Living in Quartzsite, Arizona: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 18.3% below the U.S. average in the parts of Arizona outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Quartzsite to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Quartzsite itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town1 public school. No public high school in town: the nearest is Palo Verde High, about 23 miles away.
A hospital close byParker Indian Health Center in Parker, about 25 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityPhoenix is about 123 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Quartzsite meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Tourist town. About 30% of homes are vacation or seasonal homes, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Home prices since then: Up 13%La Paz County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $836 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Homes built before 1940: 1%U.S.: 12%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 30%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 81.7U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Arizona outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 13% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Arizona outside metro areas, not Quartzsite alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 2,3882020: 2,411
Median age: 73.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Under 18: 0%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 24%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 9%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Work from home: 1%U.S.: 15%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Parker Indian Health Center, Parker, AZ, about 25 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Havasu Regional Medical Center, Lake Havasu City, AZ, about 57 miles away. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

1 public school in Quartzsite, run by Quartzsite Elementary District (4511). The nearest public high school is Palo Verde High, about 23 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Arizona's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with any internet subscription: 69%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 40°F
July average high: 109°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 176 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 12 a year
Rain and melted snow: 4.6 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 876 feet

Weather station: Quartzsite (1 mile away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Parker Indian Health CenterEmergency room25

Lake Havasu City, AZCity of 59,00058

Phoenix, AZMetro of 5.2 million123

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Parker Indian Health Center, Lake Havasu City, Phoenix.

La Paz County is outside any metro area, with 5,000 to 20,000 people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 6, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Read about Quartzsite's history on Wikipedia.

Know Quartzsite?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Blythe, CA15,000 people, 23 miles
Parker, AZ3,400 people, 25 miles
Lake Havasu City, AZ59,000 people, 58 miles
Desert Hills, AZ2,900 people, 61 miles
Avenue B and C, AZ4,000 people, 70 miles
Wellton, AZ2,700 people, 71 miles

Smaller places

La Paz Valley, AZ (unincorporated)579 people, 8 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.