Graham County

History

Joseph Knight Rogers, an early settler in the area, and a member of the Arizona Territorial Legislature, is known as the father of Graham County: he introduced the bill in the territorial legislature creating it. The new county was created from southern Apache County and eastern Pima County on March 10, 1881. Initially, the county seat was located in the city of Safford but was later moved to Solomonville in 1883. This change was undone in 1915, returning the county seat to Safford.

Graham County is named after the mountain of the same name which was, in turn, named after Lt. Col James Duncan Graham. The county was the first in Arizona to break the tradition of naming counties for Native Americans.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,641 square miles (12,020 km2), of which 4,623 square miles (11,970 km2) is land and 19 square miles (49 km2) (0.4%) is water. The county has various mountain peaks including Mount Graham, which is the highest mountain in the Pinaleno Mountains.

Adjacent counties

Cochise County — south

Pima County — southwest

Pinal County — west

Gila County — northwest

Navajo County — north

Apache County — north

Greenlee County — east

National protected areas

Coronado National Forest (part)

Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area (part)

Major highways

U.S. Route 70

U.S. Route 191

State Route 266

State Route 366

Demographics

As of 2010, the United States Census Bureau estimates that the μSA had a population of 37,220.

Racial and ethnic composition

As of the census of 2000 including both Graham and Greenlee counties, there were 42,036 people, 13,233 households, and 9,883 families residing within the μSA. The racial makeup of the μSA was 68.5% White, 1.6% African American, 12.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 14.7% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30.3% of the population. The median income for a household in the μSA was $34,526, and the median income for a family was $38,970. Males had a median income of $34,738 versus $22,036 for females. The per capita income for the μSA was $13,977.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 38,533. Of the residents, 28.1% were under the age of 18 and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 33.8 years. For every 100 females there were 111.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 114.5 males. 47.6% of residents lived in urban areas and 52.4% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 65.0% White, 1.4% Black or African American, 14.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 8.4% from some other race, and 10.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 29.7% of the population.

There were 12,150 households in the county, of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 13,704 housing units, of which 11.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.5% were owner-occupied and 28.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.4%.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 37,220 people, 11,120 households, and 8,188 families living in the county. The population density was 8.1 inhabitants per square mile (3.1 inhabitants/km2). There were 12,980 housing units at an average density of 2.8 units per square mile (1.1 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 72.1% white, 14.4% American Indian, 1.8% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 8.2% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 30.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.1% were English, 9.2% were German, 6.9% were Irish, and 4.3% were American.

Of the 11,120 households, 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.4% were non-families, and 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.50. The median age was 31.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,683 and the median income for a family was $48,005. Males had a median income of $41,732 versus $25,990 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,644. About 15.9% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.3% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 33,489 people, 10,116 households, and 7,617 families living in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile (2.7 people/km2). There were 11,430 housing units at an average density of 2 units per square mile (0.77 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 67.1% White, 1.9% Black or African American, 15.0% Native American, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 13.4% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. 27.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.4% reported speaking Spanish at home, while 6.4% speak a Southern Athabaskan language.

There were 10,116 households, out of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.47.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.1 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,668, and the median income for a family was $34,417. Males had a median income of $30,524 versus $20,739 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,139. About 17.7% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.2% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In its early days Graham County was a solidly Democratic county. It voted for the Democratic nominee in every presidential election from 1912 to 1952, being one of only four Western counties outside New Mexico to support James M. Cox in 1920, and one of only five to support John W. Davis in 1924. Since the 1950s, however, Graham has become a reliable Republican county, usually rivaling Mohave and Yavapai as the most Republican in Arizona, and sometimes, as in 2004 and 2000, being the “reddest” of all the state's counties. No Democratic presidential nominee has carried Graham County since Lyndon B. Johnson – against Arizona native Barry Goldwater – did so in 1964, though Bill Clinton, who carried significant national rural appeal as a Democrat in the 1990s, came close in 1996.

The county was one of two in Arizona to vote against 2024 Arizona Proposition 139, which established a right to abortion in the state's constitution, along with neighboring Gila County.

Communities

City

Safford (county seat)

Towns

Pima

Thatcher

Unincorporated communities

Bonita

Eden

Fort Grant

Ghost towns

Aravaipa

Camp Goodwin

Geronimo

Klondyke

Spenazuma

Indian communities

San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation

County population ranking

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

† county seat

Notable people

Charles Stevens, Apache/Mexican actor

Lynda Carter, actress/singer

Charles Dudley (né Heaslip) born Fort Grant, film actor and make-up artist

Sarah Yeiser Mason, Academy Award-winning screenwriter

Spencer W. Kimball, former President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was raised in Thatcher, and lived and operated a business in Safford between 1927 and 1943.