Yavapai County, Arizona

Yavapai County is a place in the middle of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the fourth-most populated county in Arizona, with many people living there.

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. The sheriff's office has been helping keep the county safe since 1864.

Geography

Yavapai County is in the middle of Arizona and is very big — it covers 8,128 square miles! That’s larger 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 places to explore, including parts of national forests and monuments. It also has special areas called wilderness areas, where animals and plants can live safely away from most people. Some of these wilderness areas reach into 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

The 2020 census counted 236,209 people in the county. About 15.7% were younger than 18, and 33.8% were 65 or older. The average age was 55.5 years. For every 100 women, there were 96.4 men.

Most people lived in towns and cities; 68.0% lived in urban areas and 32.0% in rural areas.

The people were mostly White at 81.5%. Small groups included 0.7% Black or African American, 1.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% Asian, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander. About 5.3% were from other races, and 9.4% were from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people made up 14.6% of all residents.

There were 104,425 homes. About 18.5% of these homes had children under 18 living in them. About 25.7% of homes had only a woman living alone. About 30.1% of homes had just one person living in them, and 17.8% of these were people 65 or older.

There were 121,154 places to live, but 13.8% were empty. Of the homes that were lived in, 73.5% were owned by the people living there and 26.5% were rented.

2010 census

In 2010, there were 211,033 people, 90,903 homes, and 57,597 families in the county. There were 110,432 places to live.

Most people were white at 89.3%. Other groups included 1.7% American Indian, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Black or African American, and 0.1% Pacific Islander. About 4.9% were from other races, and 2.5% were from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people made up 13.6% of all residents.

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 homes, 22.8% had children under 18 living in them. About 50.3% were married couples living together. About 9.0% had a woman living alone without a husband. About 36.6% were not families. About 29.1% of homes had just one person living in them. The average number of people per home was 2.28 and per family was 2.78. The average age was 49.2 years.

The average income for a home was $43,290 and for a family was $53,499. Men earned about $40,854 and women about $31,705. The average income for each person was $25,527. About 8.8% of families and 13.7% of all people lived below the poverty line. This included 20.1% of children under 18 and 6.1% of people 65 or older.

2000 census

In 2000, there were 167,517 people, 70,171 homes, and 46,733 families in the county. There were 81,730 places to live.

Most people were White at 91.9%. Other groups included 0.4% Black or African American, 1.6% Native American, 0.5% Asian, and 0.1% Pacific Islander. About 3.6% were from other races, and 2.0% were from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people made up 9.8% of all residents.

There were 70,171 homes. About 23.8% had children under 18 living in them. About 55.0% were married couples living together. About 8.1% had a woman living alone without a husband. About 33.4% were not families. About 26.7% of homes had just one person living in them, and 12.4% had someone 65 or older living alone. The average number of people per home was 2.33 and per family was 2.79.

The average age was 44 years. For every 100 women, there were 96.2 men.

The average income for a home was $34,901 and for a family was $40,910. Men earned about $30,738 and women about $22,114. The average income for each person was $19,727. About 7.9% of families and 11.9% of all people lived below the poverty line. This included 15.9% of children under 18 and 6.7% of people 65 or older.

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

Politics

Yavapai County in Arizona often supports Republican leaders. Since 1948, no Democratic leader for president has won there. In the past, when the county did support Democratic leaders, it was usually by smaller amounts than other areas in the state.

Communities

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

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

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

The county includes 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 called ghost towns, such as Alexandra and Big Bug.

One special place is Sunset Point, a cliff next to Interstate 17. It is 3,091 feet tall and has a nice 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 next to Interstate 17. It is 3,091 ft (942 m) tall. The Sunset Point Rest Area at the top gives travelers a nice view.

County population ranking

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

† county seat

Education

Yavapai County has many school districts that help children learn. Some larger districts cover whole towns and are called "unified" districts. Others focus only on certain school levels, 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.