Sun Valley Looking South, 2012
Sun Valley’s story
Sun Valley in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
Explore the history →
Sun ValleyAZ
74 residents make their home in this town in Arizona.
Painted Desert Community Complex Historic District · Photo: National Park Service · Public domain
Is Sun Valley a good place to live?
No town among the 141 in Arizona we compare has a higher share of households owning their home than Sun Valley. Sun Valley’s midpoint age is 52 years, above both the Arizona town median (41.9 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). Sun Valley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
74 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Nearby attractions
All 5 attractions →Petrified Forest National Park and 2 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sun Valley. Close and well known come first.
3 mi National ParkPetrified Forest National Park316K visitors a year
39 mi City parkStandin' on the Corner Park
14 mi AttractionPainted Desert InnSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Petrified Forest National Park: Finetooth, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Standin' on the Corner Park: Tpaairman, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Painted Desert Inn: TheCatalyst31, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
Moving to Sun Valley: who provides what
Sun Valley is unincorporated, so Navajo County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerAPS17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPetrified Forest Np water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesNavajo CountyNavajo 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 hereNavajo County RecorderNavajo County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes86029, 8602586029 97% · 86025 3%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 Sun Valley.
Work & commute
With only 0.4 jobs per working resident, most people in Sun Valley work out of town
In Sun Valley, 18% of residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Holbrook (43%), Show Low (9%) and Snowflake (4%). The median commute is under 35 miles.
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Sun Valley0%
Holbrook43%
Show Low9%
Snowflake4%
Taylor4%
35 mi
median commute distance
26
jobs based in Sun Valley
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native American Christian Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 28 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Climate
Sun Valley: mild winters and hot summers
A winter brings about 4 inches of snow, with January nights at 21° and July afternoons at 93°.
4″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–51°
Spring36–71°
Summer58–91°
Fall39–73°
Oct 16
typical first frost
May 4
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Outdoors
Sun Valley keeps 11.3% of its land conserved
16 miles of trail. For Sun Valley, the trail density is 0.5 miles per square mile.
11.3%conserved
11.3%
conserved · 2,270 of 20,139 acres
16 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Health
How healthy Sun Valley is
18% of Sun Valley adults smoke cigarettes. CDC measures, 32 in all: Sun Valley beats Arizona on 3 and trails on 23. Among adults here, 19% report frequent physical distress and 45% have high blood pressure. Only 7 of the 141 Arizona towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Sun Valley.
| Sun Valley | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 36% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Arizona
3 better6 too close to call23 worse
| What stands out | Sun Valley | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.5% | 15.3% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 9.9% | 13.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.5% | 6.6% |
Little Colorado Medical Center
39.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Sun Valley: inland flooding
Compared with 55% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Sun Valley is higher. Expected losses in Sun Valley break down as 85% from inland flooding and 7% from lightning.
55risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingLightningEarthquakes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
$149Kmedian sale price
0
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sun Valley
17pages on Sun Valley
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sun Valley
About 0 of every 100 Sun Valley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Sun Valley for work
Where Sun Valley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
26jobs based in Sun Valley
0%of working residents work in town
35 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Sun Valley
Unincorporated community and Census-designated place in Arizona, United States
Sun Valley is a populated place in Navajo County, Arizona, United States, east of Holbrook along Interstate 40. It is located in the Painted Desert and covers an area of 31.6 square miles.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 32 sq mi
- Elevation
- 5,282 ft
- ZIP code
- 86029
Questions about Sun Valley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sun Valley, AZ a good place to live?
Sun Valley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.