Mohave County
County
Mohave County Courthouse in Kingman
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Arizona
Arizona's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°40′55″N 113°51′47″W / 35.6819°N 113.8631°W / 35.6819; -113.8631
Country	United States
State	Arizona
Founded	November 9, 1864
Named for	Fort Mohave
Seat	Kingman
Largest city	Lake Havasu City
Area
• Total	13,461 sq mi (34,860 km2)
• Land	13,311 sq mi (34,480 km2)
• Water	150 sq mi (400 km2)  1.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	213,267
• Estimate  (2023)	223,682
• Density	16/sq mi (6.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
Congressional districts	2nd, 9th
Website	www.mohave.gov

Mohave County is in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 213,267.^[1] The county seat is Kingman,^[2] and the largest city is Lake Havasu City. It is the fifth largest county in the United States (by area).

Mohave County includes the Lake Havasu City–Kingman, Arizona Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Las Vegas-Henderson, Nevada-Arizona Combined Statistical Area.

Mohave County contains parts of Grand Canyon National Park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area and all of the Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument. The Kaibab, Fort Mojave and Hualapai Indian Reservations also lie within the county.

History

Mohave County was the one of four original Arizona Counties created by the 1st Arizona Territorial Legislature. The county territory was originally defined as being west of longitude 113° 20' and north of the Bill Williams River.^[3] Pah-Ute County was created from it in 1865 and was merged back into Mohave County in 1871 when much of its territory was ceded to Nevada in 1866. The county's present boundaries were established in 1881. The county is also notable for being home to a large polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints sect located in Colorado City.

Mohave County has had five county seats: Mohave City (1864–1867), Hardyville (1867–1873), Cerbat (1873–1877), Mineral Park (1877–1887), and Kingman (1887–present).^[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 13,461 square miles (34,860 km²), of which 13,311 square miles (34,480 km²) is land and 150 square miles (390 km²) (1.1%) is water.^[5] It is the second-largest county by area in Arizona and the fifth-largest in the contiguous United States.

The county consists of two sections divided by the Grand Canyon, with no direct land communication between them. The northern section, smaller and less populated, forms the western part of the Arizona Strip, bordering Utah and Nevada. The larger southern section borders Nevada and California across the Colorado River, which forms most of the county's western boundary. The southern section includes Kingman, the county seat, and other cities, as well as part of the Mojave Desert.

Adjacent counties

• Washington County, Utah – north
• Kane County, Utah – northeast
• Coconino County – east
• Yavapai County – east
• La Paz County – south
• San Bernardino County, California – southwest
• Clark County, Nevada – west
• Lincoln County, Nevada – northwest

Mohave County and its adjacent counties form the largest such block of counties outside of Alaska. Their combined land area is 89,567.34 square miles (231,978.3 km²), or larger than that of the state of Idaho. They include the #1 (San Bernardino), #2 (Coconino), #5 (Mohave), and #7 (Lincoln) largest counties outside of Alaska. If Nye County, Nevada- which is #3 for total county area that does not border Mohave but borders neighboring Lincoln and Clark counties is included, then the combined land area would be 107,726.34 squard miles or larger than the state of Colorado.

National protected areas

• Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Grand Canyon National Park (part)
• Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument
• Havasu National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Kaibab National Forest (part)
• Lake Mead National Recreation Area (part)
• Pipe Spring National Monument

There are 18 official wilderness areas in Mohave County that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Most of these are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, but some are integral parts of the preceding protected areas, or have shared jurisdiction with the BLM. Some extend into neighboring counties (as indicated below) All wilderness areas within Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument are managed by BLM, although the National Monument shares management with the National Park Service:

• Arrastra Mountain Wilderness (BLM) partly in Yavapai County, Arizona, and La Paz County, Arizona
• Aubrey Peak Wilderness (BLM)
• Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness (BLM) partly in Washington County, Utah
• Cottonwood Point Wilderness (BLM)
• Grand Wash Cliffs Wilderness (Grand Canyon–Parashant NM) managed by BLM
• Havasu Wilderness (Havasu NWR) partly in San Bernardino County, California
• Kanab Creek Wilderness (Kaibab NF / BLM) mostly in Coconino County, Arizona
• Mount Logan Wilderness (Grand Canyon–Parashant NM) managed by BLM
• Mount Nutt Wilderness (BLM)
• Mount Tipton Wilderness (BLM)
• Mount Trumbull Wilderness (Grand Canyon–Parashant NM) managed by BLM
• Mount Wilson Wilderness (BLM)
• Paiute Wilderness (partly in Grand Canyon–Parashant NM) managed by BLM
• Rawhide Mountains Wilderness (BLM) mostly in La Paz County, Arizona
• Swansea Wilderness (BLM) mostly in La Paz County, Arizona
• Upper Burro Creek Wilderness (BLM) mostly in Yavapai County, Arizona
• Wabayuma Peak Wilderness (BLM)
• Warm Springs Wilderness (BLM)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 155,032 people, 62,809 households, and 43,401 families living in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile (4.6 people/km²). There were 80,062 housing units at an average density of 6 units per square mile (2.3 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.1% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 2.4% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.0% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. 11.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 62,809 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,521, and the median income for a family was $36,311. Males had a median income of $28,505 versus $20,632 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,788. About 9.8% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 200,186 people, 82,539 households, and 54,036 families living in the county.^[11] The population density was 15.0 inhabitants per square mile (5.8/km²). There were 110,911 housing units at an average density of 8.3 units per square mile (3.2 units/km²).^[12] The racial makeup of the county was 86.9% white, 2.2% American Indian, 1.1% Asian, 0.9% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 6.0% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 14.8% of the population.^[11] In terms of ancestry, 23.1% were German, 16.2% were Irish, 15.6% were English, 5.7% were Italian, and 4.5% were American.^[13]

Of the 82,539 households, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.5% were non-families, and 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 47.6 years.^[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $39,785 and the median income for a family was $47,530. Males had a median income of $36,222 versus $28,060 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,523. About 11.6% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.^[14]

Politics, government, and infrastructure

Since 2008, Mohave has taken over from Graham and Yavapai as the “reddest” county in the state, and in 2016 it stood as such by twenty percentage points. No Democratic presidential nominee has carried Mohave County since Lyndon Johnson, who, despite the home state advantage of Arizona native Barry Goldwater, did so in 1964, by a margin of only 152 votes. (In the 1990s, Bill Clinton came very close to winning this county, if not because of a combination of significant nationwide rural appeal and third-party candidate Ross Perot's Western appeal himself.)

In recent elections it has become common for Democratic nominees to receive less than thirty percent of the county's vote, and Hillary Clinton in 2016 received less than 22 percent. In 2020 Donald Trump received nearly 75% of the vote in Mohave County.