CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

33.87° N · 109.98° W · GEOID 0458620

Rainbow City

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

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

ArizonaRainbow City, AZRainbow CityRainbow City

The short answer

Rainbow City is home to 807 people. Median household income is $23,311 a year and median rent is $858 a month, 44.2% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). That is above the usual 30% line for cost burden. The median home is valued at $96,200, about 4.1x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$858
37% below the median place
Median household income
$23,311
71% below the median place
Median home value
$96,200
70% below the median place
Unemployment
8.8%
81% 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 Rainbow City

  • The median household earns $23,311 a year, less than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 92 Arizona places.
  • Only 0% of workers mostly work from home, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 86 Arizona places.
  • The median rent takes 44.2% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 92 Arizona places.
  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 89 Arizona places.
  • Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 82 Arizona places.
01

Moving to Rainbow City

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
0.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% 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
$34,300 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $858 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,366 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $96,200.
Getting to work
25 minutes each way on average; 0.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Portsmouth, OH matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
0.0%
below the median place (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6
8.8
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureRainbow CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year10.0%below (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
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

Renters paying 30%+ is 0.0%, below the median place (median 50.6%).

Rainbow City44.2%
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
$34,320
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
44.2%
117% above the median place
Home price to income
4.1x
9% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
45%
well over the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$12,700
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Rainbow City, $858 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Rainbow City.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Rainbow City? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
0.0%
below the median place (median 50.6%)
Median home value1
$96,200
70% below the median place
Median year built1
1988
1% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureRainbow CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$85837% below
Rent to income144.2%117% above
Property tax rate11.2%36% above
Home price to income14.1x9% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,26422% below
HUD area median income3County figure$63,00041% below
Property tax paid (median)1County figure$1,19563% below
Median home value1$96,20070% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure3.2%1% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure69.5%35% above
Homeownership173.5%11% above
Renters paying 30%+10.0%below (median 50.6%)
Owner costs with a mortgage1County figure$1,36627% below
Vacant homes1County figure30.0%325% above
Median year built119881% above
03

Work and pay

Works from home is 0.0%, below the median place (median 12.4%).

Works from home1
0.0%
below the median place (median 12.4%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$10,202
75% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureRainbow CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$23,31171% below
Income per person1$10,20275% below
Unemployment1County figure8.8%81% above
Average annual pay5County figure$52,14321% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure3.4%8% below
Jobs5County figure27,91081% below
Poverty rate1County figure24.7%130% above
Mean commute1County figure25 min0% above
Works from home10.0%below (median 12.4%)
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
Household size1
3.8
53% above the median place
High school or higher1
64.8%
30% below the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureRainbow CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population18076646th largest
Median age1County figure39.51% above
Bachelor's or higher1County figure19.1%40% below
High school or higher164.8%30% below
Household size13.853% above
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1County figure15.9%148% above
Homes with broadband1County figure74.2%20% below
05

Life in Rainbow City

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

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 schools9
76
above the median place (median 9)
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureRainbow CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9County figure76above (median 9)
Public school students9County figure16,500237% above
Students per teacher9County 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
National Register listings8County 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 Rainbow City. Larger places are fetched first.

Hurricane risk11
0.0
below the median place (median 70.7)
Good air days12
99.5%
45% above the median place
Median air quality index12
13
70% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureRainbow CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high10County figure90°F3% above
January average low10County figure20°F20% below
Average temperature10County figure53°F4% below
Annual precipitation10County figure10.8 in75% below
Natural hazard risk11County figure88.15% below
Hurricane risk11County figure0.0below (median 70.7)
Tornado risk11County figure8.190% below
Wildfire risk11County figure98.861% above
Heat wave risk11County figure56.737% below
Median air quality index12County figure1370% below
Good air days12County figure99.5%45% above
08

Rainbow City in 2030: where the trends point

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 household income$23,311 (2024)$28,500$24,000 to $33,500+3.3%
Median home value$96,200 (2024)$144,000$105,000 to $199,000+7.0%

The median home would be worth 5.1 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.1 now.

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

09

Places like Rainbow City

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

PlaceRentIncome
Portsmouth, OH$747$34,713Compare
Somerset, KY$775$34,704Compare
Minden, LA$895$34,294Compare
Meridian, MS$910$36,562Compare
Meridian, MSMinden, LASomerset, KYPortsmouth, OHRainbow City, AZRainbow CityPortsmouthSomersetMindenMeridianRainbow CityPortsmouthSomersetMindenMeridian

Common questions

Is Rainbow City a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median household earns $23,311 a year, less than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 92 Arizona places. Only 0% of workers mostly work from home, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 86 Arizona places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Rainbow City expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 44.2% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $96,200.

What salary do you need to live in Rainbow City?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $34,320 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Rainbow City?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Portsmouth, OH, Somerset, KY, Minden, LA and Meridian, MS.

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. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  9. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  10. 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
  11. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  12. 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 Rainbow City with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Rainbow City itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/rainbow-city-arizona

Citytistics. “Rainbow City, Arizona.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/rainbow-city-arizona/

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