Living in Wellton, Arizona: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 7.3% below the U.S. average in the Yuma metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Wellton to say.
A safer neighborhood2 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.7 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 6.3 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town1 public school. No public high school in town: the nearest is Antelope Union High School, about 12 miles away.
A hospital close byExceptional Community Hospital Yuma in Yuma, about 18 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityPhoenix is about 139 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 Wellton 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 1 in 3 homes is a vacation or seasonal home, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

Boom town. The population is up 12% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

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 11%Yuma County, 2022 to 2025
Typical household income: $58,470U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 88%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $686 a yearArizona: $1,879
Homes built before 1940: 2%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 22%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 31%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 92.7U.S. average = 100 (the Yuma metro area)

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 11% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Yuma metro area, not Wellton 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: 2,6712020: 2,383
Median age: 65.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 52%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 14%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: 6%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

Biggest lines of work: Government (19%); manufacturing (13%)
Unemployment rate: 1%U.S.: 5%
Below the poverty line: 8%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Exceptional Community Hospital Yuma, Yuma, AZ, about 18 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

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 Wellton, run by Wellton Elementary District (4504). The nearest public high school is Antelope Union High School, about 12 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 cable, fiber or DSL internet: 59%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 83%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: 43°F
July average high: 106°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 174 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 5 a year
Rain and melted snow: 3.5 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 325 feet

Weather stations: Yuma 27 ENE (14 miles away) and Yuma Proving Ground (17 miles away, rain and snow). 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

Exceptional Community Hospital YumaEmergency room18

Yuma, AZCity of 105,00020

Phoenix, AZMetro of 5.2 million139

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: Exceptional Community Hospital Yuma, Yuma, Phoenix.

Yuma County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

Read about Wellton's history on Wikipedia.

Know Wellton?

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

Avenue B and C, AZ4,000 people, 26 miles
Somerton, AZ14,900 people, 28 miles
San Luis, AZ42,000 people, 31 miles
Holtville, CA5,600 people, 69 miles
Quartzsite, AZ2,400 people, 71 miles
Blythe, CA15,000 people, 74 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.