City profile · Arizona · Census ACS 2023

Carefree, AZ

Carefree's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

3,672
Residents
$141,331
Median income
$1,066,600
Median home
$1,419
Median rent (state)
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Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

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Starting with Carefree, AZ - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Carefree.

Place dossier plate

Sheet AZ-CAREFREE-AZ · Carefree, AZ 3,672 pop · income 93rd pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-TOP · COL-PAR · SAFE-UNK · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-TOP · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 3,672
  • INC-TOP $141,331
  • COL-PAR 100.7
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-TOP 93rd
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Hamorton
  • HOME-TOP $1,066,600
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Hamorton, PA ( $2 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Carefree

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Carefree on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Carefree on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 3,672.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $141,331. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Carefree - the verdict

Nationally, Carefree sits in the 93rd percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.

93rd
percentile, household income
98th
percentile, home value
64th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Carefree, AZ

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 3,672 residents in Carefree, a small town within Arizona. The typical household in Carefree brings in $141,331 a year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 10.8%. Carefree's housing stock carries a median value of $1,066,600, and the median resident age is 64.5 years. Educational attainment runs 61.6% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 41.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 19 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Rapid Growth), up 27% from five years earlier. The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 70.6°F with 12.6 inches of precipitation per year.

Arizona tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: the state registers 100.7 on a 100-equals-national-average index (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. Monthly utility costs average around $215 across Arizona, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 84.5 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (High).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Carefree's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to work and mobility to climate and hazard context to housing and income to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Carefree, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, annual population history, commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for Carefree?

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Within Arizona, the closest population matches are Fort Defiance (3,614 residents, $56,250 income); Ajo (3,783 residents, $56,364 income); Avenue B and C (3,831 residents, $40,554 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Bajadero comunidad, PR (3,672 residents); Putnam Lake, NY (3,673 residents); Eastlawn Gardens, PA (3,671 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Question 2

What does the journey to work look like in Carefree?

Working from home is the largest reported mode at 50.9%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.

Compare commute patterns →

3. Climate and hazard context

What physical conditions frame life in Carefree?

The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.

NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 70.6°F, with 12.6 inches of precipitation. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Arizona is 84.5 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.

Read the source boundaries →

4. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Carefree?

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 7.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 10.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Other supported questions

Why these stay compact

These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.

Population change

Is Carefree growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -85 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 19 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.

2020 estimate
3,685
2025 estimate
3,600
Period change
-2.3%

Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.

See the national growth ranking →

Population

3,672 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$141,331 /yr

Top-decile income · poverty 10.8% (Above-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

100.7 (US=100)

Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Arizona average

City profile score · Carefree, AZ

65/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Household income A+
$141,331

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Bachelor's+ share A+
61.6%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Poverty rate F
10.8%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Cost of living F
100.7 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Carefree profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Household income, Bachelor's+ share, Poverty rate, Cost of living. Household incomeBachelor's+ sharePoverty rateCost of living 65 B-
Carefree profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Household income: 94/100 (A+) · $141,331
  • Bachelor's+ share: 93/100 (A+) · 61.6%
  • Poverty rate: 37/100 (F) · 10.8%
  • Cost of living: 37/100 (F) · 100.7 index

How does Carefree compare to other US cities?

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

Household income 93% higher than other cities
Home value 98% pricier than other cities
Median rent 64% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Carefree against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Arizona only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Arizona-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Carefree near the bottom of Arizona's cities

Among the 394 Arizona cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Carefree ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Carefree only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#4 of 333
99th percentile in Arizona
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 394
0th percentile in Arizona
Median Home Value
#2 of 327
99th percentile in Arizona
Poverty Rate
#177 of 393
54th percentile in Arizona
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#10 of 394
97th percentile in Arizona
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Arizona only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

93rdIncome percentile
Gauge source note

93rd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Carefree's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$1,066,600 2nd percentile more affordable than 2% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). This entry sits in this band. Carefree $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Carefree's home-value-to-income ratio: 7.5×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,892 of 15,516
More affordable than 4% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,933 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 7.5×, Carefree sits in the pressured band: national rank #14,892 of 15,516 and #10,933 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$141,331 Carefree, AZ median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Carefree, AZ Carefree, AZ's median household income ($141,331) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Carefree, AZ-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Carefree, AZ median $141,331/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern 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%
Carefree, AZ median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Carefree, AZ.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 61.6%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 10.8%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 41.8%

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

Population
3,672
Median Income
$141,331
Median Home Value
$1,066,600
Median Age
64.5
Poverty Rate
10.8%
Labor force participation
41.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
61.6%

Climate

Avg Temperature
70.6°F
Annual Precipitation
12.6"
Annual Snowfall
0.0"

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
3,550 residents3,600 residents3,650 residents3,700 residents 202020212022202320242025 3,685 residents 3,600 residents ▼ -2.3%
Carefree's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 3,685 residents
2021 3,686 residents
2022 3,680 residents
2023 3,649 residents
2024 3,638 residents
2025 3,600 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

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

📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
19
housing units authorized
Single-Family
19
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
5.2
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 15
2020 17
2021 15
2022 24
2023 8
2024 19

Permit volume increased 27% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
44.3%
Carpool
1.6%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
3.1%
Work from Home
50.9%

Based on 1,334 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

Arizona statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $215

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Arizona at $215 (electricity about $131 , water and sewer about $50 ).

These are Arizona statewide averages, not a meter reading for Carefree. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Arizona's BEA cost-of-living index is 100.7 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Carefree is $1,419/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Arizona statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 84.5 / 100 (High).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a Arizona statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Carefree sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Carefree compares to similar-size Arizona cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Carefree (this city) 3,672 $141,331
Fort Defiance 3,614 $56,250
Ajo 3,783 $56,364
Avenue B and C 3,831 $40,554
NOAA Normals Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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