Navajo, New Mexico

Community in McKinley County · population 1,942 (2020 Census)

Household income: $32,208
Jan low / Jul high: 14° / 88°
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 0
Median age: 23.6

Navajo is a community of 1,942 people in McKinley County, New Mexico. It ranks better for young professionals than 82% of New Mexico towns.

How Navajo ranks

Percentile among New Mexico towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of New Mexico towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

Median rent is $683 a month. 4.0% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of New Mexico towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Navajo	Typical New Mexico town
Median home value	—	$187,400
Median rent	$683	$916
Median household income	$32,208	$55,614
Home value ÷ income	—×	3.2×
Homeownership	4.0%	80.1%
Median year built	1996	1984
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.5%	—

Who lives in Navajo

People	Navajo	Typical New Mexico town
Median age	23.6	39.9
Age 65 and over	7.1%	19.1%
Under 18	43.0%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.4%	18.7%
Below the poverty line	51.6%	18.0%
Veterans	8.2%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.8%	—
Work from home	10.7%	8.3%
Average commute	26.0 min	24.4 min
Homes with broadband	71.0%	82.9%

Weather in Navajo

July highs average 88.4°F and January lows 14.4°F. About 11.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year. Expect about 24 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 196 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Window Rock Ap station (17.0 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

NOAA's Storm Events Database has no tornado within 10 miles of Navajo since 1950.

Severe weather in McKinley County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, McKinley County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 13 deaths recorded.

McKinley County has been included in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
April 5, 2020	Biological	DR-4529: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3460: Covid-19
October 29, 2013	Flood	DR-4152: Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides
September 13, 2010	Flood	DR-1936: Severe Storms And Flooding
August 30, 2006	Severe Storm	DR-1659: Severe Storms And Flooding

Jobs and pay in McKinley County

McKinley County had 19,500 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $47,226 a year. Unemployment was 5.2% in 2023; in Navajo itself the ACS puts it at 21.1%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Navajo

4 public schools with 824 students, about 20.6 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
NAVAJO ELEMENTARY	PK-5	323	21.5
NAVAJO PINE HIGH	9-12	253	23.0
NAVAJO MIDDLE SCHOOL	6-8	195	19.5
DZIT DIT LOOL SCHOOL OF EMPOWERMENT ACTION AND PERSEVERANCE (charter)	6-12	53	13.3

Towns near Navajo

Sawmill, AZ
7.1 mi · 564 people · home $39,400
Fort Defiance, AZ
10.9 mi · 3,541 people · home $37,400
Window Rock, AZ
16.1 mi · 2,500 people · home $84,900
Tohatchi, NM
16.2 mi · 785 people · home $56,700
St. Michaels, AZ
17.1 mi · 1,384 people · home $202,500
Twin Lakes, NM
21.1 mi · 1,004 people · home $56,500
Rock Springs, NM
22.5 mi · 807 people · home $18,000
Yah-ta-hey, NM
23.2 mi · 757 people · home $28,200

Navajo questions

Is Navajo, New Mexico a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Navajo scores better for retirees than 0% of New Mexico towns and quieter than 5%. 7.1% of residents are 65 or older (median age 23.6).

What is the weather like in Navajo?

July highs average 88.4°F and January lows 14.4°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 11.3 inches of precipitation a year.

Does Navajo get tornadoes?

No tornado has been recorded within 10 miles of Navajo in NOAA's Storm Events Database since 1950.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Navajo's Census boundary (GEOID 3551420). Comparisons use the median of New Mexico towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.