WhetstoneAZ
Population 2,971: a town in Arizona.
Is Whetstone a good place to live?
Whetstone’s weakest subject is incomes (D−): the median household income is $52K, and 27% of residents live below the poverty line. Walkability is weaker too (D−). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. Homes run about $214K for a typical one, 3.6 times the Sierra Vista metro’s $60K median household income. Where it does best is schools — its public schools beat nearly three fifths of Arizona towns on state tests and graduation. Put together, the subjects come to a D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns. That places it 137th of 139 in Arizona. The biggest place to walk is San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, 13,083 acres with 19.7 miles of trail.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · OpenStreetMap.
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.
Protected land: nearly a third of Whetstone
Its 25,970 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 80% of Arizona towns.
The trail network density in Whetstone is 0.6 miles per square mile. Across 1 park or preserve: 54 miles of trail.
| 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
Whetstone has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Of the losses FEMA expects in Whetstone, 41% come from inland flooding and 33% from wildfires. On expected storm and flood damage, Whetstone sits above 95% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Whetstone stands out in Arizona and nationally: the average trip to work there is longer
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.
3.3% of working residents work locally in Whetstone, below both Arizona’s towns (10%) and U.S. towns (8%). Since 2013, Whetstone has added 49 jobs, to 194 in 2023. Half the trips to work are shorter than 31 miles. The top destinations are Sierra Vista (31%), Tucson (15%) and Phoenix (7%).
| Whetstone | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 46 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 27% | 12% | 9.6% |
| 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.
45% of adults have high blood pressure in Whetstone, above both the Arizona town median (36%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). On the CDC’s 32 measures, Whetstone is ahead of Arizona on 6 and behind on 15. Whetstone: 18% of adults report frequent physical distress.
| 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% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 33% |
| 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
Whetstone has mild winters and hot summers
July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 33° and snow is almost unheard of.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer adults under 35 in Whetstone than across Arizona
26.9% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12.5% across Arizona, which weighs on its D− for jobs and income.
Whetstone’s age of the median resident stands at 46 years. Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 41% of residents (36% statewide). Four-year graduates: 29% of adults 25 and older here, 33% across Arizona. Just over a fifth of residents are 65 or older locally.
| 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
Whetstone’s typical rent comes in at $1,604 a month. The share of households in Whetstone who own their home: 78%.
| Whetstone | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,604 a month | $1,190 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · 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.