The economy of Greenlee County is dominated by theMorenci Mine, the largest copper mining operation in North America, and one of the largest copper mines in the world. As of 2017[update], the mine complex, owned byFreeport-McMoRan, had about 3,300 employees.[citation needed]
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.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,848 square miles (4,790 km2), of which 1,843 square miles (4,770 km2) is land and 5.3 square miles (14 km2) (0.3%) is water.[2] It is the second-smallest county by area in Arizona.
Greenlee County, Arizona – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2020 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.[13][14]
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.[13]
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%.[13]
As of thecensus of 2010, there were 8,437 people, 3,188 households, and 2,152 families living in the county.[16] The population density was 4.6 inhabitants per square mile (1.8 inhabitants/km2). There were 4,372 housing units at an average density of 2.4 units per square mile (0.93 units/km2).[17] 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.[16] In terms of ancestry, 12.9% wereEnglish, 12.1% wereGerman, 10.6% wereIrish, and 1.6% wereAmerican.[18]
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.[16]
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 thepoverty line, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.[19]
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 8,547 people, 3,117 households, and 2,266 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 5 people per square mile (1.9 people/km2). There were 3,744 housing units at an average density of 2 units per square mile (0.77 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 74.2%White, 0.5%Black orAfrican American, 1.7%Native American, 0.2%Asian, <0.1%Pacific Islander, 20.0% fromother races, and 3.5% from two or more races. 43.1% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 25.2% reported speakingSpanish at home.[20]
There were 3,117 households, out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% weremarried 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. Theper capita income for the county was $15,814. About 8.0% of families and 9.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
Greenlee County used to be the most reliably Democratic county in Arizona, owing to the presence of thecopper 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 sevenMountain State counties to supportGeorge McGovern in his landslide defeat againstRepublicanRichard Nixon in1972.[a] EvenRonald Reagan was unable to win it in his 49 state landslide in1984. 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, givingDonald Trump 66% of the vote in2020. Greenlee County continued to shift right in 2024, withKamala Harris becoming the first Democrat in history to fail to break 30%.
United States presidential election results for Greenlee County, Arizona[21][22]
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.[30]
Morenci Water and Electric Company (MW&E) is a subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan which gets its power from Freeport-McMoRan Energy Services (FMES) which sources energy via capacity rights at the Luna Energy Facility inDeming, New Mexico andpower purchase agreements.[32]: 17
