Greenlee County, Arizona


Greenlee County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,563, making it Arizona's least populous county. The county seat is Clifton.
The economy of Greenlee County is dominated by the Morenci Mine, the largest copper mining operation in North America, and one of the largest copper mines in the world., the mine complex, owned by Freeport-McMoRan, had about 3,300 employees.

History

Greenlee County was created in 1909 and named for Mason Greenlee, who was an early settler in the Clifton area. It was Arizona's 14th county and formed from part of Graham County, which opposed the formation because Graham County would lose considerable revenue. Clifton has always been the county seat.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the second-smallest county by area in Arizona.

Adjacent counties

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 9,563. Of the residents, 28.4% were under the age of 18 and 12.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 34.2 years. For every 100 females there were 109.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 112.3 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 68.8% White, 0.9% Black or African American, 3.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 9.3% from some other race, and 16.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 45.8% of the population.
There were 3,634 households in the county, of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 18.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 4,389 housing units, of which 17.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 44.3% were owner-occupied and 55.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.7%.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,437 people, 3,188 households, and 2,152 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 4,372 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 77.2% white, 2.3% American Indian, 1.1% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 15.0% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 47.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 12.9% were English, 12.1% were German, 10.6% were Irish, and 1.6% were American.
Of the 3,188 households, 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.5% were non-families, and 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.21. The median age was 34.8 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $48,696 and the median income for a family was $51,729. Males had a median income of $50,446 versus $34,171 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,281. About 9.4% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,547 people, 3,117 households, and 2,266 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 3,744 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 74.2% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 1.7% Native American, 0.2% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 20.0% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. 43.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.2% reported speaking Spanish at home.
There were 3,117 households, out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.7% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.0 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,384, and the median income for a family was $43,523. Males had a median income of $38,952 versus $23,333 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,814. About 8.0% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Greenlee County used to be the most reliably Democratic county in Arizona, owing to the presence of the copper mining industry. As the county was heavily unionized and the Democratic Party was generally the party of organized labor, Greenlee County voted for the Democratic nominee in every presidential election from the state's admission to the Union in 1912 to 1996, being one of only seven Mountain State counties to support George McGovern in his landslide defeat against Republican Richard Nixon in 1972. Even Ronald Reagan was unable to win it in his 49 state landslide in 1984. However, in 2000, George W. Bush became the first Republican presidential candidate to win the county, and it has voted for the Republican nominee in the five elections since, giving Donald Trump 66% of the vote in 2020. Greenlee County continued to shift right in 2024, with Kamala Harris becoming the first Democrat in history to fail to break 30%.
The county is located in Arizona's 6th congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+3 and is represented by Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani. In the Arizona House of Representatives it is represented by Republican Becky Nutt and Republican Drew John. In the Arizona Senate it is represented by Republican Gail Griffin.

Communities

Towns

  • Clifton
  • Duncan

    Census-designated places

  • Franklin
  • Morenci
  • York

    Unincorporated communities

  • Blue
  • Apache Grove
  • Hannagan Meadows
  • Three Way
  • Sheldon
  • Verde Lee-Loma Linda

    Other locations

  • Strayhorse, a location along Route 191 in the vicinity of Strayhorse creek/canyon/campground

    Ghost towns

  • Boyles
  • Guthrie
  • Metcalf
  • Oroville

    County population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Greenlee County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Population Municipal typeIncorporated
1† Clifton3,311Town
2Morenci1,489CDP
3Duncan696Town1938
4York557CDP
5Franklin92CDP

Education

School districts include:
In 2024, about 90% of the county's GDP and 70% of the jobs were related to mining, with Freeport-McMoRan providing $285 million in economic benefits inclusive of $245 million in annual wages, taxes, and purchases.

Infrastructure

For electricity transmission, the county is served by Duncan Valley Electric Cooperative which is part of Touchstone Energy.
Morenci Water and Electric Company is a subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan which gets its power from Freeport-McMoRan Energy Services which sources energy via capacity rights at the Luna Energy Facility in Deming, New Mexico and power purchase agreements.