La Paz County, Arizona

La Paz County is located in the western part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of 2000 its population was 19,715. The county seat is Parker.

The Colorado River Indian Reservation is located in the county.

History

La Paz is the only county in Arizona to have been formed via county initiative. In 1983, northern residents of Yuma County proposed and won an initiative to split the northern portion into a new county, which became La Paz. Due to the new county's rural nature, its small tax base made it difficult to construct and maintain the offices of county government, and significant investment by the state was necessary to keep it afloat. This perceived disaster led to the rollback of the county creation law that made La Paz possible.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 11,690 km² (4,513 mi²). 11,655 km² (4,500 mi²) of it is land and 35 km² (13 mi²) of it (0.30%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Mohave County, Arizona - north
Yavapai County, Arizona - northeast
Maricopa County, Arizona - east
Yuma County, Arizona - south
Imperial County, California - southwest
Riverside County, California - west
San Bernardino County, California - northwest

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 19,715 people, 8,362 households, and 5,619 families residing in the county. The population density was 2/km² (4/mi²). There were 15,133 housing units at an average density of 1/km² (3/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.15% White, 0.79% Black or African American, 12.53% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 9.35% from other races, and 2.68% from two or more races. 22.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,362 households out of which 21.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.20% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.80% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.10% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 20.40% from 25 to 44, 26.60% from 45 to 64, and 25.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 105.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,839, and the median income for a family was $29,141. Males had a median income of $26,642 versus $20,965 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,916. About 13.60% of families and 19.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.50% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

References

"Bills tackle county growth", Arizona Republic, Feb. 10, 2005
"Arizona County Formation", Arizona Association of Counties

Arizona counties | La Paz County, Arizona