Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The weak point is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. At D− overall, San Carlos is better than 5% of U.S. towns and ranks 136th of 139 in Arizona. Health is weaker too: residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Where it does best is cost of living — a typical home costs about $67K, 1.1 years of the Payson area’s $62K median household income. It lags on incomes as well (D−): the median household income is $56K, and 40% of residents live below the poverty line. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 89% of U.S. towns. 0.2% of the land locally is conserved, below both the Arizona town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). 56% of working residents work locally in San Carlos, against 10% in Arizona’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · health, CDC PLACES · USGS PAD-US · Census LEHD, 2023.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far San Carlos is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Where San Carlos beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 2,542 in 1970, 3,987 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
Where San Carlos’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Ordered by what stands out in San Carlos.
San Carlos draws workers from Globe and beyond and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Arizona (mostly inland flooding).
36% of San Carlos adults get no exercise outside work. Among 140 Arizona towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than San Carlos. Two figures for adults locally: 34% smoke cigarettes, 27% report frequent mental distress. Against the Arizona average, San Carlos comes out ahead on 2 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 26.
| San Carlos | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 21% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | San Carlos | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.1% | 8.8% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 31% | 37.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 26.5% | 7.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the San Carlos Unified District. Below: Two of its 7 schools, each with why it was picked. The 3 public schools in San Carlos teach 978 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 673 | D |
| Biyaagozhoo CenterLargest public high schoolGrades 3–12 | Grades 3–12 | 10 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
1,976 jobs are based in San Carlos, 2.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 368 in 2013 to 1,976.
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in San Carlos rose by 1,608, to 1,976. San Carlos’ typical journey to work is 21 minutes. The top destinations are Phoenix (8%), Peridot (3%) and Globe (3%). Half of commuters travel less than 2 miles.
| San Carlos | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 40% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Arizona towns; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
Among 140 Arizona towns, just 2 have a higher FEMA risk score than San Carlos. Four fifths of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by wildfires at 8%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Only 9 of the 136 Arizona towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than San Carlos. For San Carlos, the trail network density is 1.5 miles per square mile.
| San Carlos | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 15% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.5 miles per square mile | 1.1 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The San Carlos Reservoir weather station, 12 miles away, records that about 138 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 100.8°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 31.9°.
The January low in San Carlos is 32°F. Snow almost never falls.
| San Carlos | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 101°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 32°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
San Carlos is unincorporated, so Gila 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.
None within 15 miles of San Carlos; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 San Carlos residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arizona.
CDP in Gila County, Arizona
San Carlos (Western Apache: Sengaa) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Gila County, Arizona, United States. The population was 4,038 at the 2010 census, up from 3,716 in 2000. San Carlos is the largest community in and the seat of government for the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. San Carlos' economy is underdeveloped and is based mainly on retail service industries, construction trades, and public administration.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with San Carlos.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Carlos | #136 | D− | A+ | — | C− | D− |
| Peridot | — | — | — | — | — | — |
San Carlos reports no FBI crime data of its own. Peridot isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare San Carlos with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
San Carlos grades D− overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #136 of 139 in Arizona. It grades D− for health and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
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 A+.
2 notable people were born here, including Mary Kim Titla and Donald Angus Davison.
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