# Clifton, Arizona

Clifton is a town in and is the county seat of Greenlee County, Arizona, United States, along the San Francisco River. The population of the town was 3,311 at the 2010 census, with a 2018 population estimate of 3,700. It was a place of the Arizona copper mine strike of 1983.
Clifton and Morenci are thought to be an economic area by the Arizona Department of Commerce.

## Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.8 square miles (38.4 km$^2$), of which 14.6 square miles (37.8 km$^2$) is land and 0.23 square miles (0.6 km$^2$), or 1.46%, is water. Clifton has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh) that closely borders on both the hot desert climate and the cool semi-arid climate. There is a large degree of diurnal temperature variation. Summers are very hot and sometimes humid, with most rainfall coming from the monsoon between July and October. The wettest year was 2004 with 28.49 inches (723.6 mm) including 6.97 inches (177.0 mm) in August, whilst the driest year with a full record was 1924 with only 4.85 inches (123.2 mm) including a mere 1.98 inches (50.3 mm) between July and October. Winters are mild (though with very cold nights) and dry, with snow only recorded in fourteen years since 1892.
Climate data for Clifton, Arizona (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1908–2012) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 83 (28) | 87 (31) | 92 (33) | 99 (37) | 108 (42) | 116 (47) | 115 (46) | 113 (45) | 110 (43) | 102 (39) | 94 (34) | 80 (27) | 116 (47) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 70.1 (21.2) | 76.2 (24.6) | 84.5 (29.2) | 92.4 (33.6) | 101.2 (38.4) | 108.3 (42.4) | 109.2 (42.9) | 105.4 (40.8) | 100.8 (38.2) | 94.0 (34.4) | 80.3 (26.8) | 70.4 (21.3) | 110.3 (43.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 61.2 (16.2) | 65.9 (18.8) | 73.2 (22.9) | 81.2 (27.3) | 90.0 (32.2) | 100.0 (37.8) | 100.4 (38.0) | 97.5 (36.4) | 92.5 (33.6) | 82.6 (28.1) | 69.8 (21.0) | 59.6 (15.3) | 81.2 (27.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 48.1 (8.9) | 52.5 (11.4) | 59.3 (15.2) | 66.1 (18.9) | 74.3 (23.5) | 84.4 (29.1) | 87.4 (30.8) | 84.6 (29.2) | 79.2 (26.2) | 68.8 (20.4) | 55.7 (13.2) | 47.3 (8.5) | 67.3 (19.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 35.1 (1.7) | 39.1 (3.9) | 45.3 (7.4) | 51.0 (10.6) | 58.7 (14.8) | 68.9 (20.5) | 74.4 (23.6) | 71.6 (22.0) | 65.9 (18.8) | 54.9 (12.7) | 41.5 (5.3) | 35.0 (1.7) | 53.5 (11.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 26.3 (−3.2) | 30.4 (−0.9) | 33.3 (0.7) | 40.7 (4.8) | 49.2 (9.6) | 59.4 (15.2) | 66.7 (19.3) | 64.4 (18.0) | 55.6 (13.1) | 41.1 (5.1) | 30.8 (−0.7) | 24.5 (−4.2) | 23.4 (−4.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 4 (−16) | 17 (−8) | 22 (−6) | 26 (−3) | 34 (1) | 46 (8) | 45 (7) | 51 (11) | 39 (4) | 32 (0) | 20 (−7) | 12 (−11) | 4 (−16) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.25 (32) | 1.53 (39) | 0.85 (22) | 0.47 (12) | 0.49 (12) | 0.43 (11) | 3.12 (79) | 3.28 (83) | 1.71 (43) | 1.45 (37) | 1.33 (34) | 1.11 (28) | 17.02 (432) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch) | 4.1 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 8.5 | 10.6 | 5.9 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 55.4 |
| Source: NWS – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,596 people, 919 households, and 685 families residing in the town. The population density was 174.8 inhabitants per square mile (67.5/km$^2$). There were 1,087 housing units at an average density of 73.2 per square mile (28.3/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the town was 67.1% White, 1.0 Black or African American, 2.3% Native American, <0.1% Asian, 26.7% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. 55.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 919 households, out of which 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,786, and the median income for a family was $41,820. Males had a median income of $39,813 versus $19,485 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,313. About 8.1% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

## Government

The town of Clifton operates under a council-manager form of government with seven elected council members, including a mayor and vice-mayor, and a town manager appointed by the council. Each council member is elected to a four-year term. As of 2025, the mayor since 2023 has been Laura Dorrell. In 2018, Town Manager Ian McGaughey left his position. His replacement, Heather Ruder, resigned six months later. The next year, Rudy H. Perez Jr. was selected. On 15 July 2024, Perez was fired.

## Transportation

Clifton is served by U.S. Route 191, Greenlee County Airport, and the Arizona Eastern Railway.

## Education

Since the closure of Clifton Unified School District in 2010, it is now in the Morenci Unified School District.

## Gallery

* Hovey's Dance Hall in Clifton in 1884
* Clifton in 1903
* The Clifton Cliff Jail, sometime before it closed in 1906
* Clifton Mineral Hot Springs Bathhouse, which was built in 1928
* Clifton Townsite Historic District in 1993