Census-designated place · Apache County, Arizona

Chinle, Arizona

Chinle is a census-designated place in Apache County, Arizona. It has 4,147 residents. Chinle, Arizona has a quality-of-life score of 4 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,085 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Arizona it ranks #196 of 207 cities and towns. It ranks best on home price to income ratio (low), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low) and property crime rate (low). It ranks worst on broadband subscriptions (low), premature death (high) and life expectancy (low).

4Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,085 of 15,651 cities and towns
Arizona: #196 of 207 in AZ
Population: 4,147 (2020-2024)
Land area: 16 mi²
Density: 254.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 0412770

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety36#10,082/15,637
Economy1#15,477/15,631
Housing—
Health1#15,406/15,609
Healthcare6#14,647/15,650
Environment87#2,073/15,453
Education12#13,721/15,649
Infrastructure4#15,083/15,650
Community9#14,194/15,651
Leisure & amenities1#15,522/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Chinle, Arizona ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Apache County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Home price to income ratio · low0.7×
100/100Arizona 4.9×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.3 µg/m³
99/100Arizona 6.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyApache County value
Property crime rate · low198 /100k
99/100Arizona 1,514 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureApache County value
Rent as share of income · low11.0%
98/100Arizona 30.8%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Rent-burdened households · low23.0%
93/100Arizona 51.4%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Median Air Quality Index · low33
91/100Arizona 642025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyApache County value

Weaknesses

Broadband subscriptions · low59.5%
0/100Arizona 91.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Premature death · high26,905 /100k
0/100Arizona 9,154 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteApache County value
Life expectancy · low64.6 yrs
0/100Arizona 77.3 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteApache County value
Injury deaths · high259 /100k
0/100Arizona 106 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteApache County value
Food environment index · low3.4
0/100Arizona 6.8United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteApache County value
New business applications · low5.3 /1k
0/100Arizona 17.8 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauApache County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
4,879 (2015-2019) → 4,147 (2020-2024)
−15%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
24.9% (2015-2019) → 59.5% (2020-2024)
+35 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
63.9% (2015-2019) → 34.2% (2020-2024)
−30 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateImproving
46.9% (2015-2019) → 28.4% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$31,250 (2015-2019) → $53,239 (2020-2024)
+70%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
32.7% (2015-2019) → 22.0% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Chinle, Arizona improved on 5 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved5

Poverty−19 points46.9% → 28.4%
Broadband+35 points24.9% → 59.5%
Child poverty−30 points63.9% → 34.2%
Uninsured−11 points32.7% → 22.0%
Household income+70%$31,250 → $53,239

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Chinle, Arizona between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	14.7 min2015-2019	18.8 min2020-2024	+4.0 min	Within the margin of error	14%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.4%2015-2019	28.5%2020-2024	+8.1 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Broadband subscriptions	24.9%2015-2019	59.5%2020-2024	+35 points	Improved	99%
Child poverty rate	63.9%2015-2019	34.2%2020-2024	−30 points	Improved	98%
High school diploma or higher	80.3%2015-2019	86.1%2020-2024	+5.8 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Home price to income ratio	0.8×2015-2019	0.7×2020-2024	−0.0×	Within the margin of error	80%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4862015-2019	0.5152020-2024	+0.029	Within the margin of error	27%
Median household income	$31,2502015-2019	$53,2392020-2024	+70%	Improved	94%
Poverty rate	46.9%2015-2019	28.4%2020-2024	−19 points	Improved	99%
Rent as share of income	14.4%2015-2019	11.0%2020-2024	−3.4 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Rent-burdened households	25.3%2015-2019	23.0%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Unemployment rate	12.2%2015-2019	12.0%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	32.7%2015-2019	22.0%2020-2024	−11 points	Improved	97%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Chinle, Arizona five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Chinle, Arizona in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Chinle, Arizona itself moved +1.8 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

4,147 residents (±677)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,285 households (±194)

Chinle, Arizona
Arizona share

Under $25k32%†409
$25k–50k15%†195
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,285 households (±194)

Chinle, Arizona
Arizona share

Own47%610
Rent53%675

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Rent (−9.6 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,387 workers (±258)

Chinle, Arizona
Arizona share

Drive alone83%1,149
Carpool0.0%0
Public transit0.8%†11

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Apache County, the county holding most of Chinle's residents.

Apache County has 442 employer establishments, 67.9 for every 10,000 residents (0.27× the US rate of 248; 0.31× Arizona's), with 6,112 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,071. The Census Bureau also counts 2,838 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 442; 2,838 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 67.9; US 248 · Arizona 219
Paid employees: 6,112
Average annual pay: $52,071; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Apache County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	38	5.8	0.28×Fewer than typical	465	$42,034	132
Gasoline stations	30	4.6	1.42×More than typical	315	$25,848	—
Restaurants and other eating places	28	4.3	0.23×Fewer than typical	452	$22,785	37
Specialty trade contractors	20	3.1	0.20×Fewer than typical	109	$37,661	269
Traveler accommodation	18	2.8	1.53×More than typical	282	$23,238	9
Construction of buildings	17	2.6	0.35×Fewer than typical	61	$36,852	108
Full-service restaurants	15	2.3	0.30×Fewer than typical	206	$23,078	16
Grocery and convenience stores	13	2	0.67×Fewer than typical	396	$27,326	6
Limited-service restaurants	13	2	0.25×Fewer than typical	246	$22,541	3
Religious organizations	13	2	0.36×Fewer than typical	56	$15,554	—
Individual and family services	12	1.8	0.66×Fewer than typical	176	$26,318	15
Lessors of real estate	12	1.8	0.15×Fewer than typical	30	$24,600	117

Rank places for an industry Open Apache County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 65,055 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $651.6K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Chinle, Arizona: $157 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $651.6K; −54% vs FY2025
Per resident: $157; US $1,994
Sole-source: 5.9%; US 30%
Single offer: 10%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Indian Health Service$604.5K93%
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$44.7K6.9%
National Park Service$2,3380.4%

Top recipients

ELLSWORTH, LLC$49.2K7.5%
GUNNER CONTRACTING LLC$43.5K6.7%
MEDICUS HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS, LLC$39.2K6.0%
CHG COMPANIES, INC.$36.2K5.6%
FOUR WINDS STAFFING LLC$33.8K5.2%

Spending by fiscal year

565.6KFY2017
440.7KFY2018
631.8KFY2019
870.9KFY2020
791KFY2021
969.7KFY2022
1.3MFY2023
1.2M

Top industries (NAICS)

Employment services · 5613$424K65%
Offices of physicians · 6211$71.1K11%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$43.5K6.7%
Medical and diagnostic laboratories · 6215$30.8K4.7%
Natural gas distribution · 2212$30K4.6%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Chinle, Arizona, so they do not add up across cities.

Chinle, Arizona's figures are part of those of Apache County, AZ ($80.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.8% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Chinle is mostly in Apache County.

See federal money in Apache County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Chinle, Arizona is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Elijah CraneR-AZ-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 2.2%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Apache County14100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Apache County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0412770

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends