La Paz County is a county in Arizona, United States, on the Colorado River along the California line. It had a population of 16,557 at the 2020 census and covers 4,514 square miles (11,690 km2), centred near 33°50′25″N 113°56′34″W.
Parker is the county seat, and its postal code is 85344. The county has 2 incorporated municipalities (Parker and Quartzsite) and 15 additional census-designated places, plus a handful of smaller unincorporated communities. Arizona has no civil townships, so there is no township tier of government here. The county observes Mountain Time and does not switch to daylight saving, so it runs on the same clock as Pacific Time for about half the year. Its FIPS code is 04012.
Towns & Villages in La Paz County
La Paz County has 17 named places with U.S. Census recognition — 2 incorporated (a city and a town) and 15 census-designated places (CDPs, unincorporated communities the Census Bureau tracks as statistical areas) — plus a few smaller unincorporated crossroads not separately tabulated by the Census Bureau.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parker | City · seat | 3,417 | 85344 |
| Quartzsite | Town | — | 85346 |
| Cienega Springs | CDP | 1,690 | — |
| Salome | CDP | 1,162 | 85348 |
| Ehrenberg | CDP | 763 | 85334 |
| Bouse | CDP | 707 | 85325 |
| Bluewater | CDP | 682 | — |
| Parker Strip | CDP | 621 | — |
| Wenden | CDP | 458 | 85357 |
| Brenda | CDP | 466 | 85345 |
| Vicksburg | CDP | 418 | — |
| La Paz Valley | CDP | 368 | — |
| Cibola | CDP | 198 | 85328 |
| Poston | CDP | 183 | — |
| Utting | CDP | 92 | — |
| Sunwest | CDP | 5 | — |
| Alamo Lake | CDP | 4 | — |
| Hope | Unincorp. | — | 85342 |
| Love | Unincorp. | — | — |
Vicksburg and Wenden sit less than 3 miles apart on U.S. Route 60 and are often treated as a single community locally, though the Census Bureau tabulates them separately. Cienega Springs is the county’s largest unincorporated place, a manufactured-home community on the Colorado River just north of Parker.
ZIP Codes
- 85344 — Parker (also serves the Colorado River Indian Tribes reservation lands)
- 85346 — Quartzsite
- 85348 — Salome (also serves Vicksburg and Wenden mail)
- 85334 — Ehrenberg
- 85325 — Bouse
- 85345 — Brenda
- 85328 — Cibola
- 85357 — Wenden
- 85342 — Hope
Smaller CDPs such as Bluewater, Parker Strip, La Paz Valley, Poston, Utting, Sunwest and Alamo Lake do not have a dedicated post office and use a neighboring town’s ZIP code for mail.
Geography
La Paz County lies in western Arizona along the Colorado River, which forms its entire western boundary with California. The terrain ranges from the river’s irrigated bottomlands near Parker and Ehrenberg to the Sonoran Desert basin-and-range country inland, including the Plomosa, Harcuvar and Buckskin mountains. Alamo Lake, formed by a dam on the Bill Williams River, sits in the county’s north.
La Paz County borders Mohave County to the north, Yavapai County to the northeast, Maricopa County to the east, and Yuma County to the south, all within Arizona. Across the Colorado River, it borders San Bernardino County, California to the northwest, Riverside County, California to the west, and Imperial County, California to the southwest. Live sibling pages exist for Yavapai County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Imperial County; Mohave, Maricopa and Yuma counties are named here without a link.
Demographics
La Paz County had 16,557 residents at the 2020 census, the second-lowest total of Arizona’s 15 counties. Parker (3,417) and Cienega Springs (1,690) are the two largest communities. Median household income runs well below the Arizona median of $77,315, reflecting the county’s small, largely retirement- and agriculture-based population. Population density is roughly 3.7 people per square mile, among the lowest in the state.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture along the Colorado River bottomlands — alfalfa, cotton and other row crops irrigated from the river — anchors the county’s economy alongside government employment tied to the Colorado River Indian Tribes and La Paz County itself. Quartzsite, at the junction of Interstate 10 and U.S. Route 95, is nationally known for its winter gem, mineral and RV swap-meet shows; its population swells from a few thousand to well over a hundred thousand visitors each January and February. Parker draws boaters and off-road recreationists to the “Parker Strip” stretch of the Colorado River.
History
La Paz County was organized in 1983, split off from the northern portion of Yuma County by a voter-approved ballot measure — the only Arizona county created since statehood in 1912. It takes its name from La Paz, a gold-rush boomtown founded in 1862 along the Colorado River that briefly ranked among Arizona Territory’s largest settlements before the river shifted course and the town was abandoned; “la paz” is Spanish for “the peace.”
During World War II, the federal government operated the Colorado River War Relocation Center at Poston, one of ten camps where Japanese Americans were forcibly incarcerated; at its peak it held roughly 17,800 people, making it briefly one of Arizona’s largest population centers. Swansea and Planet, both now ghost towns inside the county, were copper-mining camps in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Getting There
Interstate 10 crosses the county’s south end through Quartzsite; U.S. Route 60 links Wenden and Salome to Wickenburg and Phoenix to the east; U.S. Route 95 runs the length of the county north–south, connecting Parker to Quartzsite and Lake Havasu City.
- Quartzsite — about 35 miles south of Parker via US-95
- Blythe, California — about 20 miles west of Ehrenberg via I-10
- Lake Havasu City — about 35 miles north of Parker via US-95
- Phoenix — about 140 miles east of Parker via US-60
The nearest commercial airport is Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport; Yuma International Airport is closer for the county’s southern communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is La Paz County?
It is in western Arizona, on the California line along the Colorado River, between Mohave County to the north and Yuma County to the south.
What is the population of La Paz County?
16,557 at the 2020 census, the second-lowest of Arizona’s 15 counties.
How big is La Paz County?
4,514 square miles (11,690 km2), making it larger in area than Connecticut.
What is the La Paz County seat?
Parker is the county seat.
How many towns are in La Paz County?
Two incorporated places, Parker and Quartzsite, plus 15 census-designated communities including Salome, Ehrenberg, Bouse and Wenden.
What ZIP codes are in La Paz County?
Parker uses 85344, Quartzsite 85346, and smaller towns including Salome (85348), Ehrenberg (85334), Bouse (85325) and Wenden (85357) each have their own.
Why is Quartzsite famous?
Its winter gem, mineral and RV swap-meet shows draw well over a hundred thousand visitors a year, far more than its year-round population.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Arizona.