Fort Defiance, AZ · standard
ZIP Code 86504
Apache County, Arizona - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 6,589
- 8/sq mi Low-density area
- $46,573
- Median income Below-median income area
- $45,000
- Median home value Below-median home value
- 14.4%
- Bachelor's or higher Below-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Fort Defiance pairs one of the lowest household incomes in the country with among the most affordable home values nationally, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 11th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 1st pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 8
- people per sq mi
- 67%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 86504 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 86504 is a mid-sized community (a standard USPS delivery area) in Fort Defiance, Apache County, Arizona, home to 6,589 residents across 834.1 square miles, a density of 8 people per square mile, in the Denver time zone.
ZIP 86504 reports a modest median household income of $46,573 (36% below the average Arizona ZIP), while per-capita income is $18,028. Economic pressure is pronounced: 25.8% of residents are below the poverty line and unemployment is 14.6%. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $45,000 (87% below the average Arizona ZIP), and median rent is $844; owner occupancy is 67.0%.
Formal educational attainment runs low here: just 14.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 33, and the average commute is -. No nearby ZIP peer set is available for this delivery area, so the Arizona and national benchmarks above are the appropriate context for 86504.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 86504, Fort Defiance, AZ · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
6,589
Population
834.1
Area (sq mi)
8
People / sq mi
Denver
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 86504?
33.0
Median Age
43.6%
Male
56.4%
Female
1.9%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$46,573
Median Household Income
-36% vs state ZIP avg
$18,028
Per Capita Income
25.8%
Poverty Rate
14.6%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 86504 ranks among Arizona ZIPs
Fort Defiance, AZ household income vs. every Arizona ZIP code
Median household income among 372 reporting Arizona ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$46,573 16th percentile higher than 16% of 372 Arizona ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more Arizona ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
2,096housing units
2,096
Total Housing Units
1,709
Occupied Units
387
Vacant Units
3.37
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$45,000
Median Home Value
-87% vs state ZIP avg
$844
Median Rent
1980
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 16 business establishments in ZIP 86504, employing approximately 681 people with a combined annual payroll of $53,106,000.
16
Businesses
681
Employees
$53.1M
Annual Payroll
1
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 6 | 37.5% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 86504, both outside AZ so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (6,589 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Apache County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 86504 in?
ZIP code 86504 (Fort Defiance) is located in Apache County, Arizona. Apache County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/apache-az.
What is the population of ZIP code 86504?
ZIP code 86504 in Fort Defiance, AZ has a population of 6,589 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 86504?
The median household income in ZIP 86504 is $46,573, which is 39% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 86504?
The median home value in ZIP 86504 is $45,000, which is 84% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 86504?
The largest racial group in ZIP 86504 is American Indian or Alaska Native at 89.4%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 3.2% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 86504?
ZIP code 86504 has 16 business establishments employing approximately 681 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 86504?
In ZIP code 86504, 49.4% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 14.4% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 86504?
In ZIP code 86504, approximately 67.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 33.0% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 86504?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 86504 is 25.8% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
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- See how ZIP 86504 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
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ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.