Moving to
Flagstaff.

All Flagstaff data Compare Flagstaff

76,445people live here $71,512median household income▼ 11% below US $1,645median rent per month▲ 16% above US $552,900median home value▲ 66% above US

What it's like to live in Flagstaff

Flagstaff is a smaller city in Arizona with commutes that run shorter than most cities, a highly educated workforce, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Flagstaff deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, crime rates above the national average, and a poverty rate above the national average.

The good

Short commutes
Highly educated workforce
Average class sizes

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Crime above national average
High poverty rate
High rent burden for renters
Cold winters

How Flagstaff compares

Median household income

Flagstaff$71,512

Arizona avg$79,964

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Flagstaff$1,645

Arizona avg$1,543

US$1,413

Median home value

Flagstaff$552,900

Arizona avg$394,500

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Flagstaff

Based on Flagstaff's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,290

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $65,800 a year
56% of Flagstaff renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$110,580

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $55,290
Homes cost 7.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 16% above US

$1,645/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,645 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $552,900. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $552,900 · 56% of renters cost-burdened

Job marketNear US average

4.0% unemployment

Unemployment here is 4.0%, close to the national average of 4.3%.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▲ 52% above US

501 violent crimes per 100k

Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.

Property crime 2110/100k · Flagstaff Police Department · 2025 data

Getting around▼ 37% below US

17 min average commute

Commutes run short here, averaging 16.5 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 13% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

62%

Work from home

13%

Carpool

10%

Walk

8.5%

Other

3.8%

Public transit

2.3%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 18°F.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

2 hospitals

There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 4.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▲ 45% above US

52% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

30 public schools inside the boundary

There are 30 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Walnut Canyon National Monument (7 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Flagstaff's strongest points are commutes that run shorter than most cities and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,645/mo) equals 28% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people who want short commutes and college-educated professionals.

See all the data for Flagstaff →·All Arizona cities →