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Place dossier plate
SheetAZ-GILA-BEND-AZ · Gila Bend, AZ 1,871 pop · income 19th pct
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 Gila Bend
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Gila Bend on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Rosedale · lowest
16,691
Rosedale · lowest
16,691 median HH income
14.8% of the leader · rank #1
Bardstown · near
49,781
Bardstown · near
49,781 median HH income
44.0% of the leader · rank #2
Gila Bend · this city
49,786
Gila Bend · this city
49,786 median HH income
44.0% of the leader · rank #3
Fifth Ward · near
49,788
Fifth Ward · near
49,788 median HH income
44.0% of the leader · rank #4
Poteau · near
49,789
Poteau · near
49,789 median HH income
44.0% of the leader · rank #5
Hitterdal · near
49,792
Hitterdal · near
49,792 median HH income
44.0% of the leader · rank #6
Devens · highest
113,125
Devens · highest
113,125 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
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.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Gila Bend 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: 1,871.
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Gila Bend places in the 19th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
19th
percentile, household income
18th
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: Gila Bend, AZ
Gila Bend is a small town in Arizona, home to 1,871 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Gila Bend households earn a median of $49,786 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 25.8%. Gila Bend's housing stock carries a median value of $120,400, and the median resident age is 41.6 years. About 6.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 60.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 1 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 50% from five years earlier. NOAA puts Gila Bend's yearly average temperature at 74.7°F with 6.3 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. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,419 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Arizona run around $215, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 84.5 out of 100 (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Gila Bend'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 climate and hazard context to housing and income to schools and households to work and mobility to population change to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Gila Bend, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, local building permits, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in Gila Bend?
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 74.7°F, with 6.3 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.
How far does income reach against housing in Gila Bend?
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. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 25.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
What does the education layer cover for Gila Bend?
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 6.4% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Which cities make useful reference points for Gila Bend?
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 Pirtleville (1,869 residents, $49,022 income); Lukachukai (1,876 residents, $34,191 income); Springerville (1,847 residents, $49,886 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Devens, MA (1,871 residents); Rosedale, MS (1,871 residents); Panguitch, UT (1,871 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.
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.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Gila Bend?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 85.1%. 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. The profile is strongly car-oriented, so a relocation comparison should put trip distance, vehicle access, and household fuel costs ahead of a citywide commute average. The same-state peer links offer a more relevant benchmark than a national label.
Drive alone
85.1%
Work from home
0.0%
Public transit
0.0%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 902 workers age 16+.
Is Gila Bend growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -75 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -4.0% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 1 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
1,891
2025 estimate
1,816
Period change
-4.0%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Low income · poverty 25.8% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
100.7 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Arizona average
F
City profile score · Gila Bend, AZ
17/100
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.
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.
Household income F
$49,786
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
25.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
6.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Gila Bend profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 37/100 (F) · 100.7 index
Household income: 20/100 (F) · $49,786
Poverty rate: 5/100 (F) · 25.8%
Bachelor's+ share: 0/100 (F) · 6.4%
How does Gila Bend compare to other US cities?
Gila Bend measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income19% higher than other cities
Home value18% pricier than other cities
Median rent64% 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 Gila Bend 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 Gila Bend near the bottom of Arizona's cities
Among the 394 Arizona cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Gila Bend ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Gila Bend only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#213 of 333
36th percentile in Arizona
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 394
0th percentile in Arizona
Median Home Value
#233 of 327
29th percentile in Arizona
Poverty Rate
#92 of 393
77th percentile in Arizona
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#299 of 394
24th 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.
Gauge source note
19th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Gila Bend's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$120,400Among the most affordablemore affordable than 82% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
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
Gila Bend's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#3,589 of 15,516
More affordable than 77% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,264 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.4×, Gila Bend sits in the affordable band:
national rank #3,589 of 15,516 and #3,264 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
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
$49,786Gila Bend, AZ median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Gila Bend, 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 Gila Bend, AZ.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)6.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)25.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)60.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,871
Median Income
$49,786
Median Home Value
$120,400
Median Age
41.6
Poverty Rate
25.8%
Labor force participation
60.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
6.4%
Climate
Avg Temperature
74.7°F
Annual Precipitation
6.3"
Annual Snowfall
0.0"
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Gila Bend's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
1,891 residents
2021
1,887 residents
2022
1,875 residents
2023
1,855 residents
2024
1,839 residents
2025
1,816 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
1
housing units authorized
Single-Family
1
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.5
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
2
2
0
$0.2M
2020
0
0
0
-
2021
1
1
0
$0.1M
2022
0
0
0
-
2023
1
1
0
$0.1M
2024
1
1
0
$0.1M
Permit volume decreased 50% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
85.1%
Carpool
3.1%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
8.0%
Work from Home
0.0%
Other
3.8%
Based on 902 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 Gila Bend. 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 Gila Bend 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 Gila Bend sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Gila Bend 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.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.