Red sandstone formations near, 2014
Lukachukai’s story
110 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,565 in 2000, 1,424 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2014 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
- 1916Lukachukai is settled
LukachukaiAZ
The town, settled in 1916, counts 1,969 residents.
Population
1,969
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$51K
Census ACS
Household income
$37K
median
Median age
31.8
years
Land area
22 sq mi
Settled
1916
110 years ago
Is Lukachukai a good place to live?
The best of Lukachukai’s subject grades is a B for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for incomes. Lukachukai’s average trip to work is 38 minutes, where Arizona’s towns sit at 24 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. On incomes, just 3 of Arizona’s 202 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. Lukachukai’s trail density is 3.0 miles per square mile, against 1.1 in Arizona’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Lukachukai has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
How Lukachukai grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Lukachukai is from typical.
Jobs & income35% below the poverty lineD−Open →HealthChinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility 31.2 miles awayD−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 2.4 of 20; 9.2% of households have no car; 1.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listB+Open →SchoolsBehind most towns comparedCOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $51K, 1.2 years of the county’s $41K median household incomeBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsBased on green space, trails and conserved landC−Open →HistoryLittle recorded history by comparisonD−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Lukachukai stand out
Where Lukachukai beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Natural hazardsB+
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
32 measures vs. Arizona
3 better4 too close to call25 worse
| Widest gap | Lukachukai | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 25.5% | 7.2% |
Worth knowing · HealthD−
Less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
A shrinking town
Lukachukai has shrunk 16% from 2010 to 2020
1,701 counted in 2010 and 1,424 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lukachukai.
HealthD−
A larger share of adults say their health is fair or poor in Lukachukai than in most of Arizona or the rest of the country
3%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
37% of adults feel lonely in Lukachukai. Only 3 of the 141 Arizona towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Lukachukai. Two figures for adults here: 29% smoke cigarettes, 20% have diabetes. This Arizona town does better than the Arizona average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 25.
| Lukachukai | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 21% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Arizona
3 better4 too close to call25 worse
| What stands out | Lukachukai | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.5% | 8.8% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.9% | 15.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 25.5% | 7.2% |
Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility
31.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC
On state tests, Lukachukai’s schools trail 68% of Arizona districts
32%of AZ districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
Lukachukai Community School runs its public schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lukachukai Community SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 312 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
More of Lukachukai’s residents live below the poverty line than in the typical Arizona or U.S. town
0%work in town
Half of commuters travel less than 52 miles. Lukachukai’s middle household income comes in at $37,000. The top destinations are St. Michaels (22%), Tsaile (13%) and Chinle (7%).
| Lukachukai | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 35% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $37,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Lukachukai0%
St. Michaels22%
Tsaile13%
Chinle7%
Fort Defiance6%
52 mi
median commute distance
0
jobs based in Lukachukai
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 14% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Low risk in Lukachukai, with inland flooding at the top
27risk score of 100
Lukachukai’s FEMA hazard score stands at 27 of 100. 55% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by lightning at 21%. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingLightningWildfire
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Lukachukai: four seasons and hot summers
89°summer high
July afternoons reach 89° and January nights drop to 18°.
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–43°
Spring34–64°
Summer55–86°
Fall37–66°
Oct 17
typical first frost
May 3
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
89°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0%
conserved · 0 of 14,026 acres
65 mi
of trails · 2.9 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lukachukai
16pages on Lukachukai
The big questions
Out and about
Getting set up
Moving to Lukachukai: who provides what
Lukachukai is unincorporated, so Apache County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNavajo Tribal Utility Authority16.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLukachukai Ntua water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesApache CountyApache County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Arizona you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereApache County RecorderApache County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code8650786507 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Lukachukai for work
Where Lukachukai’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
0jobs based in Lukachukai
0%of working residents work in town
52 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lukachukai
About 8 of every 100 Lukachukai residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
About Lukachukai
CDP in Apache County, Arizona
Lukachukai (Navajo: Lókʼaaʼchʼégai) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,701 at the 2010 census. It is within the Navajo Nation.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 22 sq mi
- Elevation
- 6,550 ft
- ZIP code
- 86507
- Area code
- 928
Questions about Lukachukai
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lukachukai, AZ expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
Lukachukai is in here
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