WhetstoneAZ
A town of 2,971.
Is Whetstone a good place to live?
Whetstone grades D− overall, 137th of 139 graded towns in Arizona, mostly because of incomes. The median household income is $52K, and 27% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: its public schools beat 59% of Arizona towns on state tests and graduation. Whetstone’s average trip to work is 46 minutes, where Arizona’s towns sit at 24 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, 13,083 acres with 19.7 miles of trail.
97% of working residents leave Whetstone for work
Where Whetstone’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Whetstone grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Whetstone is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Whetstone: who provides what
Whetstone is unincorporated, so Cochise County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Whetstone.
Whetstone keeps more of its land conserved than most of Arizona and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the Arizona rate.
Conserved land covers nearly a third of Whetstone
Its 25,970 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 80% of Arizona towns.
54 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Whetstone is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area | 19.7 mi | 13,083 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Pedro Valley Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 44 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
Very high risk in Whetstone, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 95% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
About one in three of Whetstone’s working residents commute to Sierra Vista
Whetstone has 194 jobs for its 971 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 46.3 minutes, against 25.4 across Arizona.
Most working residents leave Whetstone for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Whetstone has added 49 jobs, to 194 in 2023. The top destinations are Sierra Vista (31%), Tucson (15%) and Phoenix (7%).
| Whetstone | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Residents of Whetstone are less healthy than 67% of U.S. towns
Against the 6,336 U.S. towns with household incomes like Whetstone’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Whetstone beats the Arizona average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 45% of adults have high blood pressure in Whetstone.
| Whetstone | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Whetstone | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 9.8% | 13.2% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.3% | 15.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.4% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Mild winters and hot summers in Whetstone
Whetstone has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Whetstone’s July high is 93°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer young adults than Arizona overall
26.9% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12.5% across Arizona, which weighs on its D− for jobs and income.
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 41% of residents (36% statewide). 22% of Whetstone residents are 65 or older. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Arizona.
| Whetstone | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46 years | 41.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 22% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 24% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.7 points. Across Arizona, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Whetstone | AZ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.1% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.7% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.2% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.7% | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.6% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.8% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.8% | 23.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 32% | 23.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.5% | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.5% | 20.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.5% | 13% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,000, single groups can be off by several points
The median home in Whetstone sells for about $297K
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Kartchner Caverns State Park and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Whetstone. Close and well known come first.
9 mi CaveKartchner Caverns State Park
29 mi National ParkSaguaro National Park848K visitors a year29 mi AttractionThe Thing?
13 mi MuseumBird Cage Theatre
19 mi National forestCoronado National Forest
24 mi National MemorialCoronado National Memorial179K visitors a yearPhoto credits
Kartchner Caverns State Park: Mike Lewis, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Saguaro National Park: Luke Jones from Yucca Valley, CC BY 2.0 · 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
Everything we know about Whetstone
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Whetstone
About 3 of every 100 Whetstone residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
About Whetstone
CDP in Cochise County, Arizona
Whetstone is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, north of Sierra Vista. The population was 3,236 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 12 sq mi
- Elevation
- 4,072 ft
- Area code
- 520
Whetstone’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Whetstone.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whetstone | #137 | D− | C | — | B | C |
| Sierra Vista | #45 | B− | C | C+ | A | B+ |
| Huachuca City | — | — | A | — | B | C+ |
Huachuca City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Whetstone and Huachuca City report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Whetstone with a neighbor →
Questions about Whetstone
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Whetstone, AZ a good place to live?
Whetstone grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #137 of 139 in Arizona. It grades C for health and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Whetstone, AZ expensive?
The typical home is worth about $214,000, 49% 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 C.