City profile · Arizona · Census ACS 2023

Bullhead City, AZ

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Bullhead City — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

42,193
Residents
$47,717
Median income
$196,900
Median home
$1,419
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Bullhead City, AZ

Bullhead City is a city in Arizona with a population of 42,193 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $47,717 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 15.2%. Typical homes in Bullhead City are valued around $196,900, and the median resident age is 53.7 years. About 14.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 39.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 415 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 67% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 2647.8 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns. NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 74.2°F with 5.4 inches of precipitation per year.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Arizona registers 100.7 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,419 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $215 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Bullhead City report an average commute of 19.8 minutes, with 78.3% driving alone and 7.0% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 84.5 out of 100 (High).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

42,193 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Arizona

Median Household Income

$47,717 /yr

Poverty 15.2%

Cost of Living Index

100.7 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Bullhead City compare to other US cities?

Where Bullhead City sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 16% higher than other cities
Home value 42% pricier than other cities
Median rent 64% pricier than other cities
Safety 20% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Bullhead City against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Bullhead City, AZ Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Bullhead City, AZ. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Bullhead City, AZ — median $47,717/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Bullhead City, AZ — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 14.6%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 15.2%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 39.3%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
42,193
Median Income
$47,717
Median Home Value
$196,900
Median Age
53.7
Poverty Rate
15.2%
Labor force participation
39.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
14.6%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
2647.8
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
455.3
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
2192.5
per 1,000 residents

Climate

Avg Temperature
74.2°F
Annual Precipitation
5.4"
Annual Snowfall
N/A

Schools

Total Schools
10
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
415
housing units authorized
Single-Family
375
detached homes
Multifamily
40
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
9.8
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 248
2020 305
2021 400
2022 325
2023 293
2024 415

Permit volume increased 67% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
19.8 minutes
Drive Alone
78.3%
Carpool
7.9%
Public Transit
0.9%
Walk
1.5%
Work from Home
7.0%
Other
4.4%

Based on 14,034 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Arizona — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$131
avg/month
Natural Gas
$34
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$50
avg/month
Total Utilities
$215
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Arizona state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Arizona state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
100.7
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,419/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
84.5 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Bullhead City, AZ Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Bullhead City, AZ — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Bullhead City compares to nearby Arizona cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Bullhead City) plus the nearest peer cities in Arizona, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

AZ

Bullhead City

47.72% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$47,717
Brackets
42
Selected

AZ

Apache Junction

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$3,970
Brackets
40
Selected

AZ

Sierra Vista

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,520
Brackets
45
Selected

AZ

Sun

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$3,800
Brackets
38
Census ACS 5-year FIPS AZ FBI UCR NOAA Normals NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Bullhead City, AZ?

What is the population of Bullhead City, AZ? +

Bullhead City, AZ has a population of 42,193 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Bullhead City, AZ? +

The median household income in Bullhead City is $47,717 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Bullhead City? +

Bullhead City has a cost of living index of 100.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Bullhead City, AZ safe? +

Bullhead City has a total crime rate of 2647.8 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Bullhead City, AZ? +

The median home value in Bullhead City is $196,900, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the climate like in Bullhead City? +

Bullhead City has an average annual temperature of 74.2°F, 5.4 inches of precipitation. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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