Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 532, settled in 1980.
Big Water’s July high is 99°F, against 92°F in Utah’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Of the 110 Utah towns we compare, none has a lower typical home value than Big Water. Big Water’s trail density is 2.2 miles per square mile, against 1.1 in Utah’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Big Water has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 154 in 1980, 449 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 2 maps from 1953 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Big Water. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi LakeLake Powell
Big draw15 mi National ParkGrand Canyon National Park4.4M visitors a year
14 mi DamGlen Canyon Dam
22 mi Canyon & gorgeAntelope Canyon
2 mi National Recreation AreaGlen Canyon National Recreation Area3.7M visitors a year
25 mi Park & preserveGrand Staircase–Escalante National MonumentLake Powell: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Grand Canyon National Park: Marek Ślusarczyk (Tupungato) Photo portfolio, CC BY 3.0 · Glen Canyon Dam: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Antelope Canyon: Lucas Löffler, Public domain · Glen Canyon National Recreation Area: User:Moondigger, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument: John Fowler from Placitas, NM, USA, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Big Water, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 13, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Big Water.
The typical Big Water home is worth about $266,000, up 3.7% in a year, 50% below the Utah typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Kane District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Water SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 40 | B− |
| Big Water HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 33 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
The median age in Big Water is 52 years. Big Water has grown 19% since 2020, to 532 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. People 65 and older are 28% of residents (12% statewide); children under 18 are 17% of residents (28% statewide).
| Big Water | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 52 years | 32.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 36% | 29% |
Somewhere between 44% and 66% women
The Census survey reached too few of Big Water’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±10.9 points. Across Utah, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Big Water | UT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.2% | 14.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.8% | 13.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.2% | 11.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.2% | 14.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 5.4% | 13.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.6% | 11% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.5% | 9.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.7% | 7.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.6% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.6% | 6.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27% | 22.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.7% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7% | 9.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.7% | 24.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7% | 13% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 500, single groups can be off by several points
23% of residents live below the poverty line in Big Water. Of the 120 Utah towns we compare, none has a lower median household income than Big Water. Big Water’s average trip to work is 18 minutes.
| Big Water | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 6.2% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $101,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.3% | 8.4% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Big Water has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Among 120 Utah towns, just 6 have a higher January low than Big Water.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
7 crimes were reported in Big Water in 2025: 5 property and 2 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Big Water is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Big Water beats the Utah average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 9.6% of Big Water adults binge drink. No town among the 119 in Utah we compare has a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Big Water.
| Big Water | Utah towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 11% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 8.4% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Big Water | UT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.6% | 12.4% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 76.1% | 65.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 4.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Big Water Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Big Water; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Big Water residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Utah.
Where Big Water’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in the state of Utah, United States
Big Water is a town in Kane County, Utah, United States. The population was 449 at the 2020 census, down from 475 at the 2010 census. It is located 17 miles (27 km) northwest of Page, Arizona, on US-89 near Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam. It was originally called Glen Canyon City and housed workers who built the dam in the 1950s. Big Water made news in the 1980s as a polygamous colony of the Joseph clan. It also made news in 1986, when the mayor Alex Joseph and the city council left the Republican Party to join the Libertarian Party. This made Joseph the first Libertarian city mayor in the history of the U.S. Subsequently, Willy Marshall, also a Libertarian, was elected as the state's …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Big Water has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
