Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,538, settled in 2005.
Star Valley gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $491K, 7.9 years of the Payson area’s $62K median household income. It grades B overall, 22nd among Arizona's 139 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 74% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 93% of the land in Star Valley is conserved, above both Arizona’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Star Valley's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 91% of U.S. towns. Diamond Point Lookout Cabin is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Star Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Star Valley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,536 in 2000, 2,484 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 4 maps from 1934 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Star Valley, 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 Star Valley.
Star Valley trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Arizona, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Its 21,494 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other Arizona town.
The biggest park or preserve is Hellsgate Wilderness, at 286 acres. In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 41 miles of trail. Star Valley’s density of trails is 1.1 miles per square mile, near the Arizona town median (1.1) and above the median of U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hellsgate Wilderness | 0.4 mi | 286 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Star Valley has 152 jobs for its 843 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 15.2 minutes, against 25.4 across Arizona.
The top destinations are Payson (34%), Phoenix (19%) and Mesa (5%). Most working residents leave Star Valley for work: only 2% work in town. For Star Valley, the typical journey to work is 15 minutes.
| Star Valley | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.8% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Of the losses FEMA expects in Star Valley, 54% come from inland flooding and 36% from wildfires. This Arizona town has had one paid flood insurance claim since 2010.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A winter brings about 19 inches of snow, with January nights at 27° and July afternoons at 93°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes are within reach (about $491K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 63 miles. At 7.9 years of the Payson area’s $62K median household income, the typical home (about $491K) costs more against local pay than in 88% of Arizona towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
In the year to September 2026, typical home values slipped 1.7%. For households in Star Valley, the share who own their home is 87%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The nearest emergency room, Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center, is 54.6 miles away in a straight line. Against the 10,013 U.S. towns with household incomes like Star Valley’s, it is healthier than 79%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Star Valley, 11% worry about having enough food. This Arizona town does better than the Arizona average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 9. Two figures for adults locally: 41% have high blood pressure, 80% had a checkup this year.
| Star Valley | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 80% | 75% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Star Valley | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.6% | 13.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.7% | 12% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.2% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Star Valley; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Star Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
Town in Gila County, Arizona
Star Valley is a town in Gila County, Arizona, United States, incorporated in 2005. Before incorporation, it was a census-designated place (CDP). As of the 2020 census the population of the town was 2,484.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Star Valley.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Valley | #22 | B | B | — | B | B |
| Payson | #123 | D | C− | C | B | B |
Star Valley reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Star Valley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Star Valley grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #22 of 139 in Arizona. It grades B for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.