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Place dossier plate
SheetAZ-PAYSON-AZ · Payson, AZ 16,494 pop · income 43rd pct · 16 tracts
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 Payson
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Payson on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Douglas · lowest
39,350
Douglas · lowest
39,350 median HH income
32.4% of the leader · rank #1
Payson · this city
65,175
Payson · this city
65,175 median HH income
53.7% of the leader · rank #2
Warrensburg · near
65,176
Warrensburg · near
65,176 median HH income
53.7% of the leader · rank #3
Elmo · near
65,179
Elmo · near
65,179 median HH income
53.7% of the leader · rank #4
Ohkay Owingeh · near
65,179
Ohkay Owingeh · near
65,179 median HH income
53.7% of the leader · rank #5
Piney Green · near
65,179
Piney Green · near
65,179 median HH income
53.7% of the leader · rank #6
Vail · highest
121,385
Vail · highest
121,385 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, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Payson on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. 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: 16,494.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Payson - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Payson places in the 43rd percentile for household income and the 46th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
43rd
percentile, household income
71st
percentile, home value
64th
percentile, median rent
46th
percentile, safety
📝 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: Payson, AZ
16,494 people live in Payson, Arizona - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Payson households earn a median of $65,175 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.3%. Payson's housing stock carries a median value of $343,200, and the median resident age is 58.9 years. Educational attainment runs 26.5% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 40.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 78 residential building permits were authorized in Payson (Stable), up 3% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Payson reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1484.1 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA puts Payson's yearly average temperature at 57.0°F with 19.8 inches of precipitation per year and 18.5 inches of snowfall.
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. 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 Payson'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 work and mobility to climate and hazard context to housing and income to reported crime to within-city variation to schools and households 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 Payson, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, commute-mode shares, within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, matched public-school count.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Payson?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 71.5%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 57.0°F, with 19.8 inches of precipitation and 18.5 inches of annual snowfall. 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.
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.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 16 Census tracts to this city.
Which cities make useful reference points for Payson?
Within Arizona, the closest population matches are Eloy (16,671 residents, $54,080 income); Douglas (16,118 residents, $39,350 income); Flowing Wells (16,989 residents, $40,769 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Stallings, NC (16,495 residents); Kerman, CA (16,492 residents); Humble, TX (16,489 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.
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. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Payson?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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.
Household income
$65,175
Home value
$343,200
Value / income
5.3×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Payson?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1484.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 35% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1222.9
Violent rate
261.2
Total reported rate
1484.1
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 26.5% 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.
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.
Matched public schools
1
Bachelor's degree+
26.5%
Poverty estimate
4.3%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +300 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 78 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+1.8%
2025 estimate
16,693
2020 estimate
16,393
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Below median income · poverty 4.3% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
100.7 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Arizona average
D
City profile score · Payson, AZ
48/100
5 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.
Poverty rate B
4.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share C-
26.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income D
$65,175
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
261 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger 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.
Payson profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 70/100 (B) · 4.3%
Bachelor's+ share: 52/100 (C-) · 26.5%
Household income: 42/100 (D) · $65,175
Violent crime: 39/100 (F) · 261 /100k
Cost of living: 37/100 (F) · 100.7 index
Where Payson sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Payson's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Payson highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Payson, AZ (this city): home $343,200, crime 1,484/100k
Stallings, NC : home $381,700, crime 723/100k
Kerman, CA : home $331,500, crime 1,852/100k
Humble, TX : home $191,200, crime 11,303/100k
Morton, IL : home $238,900, crime 910/100k
Hanover, PA : home $200,900, crime 2,618/100k
Radford, VA : home $211,700, crime 1,115/100k
Eloy, AZ : home $243,600, crime 1,455/100k
Douglas, AZ : home $138,200, crime 1,647/100k
How does Payson compare to other US cities?
Payson measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income43% higher than other cities
Home value71% pricier than other cities
Median rent64% pricier than other cities
Safety46% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Arizona, Payson ranks #26 of 61 Arizona cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Payson 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 Payson near the bottom of Arizona's cities
Among the 394 Arizona cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Payson ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Payson only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#128 of 333
62nd percentile in Arizona
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 394
0th percentile in Arizona
Median Home Value
#71 of 327
78th percentile in Arizona
Poverty Rate
#269 of 393
31st percentile in Arizona
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#96 of 394
75th 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
43rd percentile nationally for median household income · 46th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Payson's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Payson's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Payson's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$343,20029th percentilemore affordable than 29% 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
Payson's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,270 of 15,516
More affordable than 14% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,725 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 5.3×, Payson sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,270 of 15,516 and #2,725 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
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
$65,175Payson, AZ median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Payson, 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 Payson, AZ.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)26.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)40.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
16,494
Median Income
$65,175
Median Home Value
$343,200
Median Age
58.9
Poverty Rate
4.3%
Labor force participation
40.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
26.5%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1484.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
261.2
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1222.9
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
57.0°F
Annual Precipitation
19.8"
Annual Snowfall
18.5"
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Payson's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
16,393 residents
2021
16,499 residents
2022
16,644 residents
2023
16,748 residents
2024
16,776 residents
2025
16,693 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Stable
Total Permits (2024)
78
housing units authorized
Single-Family
78
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
4.7
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
76
72
4
$22.6M
2020
90
74
16
$26.3M
2021
107
99
8
$36.0M
2022
103
95
8
$33.9M
2023
73
73
0
$27.4M
2024
78
78
0
$31.4M
Permit volume increased 3% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
71.5%
Carpool
17.5%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.4%
Work from Home
10.1%
Based on 5,628 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 Payson. 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 Payson 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 Payson sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Payson 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, 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.