Navajo Hogan in, 2008
Tsaile’s story
Tsaile in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2008.
Explore the history →TsaileAZ
A town of 1,696.
Population
1,696
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$47K
Census ACS
Household income
$49K
median
Median age
20.7
years
Jobs based here
260
Balanced
Is Tsaile a good place to live?
Tsaile’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and walkability; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 5.1% of residents are 65 or older in Tsaile, below both Arizona’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (18%). On walkability, just 6 of Arizona’s 204 towns do better. Tsaile’s trail density is 3.7 miles per square mile, where Arizona’s towns sit at 1.1 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Tsaile is home to Dine College. Tsaile has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Tsaile stand out
Where Tsaile beats most towns.
WalkabilityA
More walkable than 91% of U.S. towns
44.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Natural hazardsB+
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
The college
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Dine College | 650 |
College town
650 college students
at Dine College
Students are part of everyday life here.
A growing town
Tsaile has grown 17% from 2010 to 2020
1,205 counted in 2010 and 1,408 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Tsaile grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arizona), ordered by how far Tsaile is from typical.
Jobs & incomeD−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $47K, 1.1 years of the county’s $41K median household incomeAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.2 of 20; 22.7% of households have no carAOpen →HealthLess healthy than 78% of U.S. towns; Fort Defiance Indian Hospital 26 miles awayC−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 27% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →SchoolsCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Tsaile: who provides what
Tsaile is unincorporated, so Apache County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNavajo Tribal Utility Authority16.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
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 code8655686556 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 Tsaile.
SchoolsC
On state tests, Tsaile’s schools trail 68% of Arizona districts
Its public schools are run by the Chinle Unified District. Its one school is below.
32%of AZ districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tsaile Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 313 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AZ on state tests and graduation
HealthC−
Tsaile stands out in Arizona and nationally, with more of its adults who report frequent mental distress
27% of adults report frequent mental distress in Tsaile. Only 2 of the 141 Arizona towns we compare have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Tsaile. 30% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Tsaile.
22%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Tsaile | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 31% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 15% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 66% | 75% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Arizona
5 better5 too close to call22 worse
| What stands out | Tsaile | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.8% | 8.8% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 24.5% | 37.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 20.9% | 7.2% |
Fort Defiance Indian Hospital
26 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Low risk in Tsaile, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
27risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingLightningWildfire
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Tsaile has mild winters and pleasant summers
Tsaile has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Tsaile’s July high is 86°F.
5″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–42°
Spring34–62°
Summer54–84°
Fall37–64°
Oct 17
typical first frost
May 3
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Compared with most of Arizona and the rest of the country, more of Tsaile’s residents live below the poverty line
46% of Tsaile residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Tsaile has added 250 jobs, to 260 in 2023. The median household income in Tsaile is $49,000.
8%work in town
| Tsaile | Arizona towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 46% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Tsaile8%
St. Michaels13%
Phoenix10%
Chinle7%
Fort Defiance4%
46 mi
median commute distance
260
jobs based in Tsaile
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsC−
Tsaile has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
23 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 3,888 acres
23 mi
of trails · 3.7 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Tsaile
16pages on Tsaile
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Tsaile
College town 37 of every 100 Tsaile residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.
College town
37% of Tsaile is in college
College Scorecard · IPEDS
About Tsaile
Census-designated place in Arizona, United States
Tsaile is a census-designated place (CDP) in Apache County, Arizona, United States, on the Navajo Nation. The population was 1,205 at the 2010 census. Tsaile is the home of the main campus of Diné College (formerly Navajo Community College), a tribally controlled community college. It has seven other campuses across the Navajo Nation. Tsaile Public School (Grades K-8) is located in Tsaile. Students attend Chinle High School in Chinle, Arizona, for high school, which is about 25 miles away via Navajo Route 64.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 7,142 ft
- ZIP code
- 86556
- Area code
- 928
Questions about Tsaile
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Tsaile, AZ expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.