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 nine U.S. states.
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.
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 (0.2%) are covered by water. It is the largest county by area in Arizona and the second-largest county in the United States (excluding boroughs in Alaska) 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 Mohave County – west Yavapai County – south Gila County – south Navajo County – east San Juan County, Utah – northeast Kane County, Utah – north
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
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest (part) Coconino National Forest (part) Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (part) Grand Canyon National Park (part) Kaibab National Forest (part) Prescott National Forest (part) Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Vermilion Cliffs National Monument Walnut Canyon National Monument Wupatki National Monument
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |+Coconino County, Arizona – Racial and ethnic composition !Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) ! !2010 !2000 !1990 !1980 |- |White alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |53%(76,904) |55.2%(74,231) |57.6%(66,969) |58.9%(56,938) |60%(45,037) |- |Black alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |1.2%(1,777) |1.1%(1,495) |1%(1,150) |1.4%(1,339) |1.8%(1,319) |- |American Indian alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |24.2%(35,143) |26.5%(35,610) |28%(32,557) |28.7%(27,737) |27.7%(20,814) |- |Asian alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |1.8%(2,582) |1.3%(1,787) |0.8%(896) | |0.8%(821) | |0.6%(443) |- |Pacific Islander alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.2%(254) |0.1%(138) |0.1%(100) |- |Other race alone (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.4%(616) |0.1%(192) |0.1%(128) |0.1%(60) |0.1%(109) |- |Multiracial (NH) |style='background: #ffffe6; |4.2%(6,106) |2.1%(2,802) |1.5%(1,793) |— |— |- |Hispanic/Latino (any race) |style='background: #ffffe6; |15%(21,719) |13.5%(18,166) |10.9%(12,727) |10%(9,696) |9.7%(7,286)
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 (55.2% non-Hispanic 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:
23.2% Navajo 14.5% German 11.3% Mexican 9.9% English 9.6% Irish 3.6% Italian 2.7% American 2.2% Swedish 2.1% Scottish 2.0% French 1.9% Norwegian 1.9% Polish 1.8% Scotch-Irish 1.3% Dutch
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 Flagstaff (county seat) Page Sedona (mostly in Yavapai County) Williams
Towns Fredonia Tusayan
Census-designated places
Bellemont Bitter Springs Blue Ridge Cameron Doney Park Forest Lakes Fort Valley Grand Canyon Village Greenehaven Kachina Village Kaibab Estates West Kaibito LeChee Leupp Moenkopi Mormon Lake Mountain View Ranches Mountainaire Munds Park Oak Creek Canyon Parks Red Lake Supai Timberline-Fernwood Tolani Lake Tonalea Tuba City Valle Winslow West (mostly in Navajo County)
Other communities
Big Springs Gray Mountain Happy Jack Jacob Lake Marble Canyon North Rim Rare Metals Robbers Roost Ryan Winona
Ghost towns Canyon Diablo House Rock Two Guns
Indian reservations Havasupai Indian Reservation Hopi Reservation Hualapai Indian reservation Kaibab Indian Reservation Navajo Nation
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 (2010 Census)Municipal typeIncorporated 1 † Flagstaff 65,870 City 1928 2 Sedona (mostly in Yavapai County) 10,031 City 1988 3 Tuba City 8,611 CDP 4 Page 7,247 City 1975 5 Doney Park 5,395 CDP 6 Williams 3,023 City 1901 7 Kachina Village 2,622 CDP 8 Grand Canyon Village 2,004 CDP 9 Kaibito 1,522 CDP 10 LeChee 1,443 CDP 11 Fredonia 1,314 Town 1956 12 Parks 1,188 CDP 13 Mountainaire 1,119 CDP 14 Moenkopi 964 CDP 15 Leupp 951 CDP 16 Cameron 885 CDP 17 Valle 832 CDP 18 Fort Valley 779 CDP 19 Munds Park 631 CDP 20 Tusayan 558 Town 2010 21 Tonalea 549 CDP 22 Bitter Springs 452 CDP 23 Winslow West (mostly in Navajo County) 438 CDP 24 Tolani Lake 280 CDP 25 Supai 208 CDP 26 Kaibab (mostly in Mohave County) 124 CDP
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 Riverapart from Black Belt Madison Parish, which is directly adjacent to that riverthat 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 (though some of these saw Republican trends in 2024), 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."Our Location ." Grand Canyon Airlines. Retrieved on October 3, 2009."Locate Us ." Air Grand Canyon. Retrieved on October 3, 2009.
In 2017, the largest employers in Coconino County were:Coconino County – Business, Jobs, and Industry Highlights # Employer # of employees1Northern Arizona University3,5002W. L. Gore & Associates3,0603Flagstaff Medical Center2,1804Flagstaff Unified School District1,5905Aramark1,3106Coconino County1,0807City of Flagstaff7508National Park Service7009Page Unified School District 868010State of Arizona67011Grand Canyon Railway60012Haven of Flagstaff51013Salt River Project50014United States Forest Service49015Walmart470
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2019 the employment of Coconino County in the following sectors was: