Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,181, settled in 1879. More miles of trail than almost any town in Arizona.
Pima gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $335K, 5 years of the Safford area’s $67K median household income. It grades B overall, 21st of 139 graded towns in Arizona. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 76% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it has 43 miles of trail. Pima’s trail density is 5.8 miles per square mile, against 1.1 in Arizona’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. No town among the 56 in Arizona we compare has a lower violent crime rate than Pima. The biggest park or preserve is Vard Lines Memorial Arena, at 30 acres.
Where Pima beats most towns.
2,387 counted in 2010 and 2,847 in 2020; an estimated 3,181 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 11.8% since 2020, after 19.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Pima is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 750 in 1890, a low of 500 in 1910, 2,847 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 2 maps from 1960 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pima, 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 Pima.
Pima has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, has home values rising while Arizona’s fall and has added half again as many jobs in ten years.
Pima sits where Arizona’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 4.3% on this measure. More trails than any other town in Arizona.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Vard Lines Memorial Arena | — | 30 |
| 2. Heritage Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Pima Unified District. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Pima High School, with 335 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pima Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 500 | B+ |
| Pima High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 335 | C |
| Discovery Plus AcademyTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 119 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here grew from 373 in 2013 to 620.
Most working residents leave Pima for work: only 18% work in town. 5.1% of Pima residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Pima grew to 620 in 2023, 247 more than in 2013.
| Pima | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.1% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $98,000 | $68,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Since 1978, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pima.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Pima beats the Arizona average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 71% of adults had a checkup this year in Pima.
| Pima | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 75% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 13% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Pima | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.6% | 11.3% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 33% | 37.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.2% | 14.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Safford Ag Ctr weather station, 11 miles away, records that about 142 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 99.6°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 31.9°.
Pima has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Pima’s July high is 100°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Pima | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 100°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 32°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Values rose 3.4% in the past year while the Arizona typical home fell 1%. The median property tax bill is $892, against $1,879 across Arizona, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Pima home is worth about $335,000, 20% below the Arizona typical home.
| Pima | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 67% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,162 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Pima's reported crime rate is well below Arizona's. The property crime rate in Pima is 5.4 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Pima
About 5 of every 100 Pima residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arizona.
3 notable people were born in Pima.
Town in Graham County, Arizona, United States
Pima is a town in Graham County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, Pima had a population of 2,847. Pima is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area. Despite its name, it is not located in nearby Pima County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Pima grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #21 of 139 in Arizona. It grades B+ for health and B− for schools, and has the most trail per square mile in the state. Hazard risk 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+.
3 notable people were born here, including Sarah Y. Mason and Frank T. Mildren.
