 2 of every 100 Joseph City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
Questions about Joseph City
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Joseph City, AZ expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $177,000, 58% 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+.