Navajo County, Arizona

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.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 9960 sqmi, of which 9950 sqmi is land and 9.3 sqmi (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 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.

Adjacent counties

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

Indian reservations

Navajo County has 6,632.73 sqmi 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

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

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 106,717. Of the residents, 25.8% were under the age of 18 and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.4 years. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.1 males. 35.7% of residents lived in urban areas and 64.3% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 45.4% White, 0.7% Black or African American, 44.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.0% from some other race, and 5.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.2% of the population.

There were 36,836 households in the county, of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 56,180 housing units, of which 34.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 70.9% were owner-occupied and 29.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.6%.

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.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 107,449 people, 35,658 households, and 25,923 families living in the county.{{cite web |access-date=January 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213020053/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US04017 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213184708/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US04017 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213021014/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US04017 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

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, including 32.6% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.{{cite web |access-date=January 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213013629/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US04017 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

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 10 PD/sqmi. There were 47,413 housing units at an average density of 5 /sqmi. 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.

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.

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 (BIE). Hataalii Yazhi, a medicine man, 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. It is physically in an unincorporated area 6 mi 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

Cities

• Holbrook (county seat)
• Show Low
• Winslow

Towns

• Kayenta
• Pinetop-Lakeside
• Snowflake
• Taylor

Census-designated places

• 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

Other communities

• Birdsprings
• Oraibi

Native American communities

• Fort Apache Indian Reservation
• Hopi Reservation
• Navajo Nation

Other places

• Alchesay Flat, a named flat approximately 7 mile north of Whiteriver along Arizona State Route 73.

Ghost towns

• Brigham
• Obed
• Sunset
• Wilford
• Zeniff

County population ranking

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

† county seat

References

References

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2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. (March 23, 1895). "Navajo County". [[The Arizona Republican]].
4. (August 23, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
5. Kohrman, Nathan. (December 14, 2022). "'She Made an Idiot Out of Me'".
6. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
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10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
11. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Navajo County, Arizona".
12. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Navajo County, Arizona".
13. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Navajo County, Arizona".
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16. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
17. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
18. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
19. Public Religion Research Institute. "The 2020 Census of American Religion".
20. (July 17, 2007). "Language Map Data Center". Mla.org.
21. (January 15, 2025). "An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2024 Election". The New York Times.
22. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
23. "Our Campaigns".
24. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Navajo County, AZ". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
25. "Little Singer Community School". [[Bureau of Indian Education]].
26. Yurth, Cindy. (November 5, 2020). "Little Singer School gets bold new building". [[Navajo Times]].
27. (October 19, 2014). "Native American schools face decay, poverty". [[Richmond Times-Dispatch]].
28. (November 2, 2020). "Navajo Nation dedicates Little Singer Community School with Birdsprings community and Washington delegation". [[Navajo Nation]].
29. (August 28, 2011). "Home". Little Singer Community Grant & Charter Jr. High School.
30. "Navajo County Public and Private Airports".
31. "By Decade".
32. "2010 Census Block Maps - Geography - U.S. Census Bureau".