Yavapai County, one of the state’s oldest counties, was among the original four created when Arizona was still a territory. Although Yavapai County originally encompassed more than 65,000 square miles, it now covers only 8,125 square miles, but is still as large as the state of New Jersey. It was called the "Mother of Counties," from which Apache, Coconino, Gila, Maricopa and Navajo counties were all formed.

The provisional seat of the territorial government was established at Fort Whipple in Chino Valley on Jan. 22, 1864. Nine months later it was moved 20 miles away to the little mining community of Prescott. In 1867, the capital was moved to Tucson where it remained for 10 years. Then the capital was shifted back to Prescott, where it remained until 1889, when it was permanently relocated to Phoenix. Prescott is now the county seat of Yavapai County.

Yavapai County offers many local attractions ranging from natural to cultural to educational. Scenic pine forests provide yeare-round recreational opportunities, and museums, monuments and rodeos reflect Arizona’s tribal and territorial past. Institutions of higher learning include two colleges and an aeronautical university. The county has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, with the population up by more than 30 percent since 1990.

The U.S. Forest Service owns 38 percent of the land in Yavapai County, including portions of Prescott, Tonto and Coconino national forests, while the state of Arizona owns an additional 25 percent. Twenty-five percent of land in the county is owned by individuals or corporations, and 12 percent is the property of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The Yavapai Indian Reservation and other public lands each occupy less than half of a percent of land in the county.

Population

  2000 2010 2023
Arizona 5,130,632 6,401,569 7,285,370
Yavapai County 167,517 210,899 241,173
Incorporated Cities & Towns
   Peoria 108,364 154,171 195,585
   Prescott 33,938 39,771 46,826
   Prescott Valley 23,535 38,839 47,998
   Camp Verde 9,451 10,875 12,216
   Cottonwood 9,179 11,238 12,185
   Chino Valley 7,835 10,825 13,429
   Sedona 10,192 10,020 9,784
   Wickenburg 5,082 6,353 6,687
   Clarkdale 3,422 4,103 4,563
   Dewey 3,421 3,896 4,440
   Jerome 329 441 467

Office of Economic Opportunity

Age Distribution

0-14 14.2%
15-24 10.0%
25-44 17.9%
45-64 29.6%
65+ 28.3%

American Community Survey

Distance to Major Cities (from Prescott)

Phoenix 102 miles
Tucson 213 miles
Los Angeles 379 miles
San Diego 373 miles
Las Vegas 252 miles

Labor Force

  Labor Force Unemployment Rate
Arizona 3,312,720 4.9%
Yavapai County 105,108 4.1%
Incorporated Cities & Towns
   Peoria 93,608 4.2%
   Prescott 18,234 4.5%
   Prescott Valley 22,581 3.9%
   Camp Verde 4,724 5.5%
   Cottonwood 6,065 2.5%
   Chino Valley 5,516 3.1%
   Sedona 5,173 4.1%
   Wickenburg 3,319 1.3%
   Clarkdale 2,055 0.5%
   Dewey 1,778 4.3%
   Jerome 277 5.8%

Office of Economic Opportunity

Employment by Sector (in thousands)

Education, health care & social assistance 21.1 23.4%
Retail trade 12.7 14.1%
Arts, entertainment, food & recreation services 10.7 11.9%
Professional, scientific, & administrative services 9.3 10.3%
Construction 8.1 9.0%
Other services, except public administration 6.0 6.7%
Finance, insurance & real estate 4.9 5.4%
Manufacturing 4.7 5.2%
Public administration 4.7 5.2%
Transportation, warehousing, & utilities 3.4 3.7%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, & mining 1.9 2.1%
Information 1.3 1.5%
Wholesale trade 1.3 1.4%

American Community Survey

Property Tax

  Schools City/Fire County Total
Camp Verde 4.39 3.25 4.95 12.59
Chino Valley 4.65 3.63 4.95 13.23
Clarkdale 5.54 3.22 4.95 13.71
Cottonwood 6.09 0.00 4.95 11.04
Dewey 5.33 0.00 4.95 10.27
Jerome 5.54 3.22 4.95 13.71
Peoria (Yavapai County) 0.00 0.00 4.95 4.95
Prescott 3.09 3.05 4.95 11.09
Prescott Valley 5.33 2.75 4.95 13.03
Sedona (Yavapai County) 0.00 0.00 4.95 4.95
Wickenburg (Yavapai County) 0.00 0.00 4.95 4.95

Arizona Dept. of Revenue & Arizona Tax Research Association

SALES TAX / TRANSACTION PRIVILEGE TAX

  City County State Total
Camp Verde 3.65% 0.75% 5.60% 10.00%
Chino Valley 4.00% 0.75% 5.60% 10.35%
Clarkdale 3.00% 0.75% 5.60% 9.35%
Cottonwood 3.00% 0.75% 5.60% 9.35%
Dewey 2.00% 0.75% 5.60% 8.35%
Jerome 3.50% 0.75% 5.60% 9.85%
Peoria (Yavapai County) 1.80% 0.75% 5.60% 8.15%
Prescott 2.00% 0.75% 5.60% 8.35%
Prescott Valley 2.83% 0.75% 5.60% 9.18%
Sedona (Yavapai County) 3.00% 0.75% 5.60% 9.35%
Wickenburg (Yavapai County) 2.20% 0.75% 5.60% 8.55%

Arizona Dept. of Revenue & Arizona Tax Research Association

CONTACT INFORMATION

Arizona Commerce Authority
Phone: 602-845-1200
Website: www.azcommerce.com
Local First Arizona
Phone: 602-956-0909
Website: www.localfirstaz.com
Town of Camp Verde
Phone: 928-554-0007
Website: www.campverde.az.gov
Verde Valley Regional Economic
Organization

Phone: 928-300-1640
Camp Verde Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 928-379-9934
Website: www.campverdechamber.com
Town of Chino Valley
Phone: 928-636-2646
Website: www.chinoaz.net
Chino Valley Area Chamber
of Commerce

Phone: 928-636-2493
Website: www.chinovalley.org
Town of Clarkdale
Phone: 928-639-2500
Website: www.clarkdale.az.gov
City of Cottonwood
Phone: 928-340-2729
Website: cottonwoodaz.gov
Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 928-634-7593
Website: www.cottonwoodchamberaz.org
Town of Dewey-Humboldt
Phone: 928-632-7362
Website: www.dhaz.gov
Town of Jerome
Phone: 928-634-7943
Website: www.jerome.az.gov
Jerome Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 928-634-2900
Website: www.jeromechamber.com
City of Peoria
Phone: 623-773-7642
Website: www.peoriaaz.gov
WESTMARC (Western Maricopa
Coalition)

Phone: 623-435-0431
Website: www.westmarc.org
Greater Phoenix Economic Council
Phone: 602-256-7700
Website: www.gpec.org
City of Prescott
Phone: 928-777-1259
Website: www.prescott-az.gov
Greater Prescott Regional
Economic Partnership

Phone: 928-772-4883
Website: www.gprepaz.com
Prescott Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 928-445-2000
Website: www.prescott.org
Prescott Valley Economic Foundation
Phone: 928-775-0032
Website: www.pvedf.com
Prescott Valley Chamber of
Commerce

Phone: 928-772-8857
Website: www.pvchamber.org
City of Sedona
Phone: 928-203-5117
Website: www.sedonaaz.gov
Sustainable Economic Development
Initiative of Northern Arizona

Phone: 928-233-8680
Website: www.sedinaz.org
Sedona Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 928-204-1123
Website: www.sedonachamber.com
Town of Wickenburg
Phone: 928-668-0522
Website: wickenburgaz.org
Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 928-684-5479
Website: www.wickenburgchamber.com
Western Maricopa Coalition
Phone: 623-435-0431
Website: westmarc.org