Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 9,619, settled in 1902. 3.9 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Arizona town.
The typical home is worth about $891K, 12.8 years of the Prescott Valley metro’s $70K median household income. Overall it grades C−, 100th of 139 graded towns in Arizona. It is healthier than 81% of U.S. towns and it is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 66% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 36% of residents are 65 or older in Sedona, against 22% in Arizona’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. No town in Arizona scores higher than Sedona on civic life. The biggest place to walk is Coconino National Forest, 5,718 acres with 80.1 miles of trail.
Where Sedona beats most towns.
50.3% of the town is conserved land, across 9 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Sedona is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,022 in 1970, 9,684 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1955 and 4 maps from 1923 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sedona, 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 Sedona.
Sedona has more trail for its size than nearly any town in Arizona, is a second-home town and draws workers from Verde Village and beyond.
At 12.8 years of the Prescott Valley metro’s $70K median household income, the typical home (about $891K) costs more against local pay than in 99% of Arizona towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $3,164, against $1,879 across Arizona, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Sedona’s median rent is $1,448 a month. The typical Sedona home is worth about $891,000, up 0.7% in a year, about twice the Arizona typical home.
| Sedona | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,448 a month | $1,190 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Sedona-Oak Creek JUSD #9. Three of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Sedona Red Rock Junior/Senior High School, with 408 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Sedona Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 276 | C− |
| Sedona Red Rock Junior/Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 408 | C |
| Sedona Charter SchoolTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 144 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
At 5.3 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #2 of 130 Arizona towns. Its 5,866 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 84% of Arizona towns.
The trail density in Sedona is 5.3 miles per square mile. 96 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Coconino National Forest | 80.1 mi | 5,718 |
| 2. Posse Grounds Park | 3 mi | 78 |
| 3. Bike Skills Park | 0.7 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
6,407 jobs are based in Sedona, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 4,527 in 2013 to 6,407.
About one in 3 of Sedona’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Sedona grew to 6,407 in 2023, 1,880 more than in 2013. 14% of Sedona residents live below the poverty line.
| Sedona | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 39% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
25% of adults feel lonely in Sedona. Sedona beats the Arizona average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 12% of adults report frequent mental distress in Sedona.
| Sedona | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 31% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Sedona | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.4% | 12% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.5% | 15.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 15% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Tuzigoot weather station, 15 miles away, records that about 128 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 97.1°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 30.4°.
Sedona has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. About 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Sedona | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 97°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 30°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Since 1993, 36 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sedona.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Sedona's reported crime rate is below Arizona's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 31 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Sedona | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 13 per 1,000 residents | 13.9 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sedona. Close and well known come first.
14 mi National MonumentMontezuma Castle National Monument320K visitors a year
3 mi MountainCathedral Rock
34 mi MountainHumphreys Peak
7 mi National forestCoconino National Forest
5 mi Canyon & gorgeOak Creek Canyon
38 mi National MonumentSunset Crater Volcano National Monument108K visitors a yearMontezuma Castle National Monument: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cathedral Rock: Terrydarc, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Humphreys Peak: Bob Blasi; Coconino National Forest, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Coconino National Forest: Adam Baker from Houston / Moscow / Toulouse (travel a lot), CC BY 2.0 · Oak Creek Canyon: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument: National Park Service, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Sedona; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Sedona residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
Where Sedona’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Sedona on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Coconino and Yavapai counties, Arizona, US
Sedona ( si-DOH-nə) is a city straddling the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, Sedona had a population of 9,684. The city is within the Coconino National Forest. Sedona's main attraction is its array of pink sandstone formations. The formations appear to glow in pink when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. The pink rocks form a popular backdrop for many activities, ranging from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain-biking trails. Sedona was named after Sedona Schnebly, whose husband, Theodore Carlton Schnebly, was the city's first postmaster. She was celebrated fo…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sedona grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #100 of 139 in Arizona. It grades A− for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
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