Is White Mountain Lake a good place to live?
Homes are affordable here, though not without reasons. Incomes are its weak spot: the median household income is $50K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. It lags on walkability as well. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 83% of U.S. towns. Its strongest is cost of living — a typical home costs about $173K, 3.2 years of the Show Low area’s $55K median household income. Schools are a strength too: its schools rank ahead of 69% of Arizona towns. The overall grade comes out at C+, 60th of 139 in Arizona. That leaves it better than 44% of U.S. towns.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results.
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 TownRatings grades towns →
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.
Census LEHD 2023
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.
White Mountain Lake has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation
The density of trails for White Mountain Lake comes to 0.5 miles per square mile, below the Arizona town median (1.1) and near the median of U.S. towns (0.4). 12 miles of trail.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
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.
The median commute is under 14 miles. White Mountain Lake’s mean commuting time is 38 minutes. Commuting out is the norm here: 2% of working residents work locally. The share of residents in White Mountain Lake who live below the poverty line is 16%, against 12% in Arizona’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns.
| White Mountain Lake | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 38 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
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°.
Among 140 Arizona towns, just 5 have a lower January low than White Mountain Lake. Its peak summer temperature is 88°F. About 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| White Mountain Lake | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 88°F | 100°F | 85°F |
| January low | 19°F | 37°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
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 in White Mountain Lake, the share who feel lonely is 29%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, White Mountain Lake is ahead of Arizona on 2 and behind on 12.
| White Mountain Lake | Arizona towns | U.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% |
| What stands out | White Mountain Lake | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.4% | 15.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.2% | 73.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.1% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards: moderate risk in White Mountain Lake, mostly inland flooding
For White Mountain Lake, the risk rating from FEMA is 51 of 100. Expected losses in White Mountain Lake break down as 55% from inland flooding and 24% from wildfires.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A home in White Mountain Lake sells for about $200K at the median
In White Mountain Lake, 84% of households are owner-occupiers. On the market here: a median 60 days to sell.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about White Mountain Lake
Moving to White Mountain Lake: who provides what
White Mountain Lake is unincorporated, so Navajo 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.
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of White Mountain Lake; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 White Mountain Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
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.
| Town | AZ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Mountain Lake | #60 | C+ | A− | — | B+ | B− |
| Show Low | #102 | C− | C− | D | B+ | 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−.
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