Population
2,200 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Arizona
City profile · Arizona · Census ACS 2023
Sells, AZ
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Sells - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 2,200
- Residents
- $34,138
- Median income
- $1,402
- Median rent (state)
Sells - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Sells lands in the 4th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
- 4th
- percentile, household income
- 54th
- 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: Sells, AZ
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 2,200 residents in Sells, a small town within Arizona. Sells households earn a median of $34,138 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 49.7%. The median resident age is 24.8 years. 5.8% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 33.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The city is served by 4 public schools according to NCES Common Core of Data.
Arizona tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Arizona at 100.7 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,402 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $215 across Arizona, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 99.1 out of 100 (Very High).
Median Household Income
$34,138 /yr
Poverty 49.7%
Cost of Living Index (state)
100.7 (US=100)
Near Average - BEA RPP 2024, Arizona average
How does Sells compare to other US cities?
Where Sells sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 4% higher than other cities
Median rent 54% 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 Sells against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Arizona only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Arizona-relative analysis
Poverty Rate is Sells's strongest outlier among Arizona cities
Among the 393 Arizona cities PlainCities tracks with reported poverty rate data, Sells ranks #21 - the 95th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Sells only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#295 of 333
11th percentile in Arizona
Median Gross Rent
#200 of 394
46th percentile in Arizona
Poverty Rate
#21 of 393
95th percentile in Arizona
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#304 of 394
22nd percentile in Arizona
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.
4th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 5.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 49.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 33.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
2,200
Median Income
$34,138
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
24.8
Poverty Rate
49.7%
Labor force participation
33.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
5.8%
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
61.5%
Carpool
15.9%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
9.8%
Work from Home
7.1%
Other
5.7%
Based on 522 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
Cost of living is a Arizona state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Sells sits in
Cost of Living Index
100.7
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,402/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
99.1 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in Arizona
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Sells's 2,200 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Sells's $34,138 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Sells compares to nearby Arizona cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Sells (this city) | 2,200 | $34,138 |
| Blackwater | 2,245 | N/A |
| Kearny | 2,245 | $49,688 |
| Rio Verde | 2,271 | $141,020 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS AZ NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Sells, AZ?
What is the population of Sells, AZ? +
Sells, AZ counts 2,200 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Sells, AZ? +
The median household income in Sells is $34,138 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Sells? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Sells; the closest available measure is the Arizona state average, a cost of living index of 100.7 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Arizona vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, 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.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery 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.