Like all states, Arizona has certain places that are going on hard times. These Arizona places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Arizona.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 55 cities in Arizona with more than 5,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Poorest Places In Arizona For 2024:
What’s the poorest city in Arizona? According to the facts, Nogales is the poorest place in Arizona for 2024.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Arizona reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Arizona
- Cheapest Places To Live In Arizona
- Most Dangerous Cities In Arizona
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
The 10 Poorest Cities In Arizona For 2024
1. Nogales
/10
Population: 19,761
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $36,682 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.8% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 5,483
More on Nogales: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Nogales, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Arizona thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 19,761 people averages the lowest median household income in Arizona and the 3rd highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Douglas
/10
Population: 16,301
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Income: $41,594 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.1% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 4,738
More on Douglas: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The second poorest city in Arizona is Douglas.
The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and 2nd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 4th highest in the Grand Canyon State.
3. Winslow
/10
Population: 8,943
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Median Income: $43,918 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 31.6% (highest)
People In Poverty: 2,824
More on Winslow: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Placing as the third poorest city, Winslow’s median income ranks as the 4th lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 31.58% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Grand Canyon State.
4. San Luis
/10
Population: 35,189
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Median Income: $46,747 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 24.9% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 8,758
More on San Luis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
San Luis ranks as the fourth poorest place in Arizona.
The town ranks as having the 5th lowest median household income and the 4th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Cottonwood
/10
Population: 12,314
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 2)
Median Income: $43,273 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 20.5% (9th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,523
More on Cottonwood: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The fifth poorest city in Arizona is Cottonwood.
The city ranks as having the 3rd lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 9th highest in Arizona.
Still not the best news for Cottonwood.
6. Tolleson
/10
Population: 7,221
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 6)
Median Income: $47,875 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 22.0% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,585
More on Tolleson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Tolleson ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Grand Canyon State.
It ranks as having the 7th highest incidence of poverty and the 53rd highest unemployment rate.
7. Camp Verde
/10
Population: 12,132
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Median Income: $50,247 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 22.9% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,784
More on Camp Verde: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Camp Verde places as the seventh poorest city in Arizona.
The city of over 12,132 ranks as having the 6th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Bullhead City
/10
Population: 41,593
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Median Income: $47,129 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 18.9% (12th highest)
People In Poverty: 7,865
More on Bullhead City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Bullhead City ranks as the eighth poorest city in Arizona.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
9. Guadalupe
/10
Population: 5,335
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 6)
Median Income: $56,423 (14th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 23.3% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,241
More on Guadalupe: Data | Cost Of Living
Guadalupe couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Arizona; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 14th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Guadalupe ranks as having the 5th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Arizona.
10. Tucson
/10
Population: 541,033
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Income: $52,049 (10th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.6% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 105,826
More on Tucson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Arizona is Tucson.
The city of 541,033 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Grand Canyon State.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Arizona for 2024
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 55 places with more than 5,000 people in Arizona, we ranked each place from 1 to 55 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Nogales, crowned the “Poorest Place In Arizona For 2024”.
This report has been updated for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Arizona.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Arizona For 2024
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Arizona, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Arizona.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Arizona, according to data:
-
Richest: Queen Creek
2nd Richest: Paradise Valley
3rd Richest: Litchfield Park
For more Arizona reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Arizona
- Safest Places In Arizona
- Worst Places To Live In Arizona
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Arizona
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Arizona
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nogales | 19,761 | 27.8% | $36,682 | 5,483 |
| 2 | Douglas | 16,301 | 29.1% | $41,594 | 4,738 |
| 3 | Winslow | 8,943 | 31.6% | $43,918 | 2,824 |
| 4 | San Luis | 35,189 | 24.9% | $46,747 | 8,758 |
| 5 | Cottonwood | 12,314 | 20.5% | $43,273 | 2,523 |
| 6 | Tolleson | 7,221 | 22.0% | $47,875 | 1,585 |
| 7 | Camp Verde | 12,132 | 22.9% | $50,247 | 2,784 |
| 8 | Bullhead City | 41,593 | 18.9% | $47,129 | 7,865 |
| 9 | Guadalupe | 5,335 | 23.3% | $56,423 | 1,241 |
| 10 | Tucson | 541,033 | 19.6% | $52,049 | 105,826 |
| 11 | Coolidge | 14,175 | 21.6% | $60,682 | 3,064 |
| 12 | Eloy | 16,075 | 18.9% | $57,364 | 3,038 |
| 13 | Yuma | 96,314 | 16.1% | $59,312 | 15,477 |
| 14 | Kingman | 33,052 | 13.4% | $56,360 | 4,432 |
| 15 | Globe | 7,230 | 17.5% | $64,516 | 1,265 |
| 16 | Flagstaff | 76,177 | 18.9% | $65,652 | 14,397 |
| 17 | Somerton | 14,278 | 16.8% | $64,180 | 2,392 |
| 18 | Apache Junction | 38,855 | 12.2% | $56,209 | 4,728 |
| 19 | Show Low | 11,767 | 12.6% | $57,406 | 1,476 |
| 20 | Snowflake | 6,192 | 19.0% | $71,029 | 1,177 |
| 21 | Benson | 5,318 | 10.6% | $49,955 | 565 |
| 22 | Glendale | 248,083 | 17.2% | $66,375 | 42,670 |
| 23 | Wickenburg | 7,600 | 14.2% | $63,301 | 1,079 |
| 24 | Casa Grande | 55,186 | 14.4% | $64,535 | 7,974 |
| 25 | Safford | 10,112 | 14.6% | $64,860 | 1,472 |
| 26 | Youn | 6,980 | 10.9% | $56,449 | 760 |
| 27 | Lake Havasu City | 57,294 | 12.3% | $64,027 | 7,024 |
| 28 | Chino Valley | 13,120 | 7.9% | $55,682 | 1,039 |
| 29 | Tempe | 181,005 | 16.8% | $72,022 | 30,318 |
| 30 | Thatcher | 5,281 | 14.7% | $71,591 | 776 |
| 31 | Sedona | 9,739 | 11.0% | $62,901 | 1,073 |
| 32 | Phoenix | 1,609,456 | 14.6% | $72,092 | 235,463 |
| 33 | Payson | 16,363 | 9.4% | $60,095 | 1,536 |
| 34 | Prescott | 46,054 | 11.3% | $66,330 | 5,222 |
| 35 | Prescott Valley | 47,015 | 11.8% | $66,617 | 5,547 |
| 36 | El Mirage | 35,652 | 13.4% | $72,134 | 4,766 |
| 37 | Sierra Vista | 45,212 | 10.8% | $70,899 | 4,896 |
| 38 | Page | 7,444 | 12.3% | $79,521 | 916 |
| 39 | Mesa | 503,390 | 11.2% | $73,766 | 56,279 |
| 40 | Avondale | 89,214 | 10.7% | $76,496 | 9,581 |
| 41 | Peoria | 191,292 | 8.4% | $86,759 | 16,068 |
| 42 | Florence | 25,783 | 6.8% | $74,025 | 1,753 |
| 43 | Sahuarita | 34,238 | 8.1% | $97,133 | 2,759 |
| 44 | Maricopa | 59,605 | 7.5% | $88,795 | 4,470 |
| 45 | Chandler | 275,618 | 7.8% | $99,374 | 21,360 |
| 46 | Surprise | 145,591 | 6.8% | $87,756 | 9,885 |
| 47 | Oro Valley | 47,053 | 6.8% | $101,394 | 3,218 |
| 48 | Fountain Hills | 23,739 | 5.5% | $100,317 | 1,310 |
| 49 | Goodyear | 97,542 | 5.5% | $97,307 | 5,364 |
| 50 | Scottsdale | 240,537 | 6.8% | $104,197 | 16,284 |
| 51 | Gilbert | 267,267 | 5.5% | $115,179 | 14,726 |
| 52 | Marana | 52,542 | 5.0% | $105,624 | 2,632 |
| 53 | Litchfield Park | 6,794 | 5.3% | $117,601 | 357 |
| 54 | Paradise Valley | 12,672 | 4.4% | $221,333 | 556 |
| 55 | Queen Creek | 61,788 | 4.0% | $127,182 | 2,452 |
