Coconino County, Arizona


Coconino County is a county in the North-Central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff. The county takes its name from Cohonino, a name applied to the Havasupai people. It is the second-largest county by area in the contiguous United States, behind San Bernardino County, California. It has, or 16.4% of Arizona's total area, and is larger than the nine smallest states in the U.S.
Coconino County comprises the Flagstaff metropolitan statistical area, Grand Canyon National Park, the federally recognized Havasupai Nation, and parts of the federally recognized Navajo, Hualapai, and Hopi nations. As a result, its relatively large Native American population makes up nearly 30% of the county's total population; it is mostly Navajo, with smaller numbers of other tribes.
The county was the setting for George Herriman's early 20th-century Krazy Kat comic strip.
WWW coconino.az.gov𝕏 CoconinoCounty

History

After European Americans completed the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad in 1883, the region of northern Yavapai County began to undergo rapid growth. The people of the northern reaches had tired of the rigors of traveling to Prescott to conduct county business. They believed that they should have their own county jurisdiction, so petitioned in 1887 for secession from Yavapai and creation of a new Frisco County. This did not take place, but Coconino County was formed in 1891 and its seat was designated as Flagstaff.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are land and are covered by water. It is the largest county by area in Arizona and the second-largest county in the United States after San Bernardino County in California. It has more land area than each of the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The highest natural point in the county, as well as the entire state, is Humphreys Peak at. The Barringer Meteor Crater is located in Coconino County.

Adjacent counties

Indian reservations

Coconino County has of federally designated Indian reservations, second in scale only to Apache County. In descending order of area within the county, the reservations are the Navajo, Hualapai, Hopi, Havasupai, and Kaibab. The Havasupai Reservation is the only one that lies entirely within the county's borders.

National protected areas

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 145,101. Of the residents, 20.1% were under the age of 18 and 13.8% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 32.5 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.2 males. 67.6% of residents lived in urban areas and 32.4% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 57.4% White, 1.4% Black or African American, 25.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.3% from some other race, and 8.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 15.0% of the population.
There were 51,320 households in the county, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 69,108 housing units, of which 25.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 59.2% were owner-occupied and 40.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.7%.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, 134,421 people, 46,711 households, and 29,656 families were living in the county. The population density was. The 63,321 housing units had an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 61.7% White, 27.3% American Indian, 1.4% Asian, 1.2% African American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.2% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 13.5% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:
Of the 46,711 households, 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.5% were not families, and 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.69, and the average family size was 3.26. The median age was 31.0 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $49,510 and for a family was $58,841. Males had a median income of $42,331 versus $31,869 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,632. About 11.6% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, 116,320 people, 40,448 households, and 26,938 families were living in the county. The population density was. The 53,443 housing units averaged. The racial makeup of the county was 63.1% White, 28.5% Native American, 1.0% African American, 0.8% Asian, 4.2% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. About 10.9% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Around 18.6% reported speaking Navajo at home, while 6.6% spoke Spanish.
Of the 40,448 households, 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were not families. About 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80, and the average family size was 3.36.
In the county, the age distribution was 28.7% under 18, 14.4% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,256, and for a family was $45,873. Males had a median income of $32,226 versus $25,055 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,139. About 13.1% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other communities

Ghost towns

Indian reservations

County population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Coconino County.
† county seat
RankCity/town/etc.Population Municipal typeIncorporated
1† Flagstaff65,870City1928
2Sedona 10,031City1988
3Tuba City8,611CDP
4Page7,247City1975
5Doney Park5,395CDP
6Williams3,023City1901
7Kachina Village2,622CDP
8Grand Canyon Village2,004CDP
9Kaibito1,522CDP
10LeChee1,443CDP
11Fredonia1,314Town1956
12Parks1,188CDP
13Mountainaire1,119CDP
14Moenkopi964CDP
15Leupp951CDP
16Cameron885CDP
17Valle832CDP
18Fort Valley779CDP
19Munds Park631CDP
20Tusayan558Town2010
21Tonalea549CDP
22Bitter Springs452CDP
23Winslow West 438CDP
24Tolani Lake280CDP
25Supai208CDP
26Kaibab 124CDP

Politics

Coconino County has trended towards the Democratic Party in modern times after being a Republican stronghold between the 1950s and 1980s. It was won by every Republican presidential nominee between 1952 and 1988; however, no Republican since George H. W. Bush in 1988 has managed to come within 6% of reclaiming the county. It is the only county from any state west of the Mississippi River – apart from Black Belt Madison Parish, which is directly adjacent to that river – that voted for Barry Goldwater in 1964 but has since voted for the Democratic nominee in the eight most recent presidential elections.
The Flagstaff area is a Democratic stronghold, along with all the Indian Reservations, and the city of Sedona also leans Democratic. The Havasupai Reservation is the most Democratic area in the county, having voted close to 90% Democratic in the 2024 election. The cities of Williams and Page and surrounding areas, on the other hand, trend Republican.

Economy

Grand Canyon Airlines and Air Grand Canyon are headquartered on the grounds of Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan.
In 2017, the largest employers in Coconino County were:
#Employer# of employees
1Northern Arizona University3,500
2W. L. Gore & Associates3,060
3Flagstaff Medical Center2,180
4Flagstaff Unified School District1,590
5Aramark1,310
6Coconino County1,080
7City of Flagstaff750
8National Park Service700
9Page Unified School District 8680
10State of Arizona670
11Grand Canyon Railway600
12Haven of Flagstaff510
13Salt River Project500
14United States Forest Service490
15Walmart470

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2019 the employment of Coconino County in the following sectors was:
SectorNumber of jobsPercentNational percent
Accommodation and food services14,47216.6%7.5%
Health care and social assistance9,90111.4%11.3%
Retail trade8,2019.4%9.4%
State government8,0789.3%2.7%
Local government7,7808.9%7.1%
Manufacturing4,2024.8%6.7%
Real estate and rental and leasing4,0724.7%4.8%
Other services 3,8834.5%5.8%
Professional, scientific, and technical services3,7774.3%7.2%
Construction3,7664.3%5.5%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation3,5074.0%2.4%
Federal civilian2,6873.1%1.4%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services2,5923.0%6.2%
Transportation and warehousing2,1622.5%4.5%
Farming2,1102.4%1.3%
Finance and insurance1,8132.1%5.4%
Wholesale trade1,2351.4%3.2%
Educational services1,1091.3%2.4%
Information7150.8%1.7%
Military2910.3%1.0%
Forestry, fishing, and related activities2300.3%0.5%
Management of companies and enterprises2160.2%1.4%
Utilities1850.2%0.3%
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction1750.2%0.6%
Total87,159100.0%100.0%

Transportation

Flagstaff in Coconino County is a major highway junction, with Interstate 40 extending to the east and the west, and with Interstate 17 extending south from Flagstaff to Phoenix and Maricopa County. U.S. Routes 89 and 180 extend north from Flagstaff and connect it with the Grand Canyon National Park.
The Grand Canyon National Park Airport is a public airport located in Tusayan, near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Flagstaff Pulliam Airport is a public airport located south of the central business district of Flagstaff, it is mostly used for general aviation but is also served by two commercial airlines.
There is a Greyhound Bus Lines station in Flagstaff, with regular service east–west along Interstate 40, and also north–south service to Phoenix along Interstate 17.
Amtrak has a passenger railroad stations in Flagstaff and formerly in Williams, with daily service on the Southwest Chief to the east towards Chicago, and to the west towards Los Angeles.
The Grand Canyon Railway, a tourist railroad, links Williams with the canyon's South Rim in the Grand Canyon National Park and has service every day except Christmas.
The Mountain Line provides public transportation bus service in the Flagstaff area.

Major highways

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Education

School districts include:
K-12:
Elementary:
According to Coconino County's parcel viewer, some reservation areas are in the "Unorganized School District #00". According to Arizona law, an unorganized school district is one that does not have a high school. The 2010 U.S. census school district map for Coconino County shows areas in the Havasupai and Hualapai reservations as being in "School District Not Defined". Areas not in school districts are under the jurisdiction of the respective County Superintendent of Schools.
Charter schools:
Bureau of Indian Education -operated and affiliated tribal schools
Tertiary education: