Sanders AZ Welcome Sign, 2007
Sanders’s story
111 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2007.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1915Sanders is settled
SandersAZ
Settled in 1915, this town now has 684 residents.
Photo: The original uploader was Tillman at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.0
Is Sanders a good place to live?
46% of residents live below the poverty line in Sanders, above both the Arizona town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). No town among the 141 in Arizona we compare has a lower typical household income than Sanders. Sanders’ trail network density is 2.1 miles per square mile, where Arizona’s towns sit at 1.1 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Sanders Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Sanders has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
684 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Getting set up
Moving to Sanders: who provides what
Sanders is unincorporated, so Apache County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNavajo Tribal Utility Authority16.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSanders School District2 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers19% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
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 code8651286512 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sanders.
Schools
The schools Sanders’s kids attend
Two of the 5 schools are below, and why each made the list. The public schools here belong to the Sanders Unified District. The 3 public schools in Sanders teach 624 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanders Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–7 | Grades PK–7 | 267 | D− |
| Valley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 193 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
Most people working in Sanders commute elsewhere
The top destinations are Phoenix (10%), Chandler (4%) and Mesa (4%). For half of commuters, work is under 84 miles away.
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Sanders0%
Phoenix10%
Chandler4%
Mesa4%
Gallup4%
84 mi
median commute distance
0
jobs based in Sanders
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
The biggest natural risk in Sanders is inland flooding, at a low overall level
Compared with 73% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Sanders is lower. FEMA puts 66% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 17% to lightning.
27risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingLightningCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
The climate in Sanders brings mild winters and hot summers
For Sanders, the midsummer high is 89°F.
4″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–48°
Spring32–67°
Summer53–88°
Fall36–69°
Oct 8
typical first frost
May 22
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Sanders stands out in Arizona and nationally: a larger share of its adults say their health is fair or poor
Among 141 Arizona towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Sanders. The share of adults in Sanders who report frequent mental distress: 25%. Of 32 CDC measures, Sanders beats the Arizona average on 3 and trails it on 28. 28% of adults in Sanders smoke cigarettes; 19% have diabetes.
| Sanders | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 21% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Arizona
3 better1 too close to call28 worse
| What stands out | Sanders | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.5% | 8.8% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.7% | 15.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 25.5% | 7.2% |
Gallup Indian Medical Center
39.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,648 acres
5.4 mi
of trails · 2.1 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sanders
16pages on Sanders
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sanders; the nearest are
University of New Mexico-Gallup CampusCommunity college · Public · Gallup, NM39 mi$2,906 in-state tuitionNavajo Technical UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Crownpoint, NM73.7 mi$4,346 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Sanders residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Sanders for work
Where Sanders’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
0jobs based in Sanders
0%of working residents work in town
84 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Sanders
CDP in Apache County, Arizona
Sanders (Navajo: Łichííʼ Deezʼáhí) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Apache County, Arizona, United States. Sanders is located at the junction of U.S. Route 191 and Interstate 40. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 575.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 5,865 ft
- ZIP code
- 86512
- Area code
- 928
Questions about Sanders
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sanders, AZ a good place to live?
Sanders has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.