Yavapai County, Arizona

Yavapai County is a place in the center of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the fourth-most populated county in Arizona, with 236,209 people living there as of the 2020 census. The main city, called the county seat, is Prescott.

The area includes the Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ Metropolitan Statistical Area. It also has parts of the cities Peoria and Wickenburg. The rest of Peoria and Wickenburg are part of the bigger Phoenix Metropolitan Area.

History

Yavapai County was one of the first four counties created when Arizona was still a territory. It was set up by the first group of lawmakers in Arizona. Over time, other counties like Apache, Coconino, Maricopa, and Navajo were made from parts of Yavapai County. The borders of Yavapai County we know today were set in 1891.

The county is named after the Yavapai people, who lived in the area when the United States took control. The sheriff's office has been helping keep the county safe since 1864.

Geography

Yavapai County, near the center of Arizona, covers a large area of 8,128 square miles. This makes it bigger than three whole U.S. states put together! The land changes from dry desert in the south to higher, forested areas in the north.

The county has many natural areas to explore, including parts of national forests and monuments. It also includes many special places set aside to protect nature, called wilderness areas, where animals and plants can live safely away from most human activity. Some of these wilderness areas share space with neighboring counties.

Attractions

Yavapai County has many interesting places to visit. One is Arcosanti, a special building project started in 1970 by Paolo Soleri. It is located near Cordes Junction, Arizona.

Another attraction is the Out of Africa Wildlife Park, a private zoo that moved to the Camp Verde area in 2005.

Near the town of Bagdad is the Upper Burro Creek Wilderness Area. This protected area covers many acres and is home to many bird species. It also has one of the few streams in the Arizona desert that flows year-round.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 236,209. Of the residents, 15.7% were under the age of 18 and 33.8% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 55.5 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.9 males. 68.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 32.0% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 81.5% White, 0.7% Black or African American, 1.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.3% from some other race, and 9.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 14.6% of the population.

There were 104,425 households in the county, of which 18.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 121,154 housing units, of which 13.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.5% were owner-occupied and 26.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.5%.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 211,033 people, 90,903 households, and 57,597 families living in the county. The population density was 26.0 inhabitants per square mile (10.0 inhabitants/km²). There were 110,432 housing units at an average density of 13.6 units per square mile (5.3 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.3% white, 1.7% American Indian, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 4.9% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 13.6% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:

• 22.5% German
• 16.0% Irish
• 15.8% English
• 11.5% Mexican
• 5.4% Italian
• 5.0% American
• 4.7% French
• 3.4% Scottish
• 3.1% Polish
• 2.9% Swedish
• 2.6% Norwegian
• 2.6% Scotch-Irish
• 2.5% Dutch
• 1.2% Russian
• 1.0% Welsh
• 1.0% Danish

Of the 90,903 households, 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.6% were non-families, and 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age was 49.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,290 and the median income for a family was $53,499. Males had a median income of $40,854 versus $31,705 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,527. About 8.8% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.1% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 167,517 people, 70,171 households, and 46,733 families living in the county. The population density was 21 inhabitants per square mile (8.1 inhabitants/km²). There were 81,730 housing units at an average density of 10 units per square mile (3.9 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.9% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 1.6% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.6% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. 9.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 70,171 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,901, and the median income for a family was $40,910. Males had a median income of $30,738 versus $22,114 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,727. About 7.9% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Yavapai County is defined as the Prescott Metropolitan Statistical Area by the United States Census Bureau.

Politics

Yavapai County in Arizona has often been known for supporting Republican leaders. Since 1948, no Democratic leader for president has won there. Even when the county did support Democratic leaders in earlier times, it was usually by smaller amounts compared to other areas in the state.

Communities

Yavapai County has many places to visit and live in. Some of the cities include Cottonwood, Prescott (the county seat), and Sedona, which is partly in Coconino County.

The towns in the county are Camp Verde, Chino Valley, Clarkdale, Dewey-Humboldt, Jerome, Prescott Valley, and Wickenburg, which is partly in Maricopa County.

There are also many smaller places called census-designated places, such as Ash Fork, Bagdad, and Black Canyon City, among others.

The county includes communities of the Yavapai-Apache Nation and the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe.

Some areas without their own local government are called unincorporated communities, like Arcosanti and Bumble Bee.

There are also old, abandoned places known as ghost towns, such as Alexandra and Big Bug.

One special geographic feature is Sunset Point, a cliff next to Interstate 17. It stands 3,091 feet tall and offers a beautiful view from the Sunset Point Rest Area at the top.

Cities

• Cottonwood
• Prescott (county seat)
• Sedona (partly in Coconino County)

Towns

• Camp Verde
• Chino Valley
• Clarkdale
• Dewey-Humboldt
• Jerome
• Prescott Valley
• Wickenburg (partly in Maricopa County)

Census-designated places

• Ash Fork
• Bagdad
• Black Canyon City
• Congress
• Cordes Lakes
• Cornville
• Lake Montezuma
• Mayer
• Paulden
• Peeples Valley
• Seligman
• Spring Valley
• Verde Village
• Village of Oak Creek
• Wilhoit
• Williamson
• Yarnell

Indian communities

• Yavapai-Apache Nation
• Yavapai-Prescott Tribe

Unincorporated communities

• Arcosanti
• Bumble Bee
• Cherry
• Cleator
• Clemenceau
• Cordes
• Crown King
• Drake
• Groom Creek
• Iron Springs
• Kirkland
• Ponderosa Park
• Skull Valley
• Tip Top

Ghost towns

• Alexandra
• American Ranch
• Apron Crossing
• Big Bug
• Bradshaw City
• Bumble Bee
• Chaparral
• Catoctin
• Cherry
• Cleator
• Clemenceau
• Congress
• Cordes
• Curtis
• Gillett
• Jerome Junction
• Octave
• Simmons
• Stanton
• Stoddard
• Tip Top
• Weaver
• Columbia

Geographic features

• Sunset Point is a cliff adjacent to Interstate 17. It has an elevation of 3,091 ft (942 m). The Sunset Point Rest Area, located at the top of the cliff, provides travelers with a scenic view.

County population ranking

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

† county seat

Education

Yavapai County has many school districts that help children learn. Some of the bigger school districts cover whole towns and are called "unified" districts. Others focus only on certain levels of school, like high school or elementary school.

There are several unified school districts, including Ash Fork Joint Unified District, Bagdad Unified School District, Camp Verde Unified District, Chino Valley Unified District, Humboldt Unified District, Mayer Unified District, Prescott Unified District, Seligman Unified District, Sedona-Oak Creek Joint Unified District, and Wickenburg Unified District. For high schools, there is the Mingus Union High School District.

Elementary schools are served by districts such as Beaver Creek Elementary District, Canon Elementary District, Clarkdale-Jerome Elementary District, Congress Elementary District, Cottonwood-Oak Creek Elementary District, Crown King Elementary District, Hillside Elementary District, Kirkland Elementary District, Pine Strawberry Elementary District, Skull Valley Elementary District, Williamson Valley Elementary School District, and Yarnell Elementary District. One former district, Walnut Grove Elementary District, closed in 2021.