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Arizona›Navajo County

White Mountain LakeAZ

A town of 2,910.

Is White Mountain Lake a good place to live?

White Mountain Lake gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $173K, 3.2 years of the Show Low area’s $55K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 60th among Arizona's 139 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $50K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. White Mountain Lake’s mean commuting time is 38 minutes, above both Arizona’s towns (24 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 83% of U.S. towns. Among 140 Arizona towns, just 5 have a lower January low than White Mountain Lake.

A commuter town

98% of working residents leave White Mountain Lake for work

Where White Mountain Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

29% → Show Low Show Low 29% 7% → Phoenix Phoenix 7% 6% → Pinetop-Lakeside Pinetop-Lakeside 6% 5% → Snowflake Snowflake 5% 5% → Taylor Taylor 5% 3% → Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods 3% White Mountain Lake · 2% stay
87jobs based in White Mountain Lake
2%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

How White Mountain Lake grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far White Mountain Lake is from typical.

How grading works
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to White Mountain Lake: who provides what

White Mountain Lake is unincorporated, so Navajo County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerAPS17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterVoyager at White Mountain Lakes Wc water system3 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers89% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesNavajo CountyNavajo County provides services here
SchoolsShow Low Unified DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereNavajo County RecorderNavajo County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes85901, 8591285901 93% · 85912 7%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 White Mountain Lake.

White Mountain Lake is healthier than towns with similar incomes, sends most of its workers to Show Low and beyond and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Arizona.

OutdoorsC+

White Mountain Lake has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation

12 miles of trail. White Mountain Lake’s density of trails is 0.5 miles per square mile.

#114for trails in AZ
34.9%
conserved · 5,410 of 15,515 acres
12 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Work & commuteJobs & income grade D

White Mountain Lake sends most of its workers out of town

White Mountain Lake has 87 jobs for its 722 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 37.8 minutes, against 25.4 across Arizona.

Commuting out is the norm in White Mountain Lake: 2% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Show Low (29%), Phoenix (7%) and Pinetop-Lakeside (6%). The median commute is under 14 miles.

2%work in town
White Mountain LakeArizona townsU.S. towns
Median household income$50,000$69,000$80,000
Working residents who work in town1.5%10%8%

Where working residents work

In White Mountain Lake2%
Show Low29%
Phoenix7%
Pinetop-Lakeside6%
Snowflake5%
14 mi
median commute distance
87
jobs based in White Mountain Lake
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 17% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

White Mountain Lake: four seasons and pleasant summers

The Snowflake weather station, 13 miles away, records that about 48 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 83% of Arizona places with climate records. July afternoons average 87.9°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 88% of Arizona places with climate records; January nights average 18.8°.

For White Mountain Lake, the peak summer temperature is 88°F. About 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.

13″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter20–49°
Spring33–68°
Summer53–87°
Fall36–69°
Oct 10
typical first frost
May 11
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HealthB−

White Mountain Lake is less healthy than 54% of U.S. towns

Against the 5,875 U.S. towns with household incomes like White Mountain Lake’s, it is healthier than 84%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.

For adults 18 to 64 in White Mountain Lake, the share who have no health insurance is 11%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, White Mountain Lake is ahead of Arizona on 2 and behind on 12. Among adults here, 43% have high blood pressure and 29% feel lonely.

46%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
White Mountain LakeArizona townsU.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)11%14%16%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)43%36%35%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)29%31%33%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)32%35%36%
32 measures vs. Arizona
2 better18 too close to call12 worse
What stands outWhite Mountain LakeAZ
Fewer binge drinkers11.4%15.3%
More adults treating high blood pressure79.2%73.9%
More adults with COPD11.1%6.6%
Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center
2.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
35th
percentile among AZ towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+

Natural hazards: moderate risk in White Mountain Lake, mostly inland flooding

The risk rating from FEMA in White Mountain Lake is 51 of 100. Expected losses in White Mountain Lake break down as 55% from inland flooding and 24% from wildfires.

51risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
51Moderate riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingWildfireLightning

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

HousingCost of living grade A−

A home in White Mountain Lake sells for about $222K at the median

In White Mountain Lake, 84% of households are owner-occupiers.

$222Kmedian sale price
2
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about White Mountain Lake

16pages on White Mountain Lake
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of White Mountain Lake; the nearest are

About White Mountain Lake

Unincorporated community in the state of Arizona, United States

White Mountain Lake is a private reservoir owned by the Silver Creek Irrigation District, and leased by the surrounding community for their private recreational use. The reservoir is located within White Mountain Lake Estates, an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. Use of the reservoir is restricted to property owners within this special use district. The community of White Mountain Lake is 7.5 miles (12.1 km) north-northeast of Show Low. White Mountain Lake has a post office with ZIP code 85912.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
24 sq mi
Elevation
6,047 ft
ZIP code
85912

White Mountain Lake’s neighbors

One town shares a border with White Mountain Lake.

Explore the map →
How the neighbors grade
TownAZ rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
White Mountain Lake#60C+A−—B+B−
Show Low#102C−C−DB+B+

White Mountain Lake reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare White Mountain Lake with a neighbor →

Questions about White Mountain Lake

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is White Mountain Lake, AZ a good place to live?

White Mountain Lake grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #60 of 139 in Arizona. It grades B− for health and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.

Is White Mountain Lake, AZ expensive?

Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $173,000, 59% 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−.