The Town Files

The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Arizona

Ranked on The Town Files lifestyle rankings among 68 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Arizona. #1 is Village of Oak Creek (Big Park), AZ.

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Numbers match the ranking.
The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Arizona1. Village of Oak Creek (Big …100th pct2. Carefree97th pct3. Sedona95th pct4. Williamson95th pct5. Lake Montezuma94th pct6. Whetstone92nd pct7. Wickenburg91st pct8. Kachina Village91st pct9. Oracle89th pct10. Heber-Overgaard88th pct11. Ajo82nd pct12. Black Canyon City82nd pct13. Bisbee79th pct14. Dewey-Humboldt79th pct15. Eagar77th pct16. Linden77th pct17. Cave Creek76th pct18. Rincon Valley75th pct19. Cornville72nd pct20. Desert Hills71st pct21. Paulden69th pct22. Taylor68th pct23. Benson66th pct24. Clarkdale64th pct25. Doney Park63rd pct
  1. 25Doney Park, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 63% of Arizona towns

    5,910 people · Coconino County · median home $613,300 · income $104,967 · Jan low 20°F · 52 in snow

  2. 24Clarkdale, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 64% of Arizona towns

    4,424 people · Yavapai County · median home $373,600 · income $46,563 · Jan low 30°F · 1 in snow

  3. 23Benson, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 66% of Arizona towns

    5,355 people · Cochise County · median home $148,900 · income $49,346 · Jan low 27°F · 0 in snow

  4. 22Taylor, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 68% of Arizona towns

    3,995 people · Navajo County · median home $307,500 · income $90,275 · Jan low 20°F · 13 in snow

  5. 21Paulden, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 69% of Arizona towns

    5,567 people · Yavapai County · median home $353,700 · income $91,741 · Jan low 26°F · 7 in snow

  6. 20Desert Hills, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 71% of Arizona towns

    2,764 people · Mohave County · median home $281,600 · income $62,361 · Jan low 43°F · 0 in snow

  7. 19Cornville, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 72% of Arizona towns

    3,362 people · Yavapai County · median home $367,100 · income $72,596 · Jan low 30°F · 1 in snow

  8. 18Rincon Valley, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 75% of Arizona towns

    5,612 people · Pima County · median home $547,300 · income $132,098 · Jan low 41°F · 0 in snow

  9. 17Cave Creek, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 76% of Arizona towns

    4,892 people · Maricopa County · median home $906,100 · income $107,067 · Jan low 42°F · 0 in snow

  10. 16Linden, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 77% of Arizona towns

    2,760 people · Navajo County · median home $411,300 · income $98,038 · Jan low 24°F · 19 in snow

  11. 15Eagar, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 77% of Arizona towns

    4,395 people · Apache County · median home $247,800 · income $82,839 · Jan low 16°F · 45 in snow

  12. 14Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 79% of Arizona towns

    4,326 people · Yavapai County · median home $426,900 · income $66,535 · Jan low 24°F · 6 in snow

  13. 13Bisbee, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 79% of Arizona towns

    4,923 people · Cochise County · median home $216,700 · income $47,613 · Jan low 32°F · 3 in snow

  14. 12Black Canyon City, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 82% of Arizona towns

    2,677 people · Yavapai County · median home $288,500 · income $47,465 · Jan low 43°F · 0 in snow

  15. 11Ajo, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 82% of Arizona towns

    3,039 people · Pima County · median home $124,400 · income $53,958 · Jan low 45°F · 0 in snow

  16. 10Heber-Overgaard, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 88% of Arizona towns

    2,898 people · Navajo County · median home $271,200 · income $58,542 · Jan low 20°F

  17. 9Oracle, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 89% of Arizona towns

    3,051 people · Pinal County · median home $239,900 · income $63,774 · Jan low 35°F · 11 in snow

  18. 8Kachina Village, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 91% of Arizona towns

    2,502 people · Coconino County · median home $413,500 · income $90,375 · Jan low 18°F · 90 in snow

  19. 7Wickenburg, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 91% of Arizona towns

    7,474 people · Maricopa County · median home $470,300 · income $67,600 · Jan low 34°F · 0 in snow

  20. 6Whetstone, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 92% of Arizona towns

    3,236 people · Cochise County · median home $213,900 · income $51,625 · Jan low 33°F · 1 in snow

  21. 5Lake Montezuma, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 94% of Arizona towns

    5,111 people · Yavapai County · median home $285,200 · income $64,455 · Jan low 26°F · 0 in snow

  22. 4Williamson, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 95% of Arizona towns

    6,196 people · Yavapai County · median home $732,300 · income $89,398 · Jan low 26°F · 9 in snow

  23. 3Sedona, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 95% of Arizona towns

    9,684 people · Yavapai County · median home $786,800 · income $73,738 · Jan low 34°F · 38 in snow

  24. 2Carefree, Arizona

    Better for retirees than 97% of Arizona towns

    3,690 people · Maricopa County · median home $1,088,100 · income $147,165 · Jan low 42°F · 0 in snow

  25. 1Village of Oak Creek (Big Park), Arizona

    Better for retirees than 100% of Arizona towns

    6,128 people · Yavapai County · median home $741,100 · income $80,878 · Jan low 34°F · 26 in snow

Price vs ranking

Median home value vs ranking, Arizona towns0255075100$15K$238K$460K$683K$906KMedian home valuePercentile
Orange squares are the 25 towns on this list; green dots are other towns on The Town Files in Arizona.

More Arizona rankings

Same ranking, other places

Methodology. We ranked 68 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Arizona (2020 Census population; towns with 2,500+ people have pages so far). Lifestyle measures are The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025), shown as percentiles. Only towns better than 60% of their peers on this measure qualify, so lists can be shorter than 25. Sources: