Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety13#805/924
Economy41#546/925
Housing59#378/925
Health17#766/925
Healthcare6#864/923
Environment53#436/917
Education22#722/925
Infrastructure14#793/925
Community73#247/925
Leisure & amenities38#576/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Payson, AZ micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.7 µg/m³
97/100Arizona 6.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Public libraries · high1.7 /10k
92/100Arizona 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Rent-burdened households · low38.6%
90/100Arizona 51.4%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Comfortable days · high32.0%
89/100Arizona 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Access to exercise opportunities · high87.8%
87/100Arizona 85.9%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Adult obesity · low32.2%
85/100Arizona 33.3%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high66.7 /100k
0/100Arizona 20.8 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · high42.6 /100k
1/100Arizona 18.1 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Distance to an emergency room · high31.2 mi
1/100Arizona 5.7 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Premature death · high18,295 /100k
1/100Arizona 9,154 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Injury deaths · high175 /100k
1/100Arizona 106 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Traffic deaths · high38.3 /100k
2/100Arizona 16.6 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Drought exposureImproving
89% (2021) → 61% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−28 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
66.2% (2015-2019) → 82.2% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New business applicationsImproving
7.3 /1k (2020) → 12.1 /1k (2025)
+67%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
37.8% (2015-2019) → 25.1% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Homicide rateWorsening
4.1 /100k (2021) → 6.7 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+63%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Violent crime rateImproving
837 /100k (2020) → 327 /100k (2025)
−61%5 yearsUS 389 /100k → 328 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Payson, AZ micropolitan area improved on 13 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 7 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved13

Child poverty−13 points37.8% → 25.1%
Poverty−4.7 points21.6% → 16.9%
Broadband+16 points66.2% → 82.2%
Household income+42%$43,524 → $61,986
Violent crime−61%837 /100k → 327 /100k

Declined6

Suicides+87%35.6 /100k → 66.7 /100k
Overdose deaths+25%28.1 /100k → 35.2 /100k
Grocery stores−17%2.2 /10k → 1.9 /10k
Pharmacies−21%0.9 /10k → 0.7 /10k
Firearm deaths+14%37.5 /100k → 42.6 /100k

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Payson, AZ micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	1.7 /10k2020	1.9 /10k2025	+10%	Improved	54%
Average commute time	20.4 min2015-2019	21.9 min2020-2024	+1.4 min	Within the margin of error	22%
Average weekly wage	$8972020	$1,1472025	+28%	Improved	84%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.7%2015-2019	18.7%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Broadband subscriptions	66.2%2015-2019	82.2%2020-2024	+16 points	Improved	92%
Child poverty rate	37.8%2015-2019	25.1%2020-2024	−13 points	Improved	98%
Distance to an airport	62 mi2020	62 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	28.1 /100k2020	35.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+25%	Declined	15%
Effective property tax rate	0.67%2015-2019	0.55%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	46%
Firearm deaths	37.5 /100k2020	42.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+14%	Declined	30%
Grocery stores	2.2 /10k2020	1.9 /10k2025	−17%	Declined	12%
High school diploma or higher	86.3%2015-2019	90.5%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Home price to income ratio	3.8×2015-2019	4.3×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	39%
Homicide rate	13.4 /100k2020	6.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−50%	Improved	77%
Income adjusted for local prices	$50,4572019	$69,9222024	+39%	Improved	86%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4432015-2019	0.4512020-2024	+0.008	Within the margin of error	32%
Median household income	$43,5242015-2019	$61,9862020-2024	+42%	Improved	97%
New business applications	7.3 /1k2020	12.1 /1k2025	+67%	Improved	77%
Pharmacies	0.9 /10k2020	0.7 /10k2025	−21%	Declined	19%
Poverty rate	21.6%2015-2019	16.9%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Improved	96%
Property crime rate	2,234 /100k2020	1,076 /100k2025	−52%	Improved	88%
Public libraries	1.7 /10k2019	1.7 /10k2024	−0.1%	Little change	63%
Rent as share of income	25.8%2015-2019	25.9%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Rent-burdened households	39.2%2015-2019	38.6%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Restaurants and bars	10.5 /10k2020	10.8 /10k2025	+2.7%	Little change	57%
Suicide rate	35.6 /100k2020	66.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+87%	Declined	3%
Traffic deaths	43.3 /100k2015-2019	38.3 /100k2020-2024	−12%	Improved	79%
Unemployment rate	7.5%2020	4.1%2025	−3.4 points	Improved	63%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.8%2015-2019	15.7%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Violent crime rate	837 /100k2020	327 /100k2025	−61%	Improved	98%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Payson, AZ micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Payson, AZ micropolitan area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Payson, AZ micropolitan area itself moved +3 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

53,795 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

23,645 households (±605)

Payson, AZ micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k19%4,433
$25k–50k21%4,988
$50k–75k21%4,948

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

23,645 households (±605)

Payson, AZ micropolitan area
United States share

Own78%18,329
Rent22%5,316

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

19,179 workers (±841)

Payson, AZ micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone67%12,815
Carpool17%3,225
Public transit0.2%†35

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes no occupation wages for Payson, AZ micropolitan area.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Payson, AZ has 1,065 employer establishments, 197 for every 10,000 residents (0.79× the US rate of 248), with 12,495 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,757. The Census Bureau also counts 3,803 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,065; 3,803 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 197; US 248
Paid employees: 12,495
Average annual pay: $51,757; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Payson, AZ by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	105	19.4	1.06×About typical	1,565	$22,792	33
Ambulatory health care services	102	18.9	0.91×About typical	860	$62,222	147
Specialty trade contractors	90	16.7	1.08×About typical	525	$50,229	369
Lessors of real estate	69	12.8	1.04×About typical	112	$41,402	388
Full-service restaurants	57	10.5	1.37×More than typical	698	$26,140	18
Construction of buildings	42	7.8	1.03×About typical	194	$43,660	153
Offices of physicians	40	7.4	1.14×About typical	213	$99,531	18
Limited-service restaurants	38	7	0.88×About typical	743	$20,653	8
Building equipment contractors	37	6.8	1.14×About typical	111	$36,441	83
Religious organizations	36	6.7	1.20×About typical	122	$26,893	—
Real estate agents and brokers	32	5.9	1.22×About typical	41	$46,927	161
Other specialty trade contractors	24	4.4	1.77×More than typical	279	$60,362	131

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 54,040 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $9M on contracts performed in Payson, AZ micropolitan area: $167 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $9M; +68% vs FY2025
Per resident: $167; US $1,994
Sole-source: 5.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 3.4%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Highway Administration$4.3M48%
Forest Service$3.3M37%
National Park Service$494.4K5.5%
Department of Veterans Affairs$457.8K5.1%
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$285.3K3.2%
Defense Logistics Agency$44.9K0.5%
Federal Acquisition Service$33.2K0.4%
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission$17K0.2%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

6.7MFY2017
11.1MFY2018
5.2MFY2019
9.5MFY2020
2.5MFY2021
23.5MFY2022
2.4MFY2023
10.1M

Top industries (NAICS)

Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$4.3M48%
Nonscheduled air transportation · 4812$1.9M21%
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$572.5K6.4%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$568.8K6.3%
Forest nurseries and gathering of forest products · 1132$558.3K6.2%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$494.4K

Largest awards

AZ FS 289(1) AZ NFSR 289 BRIDGE REPLACEMENT - CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT$4.2M
WHELCON CONTRACTORS LLC· Gila County, AZ· Construction & real property· Jan 16, 2026 – Jan 16, 2026· 6982AF26C000011
HSS MATOC TYPE 3 ROUND VALLEY N407US$3.2M
GUIDANCE AIR SERVICE LLC· Gila County, AZ· Facilities & utilities· Oct 30, 2023 – Sep 25, 2026· 1202SA24K9326
HSS MATOC TYPE 3 PAYSON AZ N6HE$2.7M
HELICOPTER EXPRESS LLC· Gila County, AZ· Facilities & utilities· Oct 19, 2023 – Sep 28, 2026· 1202SA24K9304
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEYS PRIOR TO FUELS REDUCTION PROJECTS IN THE PAYSON AREA.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $614.4M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Payson, AZ micropolitan area: $11,420 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $614.4M; −1.1% vs FY2025
Per resident: $11,420; US $12,955
Loan face value: $35.8M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$348.7M57%
10.923 · Emergency Watershed Protection Program$53.5M8.7%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$39M6.3%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$32.6M5.3%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$29.2M4.8%
84.041 · Impact Aid$18.1M3.0%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$16.2M2.6%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$10M1.6%

Top recipients (organizations)

SAN CARLOS APACHE TRIBAL COUNCIL$31M5.0%
SAN CARLOS, AZ
GILA COUNTY, AZ$26.7M4.3%
GLOBE, AZ
CITY OF GLOBE$19.4M3.2%
GLOBE, AZ
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ARIZONA$15M2.4%
PHOENIX, AZ
SAN CARLOS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT$14.7M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$420.6M68%
Natural Resources Conservation Service$53.8M8.8%
Department of Agriculture
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$43.6M7.1%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$26.2M4.3%
Department of the Interior
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

471.4MFY2021
531.2MFY2022
520.9MFY2023
564.3MFY2024
621.4MFY2025
614.4MFY2026

County aggregates

76%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Payson, AZ

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Gila CountyCentral county1953,801

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

PaysonPrincipal city16,622

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Arizona

Areas based in Arizona, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M37740

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like Payson, AZ micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Payson, AZ

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Arizona

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved13

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought