Old Red Lake Trading Post, 2014
Tonalea’s story
100 years in pictures
Census counts: 562 in 2000, 451 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 2 maps from 1970 on.
- 1926Tonalea is settled
TonaleaAZ
A town settled in 1926, now home to 205 people.
Photo: Neeta Lind · CC BY 2.0
Population
205
Census survey, 2020–24
Household income
$34K
median
Median age
27.4
years
Jobs based here
2
A commuter town
Settled
1926
100 years ago
Is Tonalea a good place to live?
63% of residents live below the poverty line in Tonalea, above both Arizona’s towns (12%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Of the 141 Arizona towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Tonalea. Tonalea’s trail network density is 2.4 miles per square mile, above both the Arizona town median (1.1) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Tonalea has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
205 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Tonalea.
Schools
The schools Tonalea’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to Tonalea Day School. Its one school is below. The town’s only public school teaches 140 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonalea Day SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 140 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
In Tonalea, the median household income runs lower than in the typical Arizona or U.S. town
0%work in town
The top destinations are Page (28%), Phoenix (14%) and St. Michaels (7%). Tonalea’s typical journey to work is 17 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 81 miles away.
| Tonalea | Typical Arizona town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $34,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Tonalea0%
Page28%
Phoenix14%
St. Michaels7%
Flagstaff6%
81 mi
median commute distance
2
jobs based in Tonalea
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Tonalea faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by avalanches
31risk score of 100
Compared with 69% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Tonalea is lower. Expected losses in Tonalea break down as 50% from avalanches and 32% from inland flooding.
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesInland floodingLightning
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
The climate in Tonalea brings four seasons and hot summers
93°summer high
July afternoons reach 93° and January nights drop to 20°.
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–46°
Spring37–68°
Summer58–90°
Fall39–69°
Oct 28
typical first frost
Apr 16
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
93°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
A larger share of adults worry about having enough food in Tonalea than in most of Arizona or the rest of the country
For adults 18 to 64 in Tonalea, the share who have no health insurance is 16%. Among 141 Arizona towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Tonalea. The town does better than the Arizona average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 27.
| Tonalea | Typical Arizona town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 21% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 17% |
32 measures vs. Arizona
1 better4 too close to call27 worse
| What stands out | Tonalea | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.6% | 8.8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 22.1% | 7.2% |
Page Hospital
36.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%
conserved · 0 of 6,326 acres
24 mi
of trails · 2.4 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Tonalea
15pages on Tonalea
The big questions
Out and about
Getting set up
Moving to Tonalea: who provides what
Tonalea is unincorporated, so Coconino County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNavajo Tribal Utility Authority16.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesCoconino CountyCoconino 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 hereCoconino County RecorderCoconino County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code8604486044 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 Tonalea for work
Where Tonalea’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
2jobs based in Tonalea
0%of working residents work in town
81 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Tonalea; the nearest are
Indian Bible CollegeCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Flagstaff84.5 mi$7,980 tuitionNorthern Arizona UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Flagstaff87.3 mi$13,009 in-state tuitionCoconino Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Flagstaff88.1 mi$2,907 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Tonalea residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
About Tonalea
CDP in Coconino County, Arizona
Tonalea (Navajo: Tó Nehelį́į́h) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The population was 549 at the 2010 census. It has also been known as Red Lake.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 9.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 5,650 ft
- ZIP code
- 86044
- Area code
- 928
Questions about Tonalea
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Tonalea, AZ a good place to live?
Tonalea has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Tonalea is in here
Say something about Tonalea.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.