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Cost of living, pay and housing

34.15° N · 109.99° W · GEOID 0439790

Lake of the Woods

Navajo County, Arizona · part of the Show Low, AZ metro

Limited data population under 5,000

ArizonaLake of the Woods, AZLake of the WoodsLake of the Woods

The short answer

Lake of the Woods is home to 3,250 people. Median household income is $55,987 a year and median rent is $812 a month, 17.4% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $272,200, about 4.9x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$812
41% below the median place
Median household income
$55,987
30% below the median place
Median home value
$272,200
15% below the median place
Unemployment
15.3%
213% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Lake of the Woods

  • Unemployment averaged 15.3% over the survey period, higher than in 97% of the 1,242 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 74 Arizona places.
  • 38% of homes stand vacant, more than in 97% of places its size. It is the highest of 80 Arizona places.
  • The median resident is 57.7 years old, older than in 97% of places its size.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 5.6% a year while rent rose 0.6%, so pay gained on rent more than in 88% of places its size.
  • Median rent is $812 a month, lower than in 86% of places its size.
01

Moving to Lake of the Woods

Navajo County gains about 8.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in5,724
Moved out4,969
Net+755

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Maricopa County, AZ1,9801,564+416
Apache County, AZ372339+33

Within Arizona, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within ArizonaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$60K
Leavers$55K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Navajo County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.5% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Navajo County report $60,400 a year in income on average; those leaving, $55,300, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$32,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $812 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,346 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $272,200.
Getting to work
23 minutes each way on average; 13.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Inverness, FL matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
4.8%
17% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people6
8.8
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out6
$55,314
21% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLake of the WoodsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year14.8%17% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.5%23% below
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure8.8above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$60,42214% below
Income of households moving out6County figure$55,31421% below
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 38.4%, above the median place (median 7.1%).

Lake of the Woods17.4%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$32,480
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.4%
15% below the median place
Home price to income
4.9x
28% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$46,300
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lake of the Woods, $812 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Lake of the Woods, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Swoyersville, PA12.5% vs 17.4%n/aCompare
St. Marys, PA13.6% vs 17.4%n/aCompare
Twin Lakes, WI12.1% vs 17.4%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Lake of the Woods.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lake of the Woods? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
38.4%
above the median place (median 7.1%)
Property tax rate1
0.3%
62% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$955
71% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureLake of the WoodsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$81241% below
Rent to income117.4%15% below
Property tax rate10.3%62% below
Home price to income14.9x28% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,26422% below
HUD area median income3County figure$63,00041% below
Property tax paid (median)1$95571% below
Median home value1$272,20015% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure3.2%1% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure69.5%35% above
Homeownership181.6%23% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure34.5%32% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,34628% below
Vacant homes138.4%above (median 7.1%)
Median year built119870% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Unemployment1
15.3%
213% above the median place
Median household income1
$55,987
30% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$33,617 −16%
Mean commute23 min −8%
Poverty rate12.8% +19%
Works from home13.1% +5%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLake of the WoodsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$55,98730% below
Income per person1$33,61716% below
Unemployment115.3%213% above
Average annual pay5County figure$52,14321% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure3.4%8% below
Jobs5County figure27,91081% below
Poverty rate112.8%19% above
Mean commute123 min8% below
Works from home113.1%5% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 57.7, 48% above the median place.

Median age1
57.7
48% above the median place
No health insurance1
19.0%
197% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
85.0%
8% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.2 −13%
Bachelor's or higher22.5% −30%
High school or higher90.0% −3%
Born abroad6.3% −29%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLake of the WoodsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,2506646th largest
Median age157.748% above
Bachelor's or higher122.5%30% below
High school or higher190.0%3% below
Household size12.213% below
Born abroad16.3%29% below
No health insurance119.0%197% above
Homes with broadband185.0%8% below
05

Life in Lake of the Woods

58 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars17.2 −17%
Shops25.8 −15%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.3 −44%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.5 −13%
Child care centers0.8 −65%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Child care centers per 10k7
0.8
65% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
2.3
44% below the median place
Public schools10
76
above the median place (median 9)
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureLake of the WoodsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure76above (median 9)
Public school students10County figure16,500237% above
Students per teacher10County figure16.89% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure17.217% below
Shops per 10k7County figure25.815% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure2.344% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure17.513% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure0.865% below
Parks per 10k80.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k80.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k80.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi80.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings9County figure58346% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Hurricane risk is 0.0, below the median place (median 70.7).

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Lake of the Woods. Larger places are fetched first.

Hurricane risk12
0.0
below the median place (median 70.7)
Good air days13
99.5%
45% above the median place
Median air quality index13
13
70% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureLake of the WoodsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure90°F3% above
January average low11County figure20°F20% below
Average temperature11County figure53°F4% below
Annual precipitation11County figure10.8 in75% below
Natural hazard risk12County figure88.15% below
Hurricane risk12County figure0.0below (median 70.7)
Tornado risk12County figure8.190% below
Wildfire risk12County figure98.861% above
Heat wave risk12County figure56.737% below
Median air quality index13County figure1370% below
Good air days13County figure99.5%45% above
08

Lake of the Woods in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 17% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 17% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$812/mo (2024)$1,010/mo$830 to $1,230/mo+3.7%
Median household income$55,987 (2024)$71,500$60,500 to $84,500+4.1%
Median home value$272,200 (2024)$402,000$292,000 to $554,000+6.7%

The median home would be worth 5.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.9 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Lake of the Woods

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Inverness, FL$975$43,523Compare
Laughlin, NV$1,112$45,685Compare
Hernando, FL$964$43,076Compare
Bullhead City, AZ$1,079$50,556Compare
Bullhead City, AZHernando, FLLaughlin, NVInverness, FLLake of the Woods, AZLake of the WoodsInvernessLaughlinHernandoBullhead CityLake of the WoodsInvernessLaughlinHernandoBullhead City

Common questions

Is Lake of the Woods a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Unemployment averaged 15.3% over the survey period, higher than in 97% of the 1,242 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 74 Arizona places. 38% of homes stand vacant, more than in 97% of places its size. It is the highest of 80 Arizona places. On cost, space and class size it scores 44 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lake of the Woods expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.4% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $272,200.

What salary do you need to live in Lake of the Woods?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $32,480 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lake of the Woods?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Inverness, FL, Laughlin, NV, Hernando, FL and Bullhead City, AZ.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Lake of the Woods with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lake of the Woods itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lake-of-the-woods-arizona

Citytistics. “Lake of the Woods, Arizona.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/lake-of-the-woods-arizona/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.