Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 12,471, settled in 1870. 3.1 times the library visits per person than the typical Arizona town.
Trash & recyclingShow Low grades C− overall, 102nd of 139 graded towns in Arizona, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It has 100 miles of trail and 65% conserved land. On the other side, its police reported 60 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 90% of U.S. towns. 39% of working residents work locally in Show Low, where Arizona’s towns sit at 10% and U.S. towns at 8%. On hazard risk, just 17 of Arizona’s 207 towns do better. Show Low's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Show Low beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
10,660 counted in 2010 and 11,732 in 2020; an estimated 12,471 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 6.2% since 2020, after 10.1% 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 Show Low is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 201 in 1910, 11,732 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1989 and 2 maps from 1981 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Show Low, 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 Show Low.
Show Low carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Arizona (mostly inland flooding), is a second-home town and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Arizona.
Its 27,507 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 94% of Arizona towns.
100 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Show Low’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Show Low City Park, at 52 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Show Low City Park | — | 52 |
| 2. Frontier Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Show Low Unified District. Two of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show Low Junior High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 527 | B |
| Show Low High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 3–12 | Grades 3–12 | 858 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
The property crime rate in Show Low is 26.6 per 1,000 residents. Among 56 Arizona towns, just 5 have a higher violent crime rate than Show Low. Show Low reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less.
| Show Low | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 26.6 per 1,000 residents | 11 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 95% of Arizona towns, with expected losses of about $250 per resident a year; that rating is what its B+ for hazard risk is built on.
Only 7 of the 140 Arizona towns we compare have a lower FEMA risk score than Show Low. Since 1992, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Show Low.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 9,024 U.S. towns with household incomes like Show Low’s, it is healthier than 93%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Show Low beats the Arizona average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 12% of adults binge drink in Show Low.
| Show Low | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 33% |
| What stands out | Show Low | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 9.9% | 13.2% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.3% | 15.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.9% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
29.6% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 5.2% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
People 65 and older are 28% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide). Show Low has grown 6.2% since 2020, to 12,471 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 35% of Show Low adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Show Low | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 28% | 22% | 18% |
| Median age | 45.6 years | 41.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 24% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across Arizona, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Show Low | AZ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.3% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.2% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.1% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.1% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.7% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.7% | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.2% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.9% | 23.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.7% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.5% | 20.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.4% | 13% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Show Low has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Only 9 of the 140 Arizona towns we compare have a lower July high than Show Low.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 4,387 working residents takes 19.1 minutes, against 25.4 across Arizona.
About one in 3 of Show Low’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Show Low grew to 6,174 in 2023, 1,190 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Pinetop-Lakeside (8%), Phoenix (7%) and Whiteriver (3%).
| Show Low | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.4% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 8 years of the Show Low area’s $55K median household income, the typical home (about $437K) costs more against local pay than in 89% of Arizona towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
The typical Show Low home is worth about $437,000, up 0.9% in a year, close to the Arizona typical home.
| Show Low | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 66% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,110 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Show Low; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Show Low residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
City in Arizona, United States
Show Low is a city in Navajo County, Arizona. It lies on the Mogollon Rim in east central Arizona, at an elevation of 6,345 feet (1,934 m). The city was established in 1870 and incorporated in 1953. According to the 2020 United States census, the population of the city was 11,732.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Show Low.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Show Low | #102 | C− | C− | D | B+ | B+ |
| Wagon Wheel | — | — | C− | — | B | B+ |
| Linden | #30 | B | B− | — | B+ | B+ |
| White Mountain Lake | #60 | C+ | A− | — | B+ | B− |
| Pinetop-Lakeside | #120 | D | C− | D | B | A− |
Wagon Wheel has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Wagon Wheel, Linden and White Mountain Lake report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Show Low with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Show Low grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #102 of 139 in Arizona. It grades B+ for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 8 years of the area's median household income ($54,606 across the Show Low, AZ area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.