Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,491, founded in 1953.
Good value, with catches elsewhere. Its weakest is health — CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 83% of the country. Overall, San Manuel earns a C: better than 27% of U.S. towns, and 87th of 139 in Arizona. Walkability is weaker too. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. Where it does best is cost of living: a typical home costs about $148K, 1.7 years of the Phoenix metro’s $88K median household income. The town has 1 place on the National Register. San Manuel’s average commute is 38 minutes, against 24 minutes in Arizona’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · National Register of Historic Places.
Where San Manuel beats most towns.
3,551 counted in 2010 and 3,114 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far San Manuel is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for walkability (better than 12%), so the C overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,524 in 1960, a peak of 5,443 in 1980, 3,114 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 4 maps from 1948 on.
San Manuel is unincorporated, so Pinal 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 San Manuel.
San Manuel trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Homes are within reach (about $148K for the typical one, A+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 36 miles. At 1.7 years of the Phoenix metro’s $88K median household income, the typical home (about $148K) costs less against local pay than in 93% of Arizona towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
The typical home value in San Manuel is about $148,000, down 1.1% in a year, 64% below the Arizona typical home. For San Manuel, the midpoint rent is $708 a month. In San Manuel, 84% of households own their home.
| San Manuel | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $708 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 84% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Of its 5 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The Mammoth-San Manuel Unified District runs its public schools. Public school enrollment here: 473 students across 3 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Avenue Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 219 | C |
| San Manuel High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 162 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
Its 6,274 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 82% of Arizona towns.
San Manuel’s trail density stands at 1.4 miles per square mile. 28 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves here: 2, covering 16 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Manuel Main Street Park | — | 10 |
| 2. San Manuel Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The nearest emergency room, Oro Valley Hospital, is 22.4 miles away in a straight line. Against the 5,131 U.S. towns with household incomes like San Manuel’s, it is less healthy than 53%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in San Manuel, 13% binge drink. The town does better than the Arizona average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 22. 18% of adults in San Manuel report frequent physical distress; 29% say their health is fair or poor. Only 5 of the 140 Arizona towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have obesity than San Manuel.
| San Manuel | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 21% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | San Manuel | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.5% | 15.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.6% | 73.9% |
| More adults with diabetes | 17.8% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here fell from 977 in 2013 to 294. The average commute for its 1,331 working residents takes 38.1 minutes, against 25.4 across Arizona.
For residents in San Manuel, the share who live below the poverty line is 22%. Jobs here fell by 683 from 2013 to 2023, to 294. The town’s typical household income comes in at $48,000. Just just over a tenth of the town’s working residents have a job in town.
| San Manuel | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 38 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The San Manuel weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 306 days, longer than in 95% of U.S. towns. The San Manuel weather station records that about 116 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
In San Manuel, the July high is 96°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Compared with 52% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in San Manuel is lower. Expected losses in San Manuel break down as 80% from inland flooding and 8% from heat waves.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of San Manuel; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 San Manuel residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
Where San Manuel’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
CDP in Pinal County, Arizona
San Manuel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. The population was 3,551 at the 2010 census. San Manuel was built in 1953 by Del E. Webb Construction Company as a company town to serve the then-new San Manuel copper mine, mill and smelter complex. In 1955 the San Manuel Arizona Railroad was built to connect with the Copper Basin Railway at Hayden. When copper prices fell in the late 1990s, BHP, the owner of the mine and smelter complex shuttered both operations in June 1999. The closing saw 2,500 people lose their jobs. The mine and smelter were permanently closed in 2003. The community is on the edge of the Sonoran Desert with its saguaros and overloo…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
San Manuel grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #87 of 139 in Arizona. It grades C− for health and C+ for schools. Walkability 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 John Garcia and Marshall Boze.