Payson is a town in northern Gila County, Arizona, United States. Due to Payson's location being very near to the geographic center of Arizona, it has been called "The Heart of Arizona". The town is surrounded by the Tonto National Forest, the largest of the six national forests in Arizona and the ninth largest national forest in the United States.[1][2]

Gila County is in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,272. The county seat is Globe.