Navajo County, Arizona
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Navajo County () is a
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
in the northern part of the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
. As of the 2020 census, its population was 106,717. The
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is Holbrook. Navajo County comprises the Show Low, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area. Navajo County contains parts of the Hopi Indian reservation, the
Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation (), also known as Navajoland, is an Indian reservation of Navajo people in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. The seat of government is located in ...
, and Fort Apache Indian Reservation.


History

Navajo County was split from Apache County on March 21, 1895. The first county
sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
was Commodore Perry Owens, a legendary gunman who had previously served as the sheriff of Apache County. It was the location for many of the events of the Pleasant Valley War.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.09%) is water. Navajo County offers not only the Monument Valley, but Keams Canyon, part of the Petrified Forest National Park, and one of the largest contiguous
ponderosa pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is t ...
forests in North America. Nathan Korhman of ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
'' described the county, in 2022, as "one of Arizona’s most rural regions", stating that a political canvasser would have to drive to get to a sequential house on a list to target, while in more urban areas such a canvasser would walk from place to place.


Adjacent counties

* Apache County – east * Graham County – south *
Gila County Gila County ( ) is a county 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. Gila County comprises the Payson, Arizona micropolitan statistical area which is incl ...
– southwest *
Coconino County Coconino County is a County (United States), county in the North Central Arizona, North-Central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff, Arizon ...
– west *
San Juan County, Utah San Juan County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 14,518. Its county seat is Monticello, Utah, Monticello, while its most popu ...
– north


Indian reservations

Navajo County has of federally designated
Indian reservation An American Indian reservation is an area of land land tenure, held and governed by a List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States#Description, U.S. federal government-recognized Native American tribal nation, whose gov ...
within its borders, the third most of any county in the United States (neighboring Apache County and
Coconino County Coconino County is a County (United States), county in the North Central Arizona, North-Central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff, Arizon ...
are first and second). In descending order of territory within the county, the reservations are the
Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation (), also known as Navajoland, is an Indian reservation of Navajo people in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. The seat of government is located in ...
, Hopi Indian Reservation, and Fort Apache Indian Reservation, all of which are partly located within Navajo County.


National protected areas

* Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest (part) * Navajo National Monument * Petrified Forest National Park (part)


Demographics


2020 census


Census of religion

Navajo County is among the most religiously diverse places in the United States. A 2020 census by the
Public Religion Research Institute The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) is an American nonprofit, nonpartisan research and education organization that conducts public opinion polls on a variety of topics, specializing in the quantitative and qualitative study of politic ...
(unconnected to the official US census) calculates a religious diversity score of 0.876 for Navajo County, where 1 represents complete diversity (each religious group of equal size) and 0 a total lack of diversity. Only three other counties in the US have higher scores, all much more urban than Navajo County.


2010 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 107,449 people, 35,658 households, and 25,923 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 56,938 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 49.3% white, 43.4% American Indian, 0.9% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.4% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 10.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 13.7% were German, 12.5% were English, 9.3% were Irish, and 2.3% were American. Of the 35,658 households, 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.3% were non-families, and 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.50. The median age was 34.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $39,774 and the median income for a family was $45,906. Males had a median income of $41,516 versus $28,969 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,745. About 19.1% of families and 24.4% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 32.6% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.


2000 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 97,470 people, 30,043 households, and 23,073 families living in the county. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 47,413 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 47.7% Native American, 45.9%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.9%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.3% Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 3.2% from other races, and 5.9% from two or more races. 8.2% of the population were
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race. 24.8% reported speaking
Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...
at home, 5.9% other
Southern Athabaskan languages Southern Athabaskan (also Apachean) is a subfamily of Athabaskan languages spoken primarily in the Southwestern United States (including Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah) with two outliers in Oklahoma and Texas. The languages are spoken in ...
, 4.7% Spanish, and 3.2%
Hopi The Hopi are Native Americans who primarily live in northeastern Arizona. The majority are enrolled in the Hopi Tribe of Arizona and live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona; however, some Hopi people are enrolled in the Colorado ...
. There were 30,043 households, out of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.17 and the average family size was 3.68. In the county, the population was spread out, with 35.4% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,569, and the median income for a family was $32,409. Males had a median income of $30,509 versus $21,621 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $11,609. About 23.4% of families and 29.5% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 36.6% of those under age 18 and 20.3% of those age 65 or over.


Politics

Navajo County leans towards the Republican Party. The county has not voted Democratic on a presidential level since 1996. Although its Native American population makes up nearly half of the county, a demographic that politically favors those of the Democratic Party, the county has a strong
Latter-Day Saint The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded b ...
presence (particularly in population centers such as Snowflake) that normally allows Republican candidates to carry the county. The city of Show Low and surrounding areas, as well as Holbrook, also contribute to Republican votes in the county. Notably, the county has become more Republican in recent cycles such as in
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
and in
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
. In 2024, the city of Winslow, which has long been a Democratic stronghold, saw a heavy Republican shift, as did the area of Pinetop-Lakeside. The Navajo Nation also saw some major Republican trends, mirroring those in neighboring Apache County. On the other hand, the city of Holbrook saw a Democratic trend since 2020.


Education

School districts that serve the county include: * Blue Ridge Unified School District * Cedar Unified School District * Heber-Overgaard Unified School District * Holbrook Unified School District * Joseph City Unified School District * Kayenta Unified School District * Piñon Unified School District * Show Low Unified School District * Snowflake Unified School District * Whiteriver Unified School District * Winslow Unified School District There is a tribal elementary school called Little Singer Community School, affiliated with the
Bureau of Indian Education The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior under the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs that directs and manages education functions. Formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs ...
(BIE). Hataalii Yazhi, a
medicine man A medicine man (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwinini'') or medicine woman (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwininiikwe'') is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Each culture has its own name i ...
, in the 1970s proposed establishing the school so area children did not have to travel far for their education. The school was named after him. The original buildings used two geodesic domes as features. In 2014 the school had 81 students. By 2014 the original campus was described by the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
as being in poor repair. In 2004 the school first asked the BIE to get funding for a new building. The current campus had a cost of $28 million and an area of . It uses intersecting circles as an architectural feature. The current building was dedicated in November 2020. It is physically in an
unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
southeast of Birdsprings, and has a postal address of Winslow.


Transportation


Major highways

* ** ** ** * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Airports

The following public-use airports are located within the county: * Cibecue Airport (Z95) – Cibecue * Holbrook Municipal Airport (P14) – Holbrook * Kayenta Airport (0V7) – Kayenta * Polacca Airport (P10) – Polacca * Show Low Regional Airport (SOW) – Show Low * Taylor Airport (TYL) – Taylor * Whiteriver Airport (E24) – Whiteriver * Winslow–Lindbergh Regional Airport (INW) – Winslow


Communities and other places


Cities

* Holbrook (county seat) * Show Low * Winslow


Towns

* Kayenta * Pinetop-Lakeside *
Snowflake A snowflake is a single ice crystal that is large enough to fall through the Earth's atmosphere as snow.Knight, C.; Knight, N. (1973). Snow crystals. Scientific American, vol. 228, no. 1, pp. 100–107.Hobbs, P.V. 1974. Ice Physics. Oxford: C ...
* Taylor


Census-designated places

* Chilchinbito * Cibecue * Clay Springs * Dilkon * East Fork * First Mesa * Fort Apache * Greasewood *
Hard Rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
* Heber-Overgaard * Hondah * Hotevilla-Bacavi * Indian Wells * Jeddito * Joseph City * Keams Canyon * Kykotsmovi Village *
Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods (; ) is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over long and wide, containing more than 14,552 islands and of shoreline. It is fed by t ...
* Linden * Low Mountain * McNary (''mostly in Apache County'') * North Fork * Oljato-Monument Valley * Pinedale * Pinetop Country Club * Pinon * Rainbow City * Seba Dalkai * Second Mesa * Seven Mile * Shongopovi * Shonto * Shumway * Sun Valley * Tees Toh * Turkey Creek * Wagon Wheel * White Mountain Lake * Whitecone * Whiteriver * Winslow West (''partially in
Coconino County Coconino County is a County (United States), county in the North Central Arizona, North-Central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff, Arizon ...
'') * Woodruff


Other communities

* Birdsprings * Oraibi


Native American communities

* Fort Apache Indian Reservation * Hopi Reservation *
Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation (), also known as Navajoland, is an Indian reservation of Navajo people in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. The seat of government is located in ...


Other places

* Alchesay Flat, a named flat approximately north of Whiteriver along Arizona State Route 73.


Ghost towns

* Brigham * Obed *
Sunset Sunset (or sundown) is the disappearance of the Sun at the end of the Sun path, below the horizon of the Earth (or any other astronomical object in the Solar System) due to its Earth's rotation, rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth, it ...
* Wilford * Zeniff


County population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Navajo County. † county seat


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Navajo County, Arizona


References


External links


Official county homepage
{{coord, 35, 29, 52, N, 110, 17, 23, W, region:US-AZ_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki, display=title Arizona placenames of Native American origin Populated places established in 1895 1895 establishments in Arizona Territory