Old Adobe House Summit Arizona 2014, 2014
Summit’s story
Summit in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2014 and 6 maps from 1948 on.
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SummitAZ
In Arizona, this town has 4,896 residents.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: $1LENCE D00600D · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
4,896
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$150K
Census ACS
Household income
$47K
median
Median age
38.7
years
Jobs based here
232
A commuter town
TownGrade
C−
#116 of 139 in AZ
Is Summit a good place to live?
The data are hard on it. Its weakest subject is incomes — the median household income is $47K, and 32% of residents live below the poverty line. With a C− overall, Summit is better than 15% of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 116th of 139 in Arizona. Cost of living is its strong suit: a typical home costs about $150K, 2.1 years of the Tucson metro’s $70K median household income. It also trails on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 86% of the country. Walkability is weaker too. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 88% of U.S. towns.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES.
A shrinking town
Summit has shrunk 12% from 2010 to 2020
5,372 counted in 2010 and 4,724 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Summit grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Summit is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for jobs and income (better than 7%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesA+Open →Jobs & incomeIncomes and work are among the weakest comparedDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.2 of 20; 2.5% of households have no car; 0.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listDOpen →HealthNorthwest Medical Center Sahuarita 7.6 miles awayDOpen →SchoolsBehind most towns comparedCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 1% conserved landC−Open →HistoryBased on listed places, the town’s age and notable peopleD−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 101° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 38.7; 6% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 29 attractions →Pima Air & Space Museum and 25 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Summit. Close and well known come first.
7 mi MuseumPima Air & Space Museum
14 mi National ParkSaguaro National Park848K visitors a year
12 mi Stadium & arenaArizona Stadium
11 mi MuseumTitan Missile Museum
28 mi MountainMount Lemmon
39 mi CaveKartchner Caverns State ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Pima Air & Space Museum: The original uploader was MCB at English Wikipedia. Later versions were uploade, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Saguaro National Park: Luke Jones from Yucca Valley, CC BY 2.0 · Arizona Stadium: Wcarlisle4, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Titan Missile Museum: Mike McBey, CC BY 2.0 · Mount Lemmon: Debby Kriegel, Public domain · Kartchner Caverns State Park: Mike Lewis, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Getting set up
Moving to Summit: who provides what
Summit is unincorporated, so Pima County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerTucson Electric Power14.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSummit Water CoopNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesPima CountyPima County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Arizona you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections herePima County RecorderPima County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code8575685756 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Summit.
Summit has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
HealthD
Summit’s grade for health is a D
Against the 4,688 U.S. towns with household incomes like Summit’s, it is less healthy than 58%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
Only 9 of the 140 Arizona towns we compare have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Summit; what’s more, among adults here, 35% get no exercise outside work. Summit: 33% of adults say their health is fair or poor, where Arizona’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 19%. Also worth knowing: on the CDC’s 32 measures, Summit is ahead of Arizona on 2 and behind on 23.
14%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Summit | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 21% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 15% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 12% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 24% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Arizona
2 better7 too close to call23 worse
| What stands out | Summit | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 8.8% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 22.1% | 25.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 29.6% | 13.2% |
Northwest Medical Center Sahuarita
7.6 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
10th
percentile among AZ towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC
Summit’s schools rank behind 67% of Arizona districts
The public schools here belong to the Sunnyside Unified District. Its one school is below. Summit’s only public school teaches 403 students.
33%of AZ districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summit View ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 403 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Summit has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
In Summit, the natural-hazard score from FEMA is 80 of 100, above both Arizona’s towns (69 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). 48% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by heat waves at 35%.
80risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHeat wavesWildfire
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Compared with most of Arizona and the rest of the country, more of Summit’s residents live below the poverty line
Summit has 232 jobs for its 1,528 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are Tucson (49%), Phoenix (10%) and Sahuarita (3%). Jobs based in Summit grew to 232 in 2023, 137 more than in 2013. For Summit, the average trip to work is 30 minutes. Half of commuters travel less than 13 miles.
1%work in town
| Summit | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 32% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Summit1%
Tucson49%
Phoenix10%
Sahuarita3%
Marana2%
13 mi
median commute distance
232
jobs based in Summit
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers: that is Summit’s year
The Tucson Intl Ap weather station, 5 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 307 days, longer than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Tucson Intl Ap weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 158 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
For Summit, the peak summer temperature is 100°F. July afternoons reach 100°, January nights drop to 38° and snow is almost unheard of.
101°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter39–68°
Spring51–84°
Summer71–100°
Fall55–86°
Dec 9
typical first frost
Feb 5
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
101°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC−
In Summit, trail density runs lower than in the typical Arizona or U.S. town
Just 33 of its 2,342 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Summit itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
Trails total 0.2 miles in 1 park or preserve. Summit keeps 1.4% of its land conserved. Parks and preserves in the town: one, of 10 acres.
1.4%conserved
| Summit | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 15% | 4.3% |
1.4%
conserved · 33 of 2,342 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Old Nogales Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade A+
Homes in Summit sell for about $420K
At 2.1 years of the Tucson metro’s $70K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 90% of Arizona towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $792, against $1,879 across Arizona, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Summit’s going rate for rent stands at $655 a month. For households here, the share who are owner-occupiers is 67%.
$420Kmedian sale price
| Summit | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $655 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 76% | 73% |
0
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Summit
17pages on Summit
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of Summit
Pima Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Tucson11.6 mi$2,442 in-state tuitionBrookline College-TucsonUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Tucson11.6 miUniversity of ArizonaUniversity or college · Public · Tucson11.8 mi$13,926 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Summit residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Summit for work
Where Summit’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
232jobs based in Summit
1%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Summit
CDP in Pima County, Arizona
Summit is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pima County, Arizona, United States. The population was 3,702 at the 2000 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,621 ft
- Area code
- 520
Summit’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Summit.
TucsonSummit
How the neighbors grade
Summit reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Summit with a neighbor →
Questions about Summit
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Summit, AZ a good place to live?
Summit grades C− overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #116 of 139 in Arizona. It grades D for health and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Summit, AZ expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $150,000, 64% below the Arizona typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.