|
West |
Arizona |
California |
Colorado |
Idaho |
Montana |
New Mexico |
Nevada |
Oregon |
Utah |
Washington |
Wyoming
Arizona Summary
Below you will find county-by-county maps and tables that illustrate the data in this study.
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| Click on chart for a larger version below. |
Our research found that:
- Of the 11 western states, Arizona has the tenth largest area of undeveloped, forested private land bordering fire-prone public lands, and ranks eighth among western states in the amount of forested land where homes have already been built next to public lands.
- Arizona has 482 square miles of forested private land that borders public lands, of which 83 percent has not yet been developed.
- Arizona has a relatively densely developed wildland urban interface when compared to other western states, but lot sizes are still large when compared to those on other private lands.
- Housing in Arizona's wildland urban interface consumes 2.6 acres per person, compared to the 0.5 acres per person average on other western private lands.
- Arizona has 54,634 residences in its wildland urban interface, of which 34 percent are seasonal homes or cabins.
- Arizona ranks fifth among western states in the number of homes built in forested areas next to public wildlands, and fourth in the percentage of those homes that are only seasonally occupied.
In Arizona, existing risk of wildfire (number of square miles of the wildland urban interface with homes now) and potential future risk (number of square miles of wildland interface that remains undeveloped) are highest in the central and east-central parts of the state. More than 20 square miles of forested private lands adjacent to public wildlands in Coconino County are already developed. The five counties of northern Arizona all have more than 20 square miles of undeveloped wildland interface where new homes could likely be built in the future. Given the remote and rugged terrain, the increase in costs to defend life and property in these counties would be significant.
Existing Risk Map - Click to Zoom
Yellow areas on the map illustrate existing development in fire-prone areas (forested areas adjacent public lands that have been developed); all other development is shown in red; public lands are shown in green.
Arizona Summary Statistics |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| West-Wide |
3,290.0 |
20,350.1 |
14.0% |
915,071 |
21.0% |
| Arizona |
81.8 |
400.1 |
17.0% |
54,634 |
34.0% |
Top 10 Counties in Arizona Ranked by Existing Risk
Counties are ranked by the number of square miles of developed land in the wildland interface |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Coconino County |
Arizona |
20.7 |
75.5 |
21.0% |
13,719 |
36.0% |
| Yavapai County |
Arizona |
15.6 |
50.8 |
23.0% |
8,008 |
23.0% |
| Gila County |
Arizona |
11.5 |
16.7 |
41.0% |
7,242 |
46.0% |
| Navajo County |
Arizona |
10.3 |
28.5 |
26.0% |
8,874 |
49.0% |
| Apache County |
Arizona |
9.2 |
42.9 |
18.0% |
2,744 |
52.0% |
| Mohave County |
Arizona |
3.1 |
82.2 |
4.0% |
1,432 |
21.0% |
| Maricopa County |
Arizona |
3.1 |
15.1 |
17.0% |
3,348 |
10.0% |
| Pima County |
Arizona |
2.4 |
15.7 |
13.0% |
4,205 |
15.0% |
| Cochise County |
Arizona |
1.5 |
17.2 |
8.0% |
1,145 |
20.0% |
| La Paz County |
Arizona |
1.3 |
5.0 |
21.0% |
2,182 |
64.0% |
Top 10 Counties in Arizona Ranked by Potential Risk
Counties are ranked by the number of square miles of undeveloped land in the wildland interface. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Mohave County |
Arizona |
3.1 |
82.2 |
4.0% |
1,432 |
21.0% |
| Coconino County |
Arizona |
20.7 |
75.5 |
21.0% |
13,719 |
36.0% |
| Yavapai County |
Arizona |
15.6 |
50.8 |
23.0% |
8,008 |
23.0% |
| Apache County |
Arizona |
9.2 |
42.9 |
18.0% |
2,744 |
52.0% |
| Navajo County |
Arizona |
10.3 |
28.5 |
26.0% |
8,874 |
49.0% |
| Pinal County |
Arizona |
1.2 |
18.7 |
6.0% |
910 |
12.0% |
| Cochise County |
Arizona |
1.5 |
17.2 |
8.0% |
1,145 |
20.0% |
| Gila County |
Arizona |
11.5 |
16.7 |
41.0% |
7,242 |
46.0% |
| Pima County |
Arizona |
2.4 |
15.7 |
13.0% |
4,205 |
15.0% |
| Maricopa County |
Arizona |
3.1 |
15.1 |
17.0% |
3,348 |
10.0% |
Click on column headers to see all data in the West sorted by that column.
West |
Arizona |
California |
Colorado |
Idaho |
Montana |
New Mexico |
Nevada |
Oregon |
Utah |
Washington |
Wyoming
Headwaters Economics
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Deliveries: 810 N. Wallace Avenue, Suite B, Bozeman MT 59715
Ray Rasker Ph.D. 406.570.7044 | Ben
Alexander 406.599.7423 | Patty Gude 406.599.7425 | Chris Mehl 406.570.8937
Mark Haggerty 406.570.5626 | Julia Haggerty Ph.D. 406.600.1766 | Jeff
van den Noort 406.599.1653
Banner photo is by Ray Rasker.
© 2007 Headwaters Economics Inc. all rights reserved. No part of this work may be copied or reproduced without prior consent.
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