Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,611, settled in 1902.
Superior grades D overall, ranked 125th of 139 in Arizona, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $45K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. Its public schools trail 94% of Arizona towns on state tests and graduation. In its favor, a typical home costs about $179K, 2 years of the Phoenix metro’s $88K median household income. 69% of the land in Superior is conserved, above both Arizona’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). On history, just 8 of Arizona’s 207 towns do better. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 81% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top.
Where Superior beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| John F Kennedy School | PK–6 | 175 |
| Superior Junior/Senior High School | 7–12 | 131 |
| CVIT - Superior High School | 9–12 | — |
2,837 counted in 2010 and 2,407 in 2020; an estimated 2,611 in 2025.
The decline has turned around: up 8.1% since 2020, after a 15.2% drop 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 Superior is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,464 in 1920, a peak of 4,975 in 1970, 2,407 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 3 maps from 1948 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Superior, 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 Superior.
Superior 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 4,968 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 98% of Arizona towns.
Superior’s trail density is 5.0 miles per square mile, above both the Arizona town median (1.1) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). 56 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Superior Unified School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| John F Kennedy SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 175 | C− |
| Superior Junior/Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 131 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $179K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 44 miles. At 2 years of the Phoenix metro’s $88K median household income, the typical home (about $179K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of Arizona towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
The median rent in Superior is $881 a month. The typical Superior home is worth about $179,000, down 2.2% in a year, 57% below the Arizona typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 97 to 64 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Superior’s property crime rate is 20.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Superior | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.7 per 1,000 residents | 11 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Superior for work: only 15% work in town. Jobs based in Superior grew to 414 in 2023, 144 more than in 2013. Only 9 of the 140 Arizona towns we compare have a lower median household income than Superior.
| Superior | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $45,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 10% | 8% |
| Work from home | 10% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The nearest emergency room, Banner Ironwood Medical Center, is 25.7 miles away in a straight line. Against the 4,012 U.S. towns with household incomes like Superior’s, it is healthier than 73%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
19% of adults have diabetes in Superior. Only 8 of the 140 Arizona towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Superior. 41% of adults have obesity in Superior.
| Superior | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 12% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 21% | 19% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Superior | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.8% | 15.3% |
| Fewer adults with depression | 17% | 19.5% |
| More adults with diabetes | 18.6% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Superior weather station records that about 129 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 101.1°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 39.2°.
Superior has mild winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Superior | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 101°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 39°F | 36°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Superior; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Superior residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
Where Superior’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Superior on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Pinal County, Arizona
Superior (Western Apache: Yooʼ Łigai) is a town in northern Pinal County, Arizona, United States, and is the oldest town in the county. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town was 2,407. Superior was founded as a mining town for the Silver King and the later Magma mines; silver was mined at first, and then transitioned to copper. Currently, exploitation of the huge Resolution Copper deposit is being explored near the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Superior grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #125 of 139 in Arizona. It grades C for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
2 notable people were born here, including Evan Wallach and Arthur Van Haren, Jr..
