Navajo County, Arizona

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Navajo County (Template:Langx) is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 106,717.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Holbrook.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

Navajo County comprises the Show Low, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Navajo County contains parts of the Hopi Indian reservation, the Navajo Nation, and Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

History

Navajo County was split from Apache County on March 21, 1895. The first county sheriff 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.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref>

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.09%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

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 forests in North America.

Nathan Korhman of The Atlantic 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

Apache County – east
Graham County – south
Gila County – southwest
Coconino County – west
San Juan County, Utah – north

Indian reservations

Navajo County has Template:Convert of federally designated Indian reservation within its borders, the third most of any county in the United States (neighboring Apache County and Coconino County are first and second). In descending order of territory within the county, the reservations are the Navajo Nation, Hopi Indian Reservation, and Fort Apache Indian Reservation, all of which are partly located within Navajo County.

National protected areas

File:Giants, Petroglyphs at Rock Art Ranch.jpg

Petroglyphs at Rock Art Canyon Ranch near Winslow

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

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

**Navajo County, Arizona – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	41,196	47,181	44,786	42.27%	43.91%	41.97%
Black or African American alone (NH)	794	842	674	0.81%	0.78%	0.63%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	45,846	45,551	46,572	47.04%	42.39%	43.64%
Asian alone (NH)	315	542	548	0.32%	0.50%	0.51%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	39	68	68	0.04%	0.06%	0.06%
Other race alone (NH)	29	44	232	0.03%	0.04%	0.22%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	1,240	1,650	2,950	1.27%	1.54%	2.76%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	8,011	11,571	10,887	8.22%	10.77%	10.20%
Total	97,470	107,449	106,717	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

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 (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.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 107,449 people, 35,658 households, and 25,923 families living in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 56,938 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="census-dp1"/> In terms of ancestry, 13.7% were German, 12.5% were English, 9.3% were Irish, and 2.3% were American.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="census-dp1"/>

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, including 32.6% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 97,470 people, 30,043 households, and 23,073 families living in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 47,413 housing units at an average density of Template:Cvt. The racial makeup of the county was 47.7% Native American, 45.9% White, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.2% from other races, and 5.9% from two or more races. 8.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.8% reported speaking Navajo at home, 5.9% other Southern Athabaskan languages, 4.7% Spanish, and 3.2% Hopi.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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 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 for the county was $11,609. About 23.4% of families and 29.5% of the population were below the poverty line, 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 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 and in 2024. 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

School districts that serve the county include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

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There is a tribal elementary school called Little Singer Community School, affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hataalii Yazhi, a medicine man,<ref name=YurthNewBldg>Template:Cite web</ref> in the 1970s proposed establishing the school so area children did not have to travel far for their education.<ref name=ApDecaypov>Template:Cite news</ref> The school was named after him. The original buildings used two geodesic domes as features.<ref name=YurthNewBldg/> In 2014 the school had 81 students. By 2014 the original campus was described by the Associated Press as being in poor repair.<ref name=ApDecaypov/> 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 Template:Convert. It uses intersecting circles as an architectural feature.<ref name=YurthNewBldg/> The current building was dedicated in November 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is physically in an unincorporated area Template:Convert southeast of Birdsprings, and has a postal address of Winslow.<ref>Template:Cite web - Template:Cite web</ref>

Transportation

Major highways

Airports

The following public-use airports are located within the county:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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

Census-designated places

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Chilchinbito
Cibecue
Clay Springs
Dilkon
East Fork
First Mesa
Fort Apache
Greasewood
Hard Rock
Heber-Overgaard
Hondah
Hotevilla-Bacavi
Indian Wells
Jeddito
Joseph City
Keams Canyon
Kykotsmovi Village
Lake of the Woods
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)
Woodruff

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Other communities

File:Thanksgiving dance, Oraibi, Arizona LCCN2017658704.jpg

Thanksgiving dance, Oraibi, 1899. Photochrom print by William Henry Jackson

Native American communities

Other places

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

Ghost towns

County population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Navajo County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Population (2010 Census)	Municipal type	Incorporated
1	Show Low	10,660	City	1953
2	Winslow	9,655	City	1900
3	Snowflake	5,590	Town	1953 (founded 1878)
4	Kayenta	5,189	CDP
5	† Holbrook	5,053	City	1917
6	Pinetop-Lakeside	4,282	Town	1984
7	Taylor	4,112	Town	1966
8	Whiteriver	4,104	CDP
9	Lake of the Woods	4,094	CDP
10	Heber-Overgaard	2,822	CDP
11	Linden	2,597	CDP
12	White Mountain Lake	2,205	CDP
13	Pinetop Country Club	1,794	CDP
14	Cibecue	1,730	CDP
15	Wagon Wheel	1,652	CDP
16	First Mesa	1,555	CDP
17	North Fork	1,417	CDP
18	Joseph City	1,386	CDP
19	Dilkon	1,184	CDP
20	Rainbow City	968	CDP
21	Second Mesa	962	CDP
22	Hotevilla-Bacavi	957	CDP
23	Pinon	904	CDP
24	Shongopovi	831	CDP
25	Whitecone	817	CDP
26	Hondah	812	CDP
27	Low Mountain	757	CDP
28	Kykotsmovi Village	746	CDP
29	Seven Mile	707	CDP
30	East Fork	699	CDP
31	Shonto	591	CDP
32	Greasewood	547	CDP
33	McNary (mostly in Apache County)	528	CDP
34	Chilchinbito	506	CDP
35	Pinedale	487	CDP
36	Tees Toh	448	CDP
37	Winslow West (partially in Coconino County)	438	CDP
38	Clay Springs	401	CDP
39	Sun Valley	316	CDP
40	Keams Canyon	304	CDP
41	Turkey Creek	294	CDP
42	Jeddito	293	CDP
43	Indian Wells	255	CDP
44	Woodruff	191	CDP
45	Oljato-Monument Valley	154	CDP
46	Fort Apache	143	CDP
47	Seba Dalkai	136	CDP
48	Hard Rock	94	CDP

References

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External links

Official county homepage

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