Snowflake Arizona Community Profile

Principal Economic Activities

Arizona's only pulp and paper mill is Snowflake's largest industry. Abitibi Consolidated Sales Corporation, located on a 640-acre site 15 miles west of Snowflake, is one of the most modern and efficient facilities of its type in America. Its daily production of 1,300 combined tons of newsprint and kraft linerboard supplies the fast-growing Southwest region. This community is the home to a 20-acre hydroponic tomato-growing greenhouse facility, Suntastic USA, Inc., located in the Snowflake Industrial Park. This high-tech agribusiness plant provides more than 100 FTE positions and ships tomatoes throughout the entire United States.

Vinings Industries Inc. distributes paper manufacturing chemicals to Abitibi Consolidated Sales Corporation. P.F.F.J. Inc., is a large swine production company, producing market pigs for Cloughety Packing. P.F.F.J.'s 130 employees work in areas of production, maintenance, feed-milling, transportation and administratioon. Smith Moulding and Snowflake Lumber & Moulding are two other major employers in the area. Farming and ranching continue to be major activities in the area. All of Navajo County is an Enterprise Zone.

Population

1980

1990

1998

2000

2006

Snowflake
Snowflake/Taylor
Navajo County
Arizona

3,510
5,425
67,629
2,716,546

3,679
6,097
77,658
3,665,228

4,605
7,445
92,500
4,764,025

4,460
N/A
97,470
5,130,632

5.180
N/A
113,470
6,305,210

Sources: Arizona Department of Economic Security
and U.S. Census Bureau.

Snowflake Labor Force Data

1980

1990

1998

2000

2006

Civilian Labor Force
Employed
Unemployed
Unemployment Rate

1,217
1,063
164
13.5%

1,326
1,168
158
11.9%

1,392
1,312
81
5.8%

1,836
N/A
73
4.0%

1,997
N/A
86
4.3%

Source: Arizona Department of Economic Security.

Growth Indicators

1990

1997

1998

2000

2006

Taxable Sales ($)
Postal Receipts ($)*
New Building Permits**
School Enrollment***
Net Assessed Valuation ($)

14,958,650
219,355
14
2,665
11,782,573

26,604,250
388,347
76
2,585
12,495,331

29,073,050
396,688
89
2,564
13,493,177

34,100,000
396,688
12
N/A
16,400,000

67,200,000
396,688
0
N/A
28,800,000

* Postal Receipts are for fiscal year.
**Arizona Business, Arizona State University; figure not for entire year.
*** Snowflake Unified School District.

Property Tax Rate Per $100 Assessed Valuation

1990

1997

1998

2000

2006

AZ State Tax
Community College
Flood
Library
City Fire District
County

County Total
School District
City

Total

$0.47
$0.81
0.07
 
0.00
0.91

$2.31
5.26
0.00

$7.57

$0.00
1.48
0.23
0.02
0.00
1.08

$2.89
5.68
0.00

$8.57

$0.00
$1.49
0.27
0.02
0.00
1.10

$2.97
5.68
0.00

$8.65

N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
0.00
2.90

$2.97
5.67
0.00

$8.57

N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
0.00
2.75

$2.97
4.21
0.00

$6.96

Source: Arizona Tax Research Foundation.
Note: Property tax in Arizona is based on assessed valuation which is 10 percent of market value for residential property. Average tax rate on homes in Arizona before exemptions and rebates is 1.3% of market value.