Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,795, settled in 1926.
Paulden is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 43rd among Arizona's 139 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools rank ahead of 62% of Arizona towns. It also does better than most on health: residents are healthier than 61% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. A typical home there costs about $436K, 6.3 years of the Prescott Valley metro’s $70K median household income. Paulden’s average trip to work is 40 minutes, above both the Arizona town median (24 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Walnut Creek Ranger Station and Verde River Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Only 9 of the 140 Arizona towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Paulden.
Where Paulden’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Paulden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 3 maps from 1947 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Paulden is unincorporated, so Yavapai 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Paulden.
Paulden has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Prescott and beyond, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
12 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. Paulden’s trail density is 0.2 miles per square mile.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Research Based Education Corporation school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paulden Community SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 81 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
Paulden has 219 jobs for its 1,945 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 39.9 minutes, against 25.4 across Arizona.
Most working residents leave Paulden for work: only 1% work in town. Since 2013, Paulden has added 80 jobs, to 219 in 2023. The median household income in Paulden is $92,000.
| Paulden | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $92,000 | $68,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons average 94.9°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 26.5°.
Paulden has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Paulden | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 27°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The nearest emergency room, Exceptional Community Hospital Prescott, is 20.7 miles away in a straight line.
28% of Paulden adults have obesity. Paulden beats the Arizona average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 74% of Paulden adults had a checkup this year.
| Paulden | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 12% | 8.1% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 33% |
| What stands out | Paulden | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 6.6% |
| More smokers | 13.9% | 11.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
93% of households own their home in Paulden. The typical Paulden home is worth about $436,000, up 1.4% in a year, close to the Arizona typical home.
| Paulden | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 93% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,098 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Paulden; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Paulden residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
CDP in Yavapai County, Arizona
Paulden is a census designated place (CDP) in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 5,231 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Paulden.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paulden | #43 | B− | B− | — | B | B |
| Chino Valley | #58 | B− | C | A− | B | B− |
Paulden reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Paulden with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Paulden grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #43 of 139 in Arizona. It grades B for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.