Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cost of living is its weak spot: the typical home is worth about $459K, 8 years of the Lake Havasu City metro’s $58K median household income. Overall, Lake Havasu City earns a C−: better than just over a fifth of U.S. towns, and 101st of 139 in Arizona. Hazard risk is its strong suit (A−). Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for health and B− for walkability. On history, just 12 of Arizona’s 207 towns do worse. Rotary Park, at 52 acres with 1.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 35% of residents are 65 or older here, above both the Arizona town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). 34% of the land in Lake Havasu City is conserved, against 14% in Arizona’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns.
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap · USGS PAD-US.
Where Lake Havasu City beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Lake Havasu City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,111 in 1970, 57,144 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1972 and 3 maps from 1950 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Havasu City, 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 Lake Havasu City.
Lake Havasu City carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Arizona (mostly inland flooding), is a second-home town and fares better on crime within Arizona than nationally.
In 7 parks and preserves, walkers have 46 miles of trail. Lake Havasu City’s density of trails is 1.0 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves in the town: 7, covering 77 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rotary Park | 1.9 mi | 52 |
| 2. Cypress Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Island Ball Fields | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Lake Havasu Unified District. Three of its 17 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. 6 public schools serve Lake Havasu City, with 2,632 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderbolt Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 734 | B |
| Lake Havasu High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,523 | B |
| Jamaica Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 424 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of Arizona towns, with expected losses of about $223 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
FEMA puts 70% of Lake Havasu City’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 22% to heat waves.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 20,380 working residents takes 15.9 minutes, against 25.4 across Arizona.
The top destinations are Phoenix (10%), Kingman (3%) and Bullhead City (2%). 52% of Lake Havasu City’s working residents work right in town. The town’s average commute comes in at 16 minutes. Employers in Lake Havasu City added 2,602 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 15,131.
| Lake Havasu City | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 52% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 9.7% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
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°.
In Lake Havasu City, the January low is 43°F. The town has warm winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Lake Havasu City | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 109°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 43°F | 36°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 24.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 52% of Arizona’s graded towns.
Lake Havasu City’s rate of reported violence stands at 3 per 1,000 residents. Its property offense rate is 10.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Lake Havasu City | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.3 per 1,000 residents | 11.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 8 years of the Lake Havasu City metro’s $58K median household income, the typical home (about $459K) costs more against local pay than in 89% of Arizona towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. The typical value, about $459K, is 9% below its July 2022 peak.
A typical home in Lake Havasu City is worth about $459,000, up 0.8% in a year, 10% above the Arizona typical home. Homes sold in Lake Havasu City spent a median 37 days on the market. In Lake Havasu City, the typical sale closed at 97.4% of the list price.
| Lake Havasu City | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 52% | 46% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,320 a month | $1,190 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
One in ten adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Lake Havasu City. CDC measures, 32 in all: Lake Havasu City beats Arizona on 7 and trails on 12. Among adults in the town, 29% feel lonely and 14% report frequent mental distress.
| Lake Havasu City | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 23% |
| What stands out | Lake Havasu City | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.2% | 12% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 10.4% | 13.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Lake Havasu City; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Lake Havasu City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
City in Mohave County, Arizona
Lake Havasu City (, HAH-və-soo) is a city in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. The population was 57,144 as of the 2020 census, and was estimated at 59,358 in 2025. It is served by Lake Havasu City Airport.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Lake Havasu City.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Havasu City | #101 | C− | D | C+ | B+ | B− |
| Desert Hills | #41 | B− | B | — | B+ | B+ |
Desert Hills reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Lake Havasu City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lake Havasu City grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #101 of 139 in Arizona. It grades B− for health, C+ for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
Lake Havasu City was established in 1963. 2 notable people were born here, including Leo Biasiucci and Ryan Reynolds.