San Juan County is a county in Utah, United States, at the Four Corners in the state’s far southeastern corner. It had a population of 14,518 at the 2020 census and covers 7,933 square miles (20,550 km2) — the largest county in Utah by land area — centred near 37°28′N 109°46′W.
Monticello is the county seat and its postal code is 84535; Blanding, the county’s largest city, holds ZIP 84511. The county has 2 incorporated cities and roughly a dozen unincorporated communities and census-designated places, no civil townships, and sits in the Mountain time zone.
Towns & Villages in San Juan County
Only Blanding and Monticello are incorporated; every other place below is an unincorporated community or census-designated place (CDP), several of them Navajo Nation chapters or Lake Powell boat-launch settlements along the Colorado and San Juan rivers.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blanding | City | 3,509 | 84511 |
| Monticello | City · seat | 1,935 | 84535 |
| Oljato-Monument Valley | CDP | — | 84536 |
| Montezuma Creek | CDP | — | 84534 |
| Bluff | CDP | — | 84512 |
| White Mesa | CDP | — | 84511 |
| La Sal | Unincorp. | — | 84530 |
| Old La Sal | Unincorp. | — | 84530 |
| La Sal Junction | Unincorp. | — | 84530 |
| Mexican Hat | Unincorp. | — | 84531 |
| Halchita | Unincorp. | — | 84531 |
| Aneth | Unincorp. | — | 84510 |
| Navajo Mountain | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Spanish Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ucolo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Verdure | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Halls Crossing | Unincorp. | — | 84533 |
| Clay Hills Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gravel Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fry Canyon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eastland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Goulding | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Little Water | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Indian Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rainbow City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Red Lake Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Soldier Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tselakai Dezza | Unincorp. | — | — |
| White Rock Curve Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
Spanish Valley straddles the San Juan–Grand county line; most of its population sits in Grand County, with only the valley’s southern reach inside San Juan. Oljato, once listed separately from Monument Valley, is now folded into the single Oljato-Monument Valley CDP by the Census Bureau, and White Mesa Village is the same White Mesa community, not a second place.
ZIP Codes
- 84535 — Monticello (also serves La Sal Junction area ranches)
- 84511 — Blanding (also serves White Mesa)
- 84512 — Bluff
- 84531 — Mexican Hat (also serves Halchita)
- 84534 — Montezuma Creek
- 84536 — Monument Valley (also serves Oljato-Monument Valley and Goulding)
- 84530 — La Sal (also serves Old La Sal)
- 84510 — Aneth
- 84533 — Lake Powell (also serves the Halls Crossing marina)
The county’s smallest and most remote communities — Navajo Mountain, Fry Canyon, Clay Hills Crossing, and several Navajo Nation chapter settlements — share the ZIP of their nearest post office town rather than carrying one of their own.
Geography
San Juan County is a high-desert plateau of canyons, mesas, and laccolithic mountains — the Abajo (Blue) Mountains rise above 11,000 feet near Monticello and Blanding, while the county’s southern half drops into the deep sandstone canyons of the San Juan River and Lake Powell on the Colorado River. Cedar Mesa, the Bears Ears buttes, and the Navajo Nation’s Monument Valley sit within its borders, and the Four Corners Monument — the only point in the United States where four states meet — anchors its southeastern tip.
San Juan County borders Grand County to the north, Emery County to the northwest, Wayne County and Garfield County to the west, and Kane County to the southwest, all within Utah. Across the state line it borders Montezuma County, Colorado to the east and Apache and Navajo Counties, Arizona to the south, with San Juan County, New Mexico meeting it at the Four Corners point to the southeast.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 14,518 residents, with Blanding (3,509) and Monticello (1,935) the two largest communities. More than half the county’s population lives within the Navajo Nation, whose reservation covers most of the county south of the San Juan River. Median household income runs well below the Utah median of $93,421, reflecting the county’s remote, largely reservation-based economy. At roughly 1.8 people per square mile, San Juan is one of the most sparsely populated counties in Utah.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism drives much of the county’s economy, anchored by Bears Ears National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, and the Lake Powell marinas at Halls Crossing. Government employment, the San Juan School District, and Utah State University’s Blanding campus are major employers in Blanding and Monticello, alongside ranching, uranium and oil-and-gas extraction with a long history in the county, and Navajo Nation tribal programs serving the reservation communities in the south.
History
San Juan County was organized by the Utah Territorial Legislature on February 17, 1880, taking its name from the San Juan River, which Spanish explorers had earlier named in honor of Saint John. Mormon pioneers reached the area that same winter via the Hole-in-the-Rock expedition, a grueling wagon crossing of the Colorado River canyons that founded Bluff. The county’s more recent history includes 20th-century uranium mining booms around Monticello and La Sal, and, in 2016, the creation and subsequent boundary reduction of Bears Ears National Monument, a still-contested chapter in the county’s public-lands story.
Getting There
US Highway 191 runs the length of the county north–south through Monticello and Blanding, meeting US 163 near Bluff and continuing to Mexican Hat and Monument Valley; US 491 and State Route 95 provide the main routes west toward Lake Powell and Natural Bridges.
- Moab — 55 miles north
- Cortez, Colorado — 45 miles east
- Page, Arizona — 130 miles southwest
- Farmington, New Mexico — 100 miles southeast
The nearest commercial airport is Moab–Canyonlands Regional Airport, about an hour north of Monticello; the county also operates small general-aviation airfields at Blanding and Monticello.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is San Juan County, Utah?
It occupies Utah’s southeastern corner at the Four Corners, bordering Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.
What is the population of San Juan County?
14,518 people at the 2020 census.
How big is San Juan County?
7,933 square miles (20,550 km2), making it the largest county in Utah by land area.
What is the San Juan County seat?
Monticello is the county seat.
How many towns and communities are in San Juan County?
Two incorporated cities, Blanding and Monticello, plus roughly two dozen unincorporated communities and CDPs, many of them Navajo Nation chapter settlements.
What ZIP codes are in San Juan County?
Nine ZIP codes, led by 84535 (Monticello), 84511 (Blanding), 84531 (Mexican Hat), and 84512 (Bluff).
Where is the Four Corners Monument?
In the extreme southeastern corner of San Juan County, marking the only point where four U.S. states meet.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Utah.