Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Prescott grades C+ overall, ranked 68th of 139 in Arizona, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 81% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it has 146 miles of trail. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $593K for a typical one and 8.5 times the Prescott Valley metro’s $70K median household income. Its National Register listings include Old Governor's Mansion and Prescott Public Library. On walkability, just 20 of Arizona’s 204 towns do better.
Where Prescott beats most towns.
Old Governor's Mansion| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Yavapai College | 5,126 |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott | 3,269 |
| Prescott College | 166 |
Its 66 National Register listings are more than in 97% of Arizona towns with a listing.
Census counts: 668 in 1870, 45,827 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1864 and 2 maps from 1947 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Prescott is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Prescott, 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 Prescott.
Prescott has commutes shorter than most of Arizona and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Arizona; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Arizona.
Across 12 parks and preserves: 146 miles of trail. The biggest place to walk is Watson Wood Preserve, 89 acres with 2 miles of trail. In Prescott, the trail network density is 3.0 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Watson Wood Preserve | 2 mi | 89 |
| 2. Watson Lake Park | 1.7 mi | 84 |
| 3. Acker Park | 1.3 mi | 74 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Prescott Unified District runs its public schools. Of its 24 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. Public school enrollment locally: 1,977 students across 6 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granite Mountain Middle SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 512 | B+ |
| Prescott High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 1,497 | B |
| BASIS PrescottTop results in townGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 610 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
Prescott has grown 5.4% since 2020, to 48,420 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. In Prescott, the median age is 59.7 years. The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 40%, against 33% across Arizona. Just over one in ten residents are under 18 here.
| Prescott | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 59.7 years | 41.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 12% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 24% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.1 points. Across Arizona, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 62.3, men 57.0.
| Prescott | AZ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.4% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.6% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.3% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.9% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 6.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.3% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.3% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 22.1% | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 18.6% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.3% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.5% | 23.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.6% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.7% | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.4% | 20.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.5% | 13% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
At 8.5 years of the Prescott Valley metro’s $70K median household income, the typical home (about $593K) costs more against local pay than in 92% of Arizona towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
For households in Prescott, the share who live in a home they own is 68%. A typical home locally is worth about $593,000, about the same as a year ago, 42% above the Arizona typical home. The town’s typical rent comes in at $1,395 a month.
| Prescott | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,395 a month | $1,190 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 46% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In Prescott, 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 140 Arizona towns, just 8 have a lower share of adults who have obesity than Prescott. Also worth knowing: this Arizona town beats the Arizona average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7.
| Prescott | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 32% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 33% |
| What stands out | Prescott | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.8% | 12% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9% | 15.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.3% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Prescott’s rate of reported violence stands at 4.3 per 1,000 residents. For Prescott, the rate of thefts and burglaries is 12.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Prescott | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.1 per 1,000 residents | 11 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Prescott weather station records that about 44 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 82% of Arizona places with climate records. July afternoons average 90.3°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 80% of Arizona places with climate records; January nights average 25.5°.
About 10 inches of snow falls in a winter. The July high locally is 90°F.
| Prescott | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 90°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 26°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 16,732 working residents takes 19 minutes, against 25.4 across Arizona.
For half of commuters, work is under 10 miles away. Among working residents in Prescott, 37% work locally. The top destinations are Phoenix (17%), Prescott Valley (9%) and Scottsdale (4%). Its mean commuting time is 19 minutes.
| Prescott | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 37% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected losses in Prescott break down as 68% from inland flooding and 23% from wildfires. Since 1980, 31 flood insurance claims have been paid out locally. The natural-hazard score from FEMA for Prescott comes to 56 of 100. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2010.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Prescott. Close and well known come first.
34 mi National MonumentMontezuma Castle National Monument320K visitors a year
in town MuseumFort Whipple
in town MuseumSharlot Hall Museum
26 mi National MonumentTuzigoot National Monument86K visitors a year
37 mi Park & preserveAgua Fria National Monument30 mi Zoo & aquariumOut of Africa Wildlife ParkMontezuma Castle National Monument: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Whipple: Marine 69-71, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sharlot Hall Museum: Doncram, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tuzigoot National Monument: The original uploader was Jhugg at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Agua Fria National Monument: BLM photo, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Prescott
About 8 of every 100 Prescott residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
3 colleges in town.
66 places in Prescott on the National Register of Historic Places.
21 notable people were born in Prescott.
City in Arizona, United States
Prescott ( PRESS-kət) is a city in and the county seat of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. As of 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona Territory, replacing the temporary capital of Fort Whipple. The territorial capital was moved to Tucson in 1867. Prescott again became the territorial capital in 1877, until Phoenix became the capital in 1889. Prescott has a rich history as a frontier gold and silver mining town. Mining and settlers brought frequent conflict with native American tribes in the area, including the Yavapai and Apache. Prescott was the home to Fort Whipple from its inception, which acted as a base for…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Prescott.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prescott | #68 | C+ | C− | C | B+ | A− |
| Williamson | #72 | C+ | D | — | B | A |
| Prescott Valley | #64 | C+ | C− | B− | B | B+ |
Williamson reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Prescott with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Prescott grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #68 of 139 in Arizona. It grades A− for health, C for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
21 notable people were born here, including Jay Miner and Kayla Mueller.
