Apache County is a county in Arizona, United States, occupying the state’s far northeastern corner along the borders of Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. It had a population of 66,021 at the 2020 census and covers 11,198 square miles (29,000 km2) of land, centred near 35°25′N 109°27′W.<\/p>\n
St. Johns is the county seat, and its postal code is 85936. The county has 3 incorporated municipalities (one city, two towns), more than 30 census-designated places, and dozens of smaller unincorporated communities and trading posts. Apache County runs on Mountain time; unlike the rest of Arizona, the large Navajo Nation portion of the county observes daylight saving time each year, so clocks there briefly match neighboring New Mexico and Utah in summer.<\/p>\n
Apache County is overwhelmingly rural and, at more than 68 percent, mostly tribal land — the Navajo Nation covers the northern two-thirds of the county and the Fort Apache Indian Reservation reaches into its southwest corner. Only St. Johns, Eagar and Springerville are incorporated; nearly everywhere else is either a census-designated place (CDP) recognized by the Census Bureau or an informally named community, ranch or former trading post with no incorporated status. The table below carries over the county’s community list; population and ZIP figures are shown only where a 2020 census count or confirmed ZIP could be verified.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Johns<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | 3,417<\/td>\n | 85936<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Eagar<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 85925<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Springerville<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 85938<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Chinle<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86503<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Window Rock<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86515<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fort Defiance<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86504<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ganado<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86505<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| St. Michaels<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86511<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Many Farms<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86538<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lukachukai<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86507<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Round Rock<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86547<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Rock Point<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86545<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Teec Nos Pos<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86514<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Red Mesa<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dennehotso<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cove<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tsaile<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86556<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Nazlini<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Klagetoh<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86515<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sanders<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86512<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Houck<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86506<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Concho<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 85924<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Alpine<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 85920<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Vernon<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Greer<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 85927<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| McNary<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 85930<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hunt<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Nutrioso<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 85932<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wide Ruins<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cornfields<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Steamboat<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Kinlichee<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Toyei<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Burnside<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sawmill<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Adamana<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Allentown<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Blue Gap<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Boneyard<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bonita Trading Post<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Chambers<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86502<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cottonwood<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Correjo Crossing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Coyote Springs<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Crosby Crossing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Del Muerto<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Diamond Fields<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| El Tule<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Emmanuel Mission<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Feaster<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Flat Rock<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Green Spot<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Greer Place<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hawley Lake<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Heap Place<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Horse Mesa<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hunters Point<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Junction Overlook<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Kinney Junction<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Los Burros<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lower Wheatfields<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lupton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86508<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Maverick<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mexican Water<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mexican Water Trading Post<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Milkwater<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Milky Ranch<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Navajo<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86544<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Northwoods<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Oak Springs<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Paulcell Place<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pine Springs<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pinta<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Potter Place<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Red Rock<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Richville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Rosebud<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Rough Rock<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 86503<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Salado<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Salina<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sand Springs<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sehili<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Steamboat Canyon<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sunrise Springs<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tahchee<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tanner Springs<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tes Nez Iah<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Three Forks<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Totacon<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Troweek<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tsintaa Yiti Ii<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Twin Falls<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Upper Wheatfields<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Valle Redondo Trailer Park<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wheatfields<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wood Springs<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Woodspring Trading Post<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Yazzi<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Two names on the old list were dropped rather than carried forward: “Chetco” is a Pacific Northwest place name (the Chetco River runs through Oregon, not Arizona) with no trace as an Apache County location, and “White Clay” matches a known community in Nebraska near the Pine Ridge Reservation, not anywhere in Arizona — both appear to be scrape errors rather than real Apache County places.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nMost of the smaller reservation communities and trading posts on the table above share a ZIP code with the nearest chapter house town rather than having their own; this list covers only ZIPs with a confirmed post office.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nApache County spans the Colorado Plateau in its north and the White Mountains volcanic field in its south, a rise of more than 6,000 feet in elevation across the county. The Little Colorado River crosses the southern half near St. Johns and Springerville, while Canyon de Chelly cuts through the Navajo Nation portion in the north. Public and tribal land dominates: the Navajo Nation covers roughly the northern two-thirds of the county, and the Fort Apache Indian Reservation reaches into the southwest corner near McNary and Hunt. Apache County borders Navajo County to the west and Graham and Greenlee counties to the south within Arizona. It also borders four New Mexico counties to the east — San Juan, McKinley, Cibola and Catron — plus San Juan County, Utah to the north and Montezuma County, Colorado to the northeast, making it one of only a handful of U.S. counties that touch four states.<\/p>\n Demographics<\/h2>\nThe 2020 census counted 66,021 residents. Chinle and Window Rock, both seats of Navajo Nation chapter government rather than incorporated towns, are the county’s largest population centers, followed by St. Johns. Apache County’s median household income runs well below the Arizona median of $77,315, reflecting the county’s largely rural, reservation-based economy and its distance from major job centers. Population density is light, at roughly 6 people per square mile across 11,198 square miles of land.<\/p>\n Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\nTribal government and services are the county’s largest employer, centered on the Navajo Nation government complex at Window Rock and Indian Health Service facilities across the reservation. Ranching and farming continue around St. Johns, Springerville and the Little Colorado valley, and tourism draws visitors to Canyon de Chelly National Monument, the Petrified Forest’s northern reaches, and the ski and summer-cabin community around Greer and Sunrise Park in the White Mountains. The Springerville Generating Station, a large coal-fired power plant near Springerville, has long been a major employer and taxpayer in the southern part of the county.<\/p>\n History<\/h2>\nApache County was created by the Arizona Territorial Legislature in 1879 out of the eastern portion of Yavapai County, and originally took in most of the state’s eastern border before Navajo and Greenlee counties were later split off from it. The county seat moved from Snowflake to St. Johns before Navajo County was separated in 1895. The county takes its name from the Apache people, though most of its land today lies within the Navajo Nation and the Fort Apache Indian Reservation of the White Mountain Apache Tribe. Fort Defiance, established in 1851, was the first U.S. military post built in Navajo territory and later became the first Navajo Indian agency.<\/p>\n Getting There<\/h2>\nUS Route 191 runs north–south through the county connecting Chinle, Ganado and Sanders, while US Route 180 and State Route 260 serve St. Johns, Eagar and Springerville in the south. Interstate 40 clips the county’s southern boundary near Sanders and Chambers.<\/p>\n
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