Benson ranks #14 in Arizona for new homes
Benson is ranked on 36 lists against the 140 Arizona towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 4.
The lists Benson does best on
Each list ranks every AZ town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Benson marked.
Benson lands in the top half on 10 of 23 lists
Each dot is Benson’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in AZ, the right end is last. Areas where Benson does best come first.
More vacation homes than 91% of Arizona
Not better or worse, just Benson’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
4 spots from the top 10 for new homes
Lists where Benson sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Benson lands in every AZ ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Avenue B and C · 0.2 yrs
#16
Cheapest rent#1 Eagar · $494/mo
#18
Lowest property tax#1 Avenue B and C · $274/yr
#32
Rent easiest to afford#1 New Kingman-Butler · 35.7%
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Heber-Overgaard · 55.6%
#13
Most new homes#1 Queen Creek · 28.4 per 1,000
#14
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Avra Valley · +96.2%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Clifton · 22.2 per home
#14 
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Cottonwood · 16.0 per resident
#15
Most library borrowing#1 Sedona · 20.8 per resident
#14
Best libraries for kids#1 Cave Creek · 41.8 per child
#19 People
Most educated#1 Paradise Valley · 74.3%
#64
Youngest#1 Colorado City · 19.4
#93
Oldest#1 Sun City West · 74.8
#48
Most residents 65+#1 Sun City West · 85%
#41
Most kids#1 Colorado City · 46.1%
#82 Health
Healthiest#1 Kachina Village · 98 / 100
#104
Lowest obesity#1 Kachina Village · 21%
#59
Fewest smokers#1 Catalina Foothills · 6%
#100
Most active#1 Kachina Village · 12%
#105
Fewest uninsured#1 Paradise Valley · 4%
#75
Lowest depression#1 Sun City West · 14%
#82
Closest to a top hospital#1 Chandler · 1.7 mi
#97 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Star Valley · 93.3%
#77
Most trails#1 Pima · 5.8 mi / sq mi
#88
Most walkable#1 Litchfield Park · 177 / sq mi
#120 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Bagdad · 8.5 min
#117 Climate
Snowiest#1 Flagstaff · 90 in
#28
Least snow#1 Cottonwood · 1.0 in
#8
F
Mildest winters#1 Fort Mohave · 45.1°
#85
Hottest summers#1 Mohave Valley · 111.1°
#106
Coolest summers#1 Williams · 82.0°
#31
Longest growing season#1 Phoenix · 331 days
#63
Wettest#1 Kachina Village · 23 in
#36 Safety
Safest#1 Clarkdale · 6.9
The number on the right is Benson’s spot. All of Arizona’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every AZ list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.