The book's checklist
- Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 2.7% below the U.S. average in the St. George metro area.
- More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Hildale to say.
- A safer neighborhood4 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 3.1 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 7 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
- Schools in town2 public schools: 1 elementary and 1 high school.
- A hospital close byKane County Hospital in Kanab, about 26 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
- Within reach of a big cityLas Vegas is about 137 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 Hildale 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
Boom town. The population is up 15% 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
- Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
- $379,200U.S.: $332,700
- Home prices since then
- Up 4.8%Washington County, 2022 to 2025
- Typical rent, with utilities
- $1,495 a monthU.S.: $1,413
- Homes owned by the people living in them
- 71%U.S.: 65%
- Typical property tax bill
- $1,598 a yearUtah: $2,525
- Homes built before 1940
- 0%U.S.: 12%
- Homes built since 2010
- 3%U.S.: 11%
- Vacation and seasonal homes
- 6%U.S.: 3%
- Everyday prices
- 97.3U.S. average = 100 (the St. George 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 4.8% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the St. George metro area, not Hildale 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
- 1,3192020: 1,151
- Median age
- 26.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
- Age 65 and older
- 6%U.S.: 17%
- Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
- 22%U.S.: 36%
- Moved here from another county or state in the past year
- 2%U.S.: 6%
- College students
- 5%share of all residents
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
- Retail (15%); construction (13%)
- Unemployment rate
- 9%U.S.: 5%
- Work from home
- 2%U.S.: 15%
- Below the poverty line
- 19%U.S.: 12%
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Health care
Nearest emergency room: Kane County Hospital, Kanab, UT, about 26 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: St. George Regional Hospital, St. George, UT, about 32 miles away. Medicare gives it 5 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
2 public schools in Hildale, run by Washington District.
See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Utah'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
- 97%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
- 24°F
- July average high
- 95°F
- Days 90°F or hotter
- 72 a year
- Nights at or below freezing
- 120 a year
- Rain and melted snow
- 14.3 inches a year
- Snow
- 12 inches a year
- Elevation
- 5,183 feet
Weather station: Colorado City (2 miles 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
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: Kane County Hospital, St. George, Las Vegas.
Washington 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
National Park Service sites within about an hour:
- Zion National Park9 miles
- Pipe Spring National Monument18 miles
- Cedar Breaks National Monument41 miles
- Grand Canyon National Park41 miles
- Bryce Canyon National Park50 miles
Read about Hildale's history on Wikipedia.
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
- Colorado City, AZ3,500 people, 3 miles
- La Verkin, UT4,500 people, 20 miles
- Hurricane, UT26,000 people, 22 miles
- Toquerville, UT2,000 people, 24 miles
- Kanab, UT5,300 people, 26 miles
- Fredonia, AZ1,300 people, 27 miles
Smaller places
- Centennial Park, AZ (unincorporated)1,839 people, 4 miles
- Apple Valley, UT951 people, 7 miles
- Cane Beds, AZ (unincorporated)637 people, 7 miles
- Rockville, UT225 people, 10 miles
- Springdale, UT602 people, 11 miles
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
- 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
- FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
- 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
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
- U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
- National Park Service, park unit boundaries
- USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas
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.