85354 receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.
Signals
85354
86429
Opportunity
25 · Bottom 5%
vs13 · Bottom 1%
Growth
77 · Top 7%
vs67 · Top 20%
Climate
58 · Bottom 9%
vs58 · Bottom 9%
Physical resilience
47 · Bottom 37%
vs21 · Bottom 16%
Housing affordability
58 · Bottom 20%
vs64 · Bottom 28%
Access
80 · Bottom 21%
vs97 · Top 32%
Economic stability
48 · Bottom 31%
vs31 · Bottom 9%
Measured values
| Metric | 85354 | 86429 | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,531 | 8,619 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $64,203 | $58,906 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $29,279 | $50,251 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 12/sq mi | 31/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $330,800 | $349,900 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $1,395 | $1,058 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 85.0% | 65.0% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 5.9% | 7.4% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -3.9% | -5.5% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.7% | 17.3% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 10.8% | 10.2% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 2,562 | 359 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 24.4 | 8.4 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | -13.9% | 34.0% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 108°F | 99°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 41°F | 31°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 6.1" | 8.0" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 40 mi | 10 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 45.0 min | 26.3 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 38.0 | 60.2 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 4 | 2 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 21.69 | 13.75 | 2024-25 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
85354
Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding.
86429
Elevated or high exposure: wildfire, inland flooding.
Full profiles: 85354 — Buckeye, AZ · 86429 — Bullhead City, AZ · How this is calculated: methodology