Hot-summer Mediterranean
Payson, Arizona
Gila County, Arizona · Population 16k · 4,915 ft elevation
Living in Payson
Payson has a hot-summer mediterranean climate: very hot summers (July highs around 92°F) and chilly winters (January lows around 26°F).
Precipitation is dry at about 20″ a year, and it gets light snow (19″ a season).
Skies are exceptionally sunny (81% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 47, with about 15 unhealthy-air days in the latest year.
Payson is an outdoor hub: about 97% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 4,900 ft around town.
Payson at a glance
- Population
- 16k
- Elevation
- 4,915 ft
- Average daily high
- 74°F73th percentile
- Average daily low
- 40°F19th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 20″14th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 19″56th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 3,595 hrs92th percentile
- Median AQI
- 4776th percentile
- Median home value
- $343k64th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,355/mo60th percentile
- Median household income
- $65k37th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.51%10th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 2.5%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 8.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 7.8%
- Homes with broadband
- 86%24th percentile
- Walkability index
- 7.634th percentile
- Average commute
- 18 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 37%34th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 42%
- Violent crime rate
- 285 per 100k69th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 1,448 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 9048th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 10099th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 93%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 97%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 4,888 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56°F | 26°F | 2.3″ | 4.7″ | 235 hrs |
| Feb | 58°F | 28°F | 2.3″ | 4.9″ | 225 hrs |
| Mar | 65°F | 31°F | 1.9″ | 2.0″ | 295 hrs |
| Apr | 71°F | 36°F | 0.8″ | 2.0″ | 330 hrs |
| May | 80°F | 43°F | 0.5″ | — | 379 hrs |
| Jun | 90°F | 51°F | 0.2″ | — | 398 hrs |
| Jul | 92°F | 59°F | 2.8″ | — | 328 hrs |
| Aug | 90°F | 59°F | 2.6″ | — | 322 hrs |
| Sep | 86°F | 52°F | 1.5″ | — | 308 hrs |
| Oct | 76°F | 40°F | 1.3″ | — | 298 hrs |
| Nov | 64°F | 31°F | 1.5″ | 1.3″ | 255 hrs |
| Dec | 55°F | 25°F | 2.1″ | 3.6″ | 222 hrs |
Near Payson
- Star Valley, AZ · 2.5k
- Camp Verde, AZ · 12k
- Lake Montezuma, AZ · 4.6k
- Heber-Overgaard, AZ · 3.2k
- Carefree, AZ · 3.7k
- Village of Oak Creek (Big Park), AZ · 6.3k
- Cordes Lakes, AZ · 3.2k
- Cave Creek, AZ · 5k
Largest places in Arizona
- Phoenix, AZ · 1.6M
- Tucson, AZ · 543k
- Mesa, AZ · 507k
- Chandler, AZ · 278k
- Gilbert, AZ · 271k
- Glendale, AZ · 250k
- Scottsdale, AZ · 242k
- Peoria, AZ · 194k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology