Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 44,907, settled in 1956. Public schools that outperform most of Arizona.
Sierra Vista grades B− overall, ranked 45th of 139 in Arizona, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 88% of Arizona towns and it has 157 miles of trail. It also does better than most on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 74% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $70K, and 12% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $300K, 5 years of the Sierra Vista metro’s $60K median household income. 42% of working residents work locally in Sierra Vista, above both Arizona’s towns (10%) and U.S. towns (8%). Sierra Vista is home to Cochise County Community College District.
Where Sierra Vista beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Sierra Vista is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Fort Huachuca is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 3,121 in 1960, 45,308 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1969 and 6 maps from 1938 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sierra Vista, 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 Sierra Vista.
Sierra Vista has schools in the top 5% of Arizona, fares better on crime within Arizona than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Its A ranks #1 of the 139 Arizona towns we grade for schools. Its A is the best School Grade on its borders; Sierra Vista Southeast (B+) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Sierra Vista Unified District. Three of its 25 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joyce Clark Middle SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 462 | B |
| Buena High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 1,715 | C+ |
| General Myer Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 246 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
157 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. Garden Canyon Linear Park, at 169 acres with 3.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Sierra Vista’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile.
| Sierra Vista | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.9% | 15% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Garden Canyon Linear Park | 3.4 mi | 169 |
| 2. San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area | 0.9 mi | 89 |
| 3. Tompkins Park | 0.9 mi | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 10,533 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sierra Vista’s, it is healthier than 91%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
29% of Sierra Vista adults have obesity. Sierra Vista beats the Arizona average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 11% of Sierra Vista adults have diabetes.
| Sierra Vista | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Sierra Vista | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.6% | 14.7% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 10.9% | 13.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
62% of households own their home in Sierra Vista. The typical Sierra Vista home is worth about $300,000, about the same as a year ago, 28% below the Arizona typical home.
| Sierra Vista | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,150 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 91.2°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 76% of Arizona places with climate records; January nights average 32.3°.
Sierra Vista has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in Sierra Vista is 91°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Sierra Vista | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 91°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 32°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 24.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 56% of Arizona’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The average commute for its 13,340 working residents takes 17.5 minutes, against 25.4 across Arizona.
The top destinations are Tucson (14%), Phoenix (8%) and Sierra Vista Southeast (3%). Half commute less than 22 miles.
| Sierra Vista | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $68,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (36% statewide). 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Arizona.
| Sierra Vista | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 24% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.9 years | 41.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 22% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 22% | 21% | 22% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.3 points. Across Arizona, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.9, men 35.2.
| Sierra Vista | AZ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.5% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.7% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.7% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.1% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.1% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.3% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.6% | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.2% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.7% | 23.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.7% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.6% | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.2% | 20.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.8% | 13% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1987, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sierra Vista.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sierra Vista. Close and well known come first.
39 mi National ParkSaguaro National Park848K visitors a year
19 mi CaveKartchner Caverns State Park39 mi AttractionThe Thing?
18 mi MuseumBird Cage Theatre
30 mi National forestCoronado National Forest
14 mi National MemorialCoronado National Memorial179K visitors a yearSaguaro National Park: Luke Jones from Yucca Valley, CC BY 2.0 · Kartchner Caverns State Park: Mike Lewis, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bird Cage Theatre: Hawkeye58, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Coronado National Forest: Zereshk, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Coronado National Memorial: Ian Poellet, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sierra Vista
About 8 of every 100 Sierra Vista residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
4 places in Sierra Vista on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Sierra Vista.
City in Arizona, United States
Sierra Vista (; Spanish: [ˈsjera ˈβista]) is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the population of the city is 45,308, and is the 27th most populous city in Arizona. The city is part of the Sierra Vista-Douglas Metropolitan Area, with a 2010 population of 131,346. Fort Huachuca, a U.S. Army post, has been incorporated and is located in the northwest part of the city. Sierra Vista is bordered by the cities of Huachuca City and Whetstone to the north and Sierra Vista Southeast to the South. Sierra Vista, Spanish for 'mountain view', is 75 miles (121 km) southeast of Tucson and serves as the main commercial, cultural, and recreational hub of Cochise …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Sierra Vista.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Vista | #45 | B− | C | C+ | A | B+ |
| Sierra Vista Southeast | #103 | C− | C | — | B+ | B+ |
| Huachuca City | — | — | A | — | B | C+ |
| Whetstone | #137 | D− | C | — | B | C |
Huachuca City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Sierra Vista Southeast, Huachuca City and Whetstone report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Sierra Vista with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sierra Vista grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #45 of 139 in Arizona. It grades B+ for health, C+ for safety and A for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
6 notable people were born here, including Don Frye and Jessica Cox.
