PlainFoodAccess

County food-access profile · Arizona

Apache County, AZ

Apache County sits among the counties with the widest food-access gaps the USDA tracks, most residents here live well outside a comfortable walk or drive to a supermarket. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it.

54.7%
low-access pop.
10
food-desert tracts
30.5%
on SNAP
65K
residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA 2019 Census ACS 2024 AZ

The food-access picture

54.7% of Apache County residents live in a low-access area, and 10 of its 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.

13
low-access tracts
25K
food-desert residents
11.5%
households, no vehicle
30.5%
below poverty line

Low access = living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket. Food deserts add a low-income condition (USDA LILA, 1-and-10-mile measure).

Apache County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 54.7% is well above the national share. 13 of the county's 16 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 39,133 people. 10 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 25,275 low-income residents.

How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts

The USDA measures food access by distance to the nearest supermarket. A census tract is "low-access" when a meaningful share of residents live more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than ten miles in rural areas. A tract becomes a "food desert" only when it is both low-access and low-income, because distance is far harder to overcome for households without a car or a cushion in the budget. Counts on this page are aggregated from the tract level, where the federal data is actually published, so a single county figure can hide neighbourhoods that are much better or much worse served than the average. Distance also does not capture everything that shapes whether a family eats well: the presence of a full-service grocer rather than a convenience store, public transit, food pantries, and the price and quality of what is on the shelf all matter beyond the radius the Atlas can draw.

How Apache County compares nationally

Apache County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 54.7% low-access share outpaces 95% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #158 most-affected nationwide.

lower low-accesshigher low-access

Apache County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown

All 16 census tracts in Apache County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).

Food access tier distribution for Apache County, AZ USDA-defined food-access tiers: 3 census tracts adequate (within distance threshold), 3 limited, 10 severe (low-income low-access food desert). Total 16 tracts evaluated. 3 tracts adequate (18.8%) 3 tracts limited (18.8%) 10 tracts severe / food desert (62.5%) Adequate 19% Limited 19% Severe 63% Food-access tier distribution: Apache County, AZ
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas 2019

Apache County vs. other Arizona counties

Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Arizona

% low-access
Source USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas As of 2019 edition

Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)

USDA Food Access Research Atlas 2019 indicators for Apache County
IndicatorValue
Census Tracts16
Atlas Population (2010 basis)71,518
Low-Access Tracts13
Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access)10
Low-Access Population39,133
Low-Access Share54.7%well above the national average
Low-Income & Low-Access Population25,275

Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)

Census ACS 2024 demographic and SNAP data for Apache County
IndicatorValue
Population65,341
Median Household Income$41,438
Poverty Rate30.5%well above the national average
SNAP Households6,428
SNAP Participation Rate30.5%well above the national average
Households Without a Vehicle11.5%above the national average
Group-Quarters Population2.3%
SNAP participation in Apache County 30.5%

About 30.5% of Apache County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).

What this means

  • 54.7% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
  • 30.5% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 6,428 households here.
  • 11.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
  • 10 tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access).

USDA low-access figures reflect the 2019 Atlas (2010 tract populations); socioeconomic context is the latest Census ACS 5-year (2024).

What the food-access data shows for Apache County

well above the national share

10 of Apache County's 16 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 62.5% of all its tracts.

A further 3 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 13.

An estimated 39,133 residents, roughly 54.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.

Of those, 25,275 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.

The remaining 3 tracts (18.8%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.

SNAP retailers in Apache County

Apache County has 52 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 31 locations (60% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.

Convenience Store · 31

  • circle k 2700549, eagar
  • circle k 2700663, st johns
  • circle k 2701383, springerville
  • good 2 go lupton 567, lupton
  • klagetoh express 512, klagetoh
  • many farms 7-2-11 food store 24, many farms
  • maverik, inc 764, saint johns
  • mexican water trading post 509, mexican water
  • naatsedlozii one stop, window rock
  • navajo travel center, navajo
  • pic-n-run #2, chinle
  • red mesa express 533, ft. defiance
  • red mesa trading company 508, lwr.greasewood
  • red mesa trading post 501, teec nos pos
  • red rock trading post 524, red valley
  • sawmill express 527, fort defiance
  • short stop 0513, eagar
  • speedway 2523, rock point
  • speedway 2523, rock point
  • speedway 2524, many farms
  • speedway 2524, many farms
  • speedway 2880, fort defiance
  • speedway 3000, sanders
  • speedway 3005, ganado
  • speedway 3006, lukachukai
  • speedway 3007, chinle
  • speedway 3008, chinle
  • speedway 3008, chinle
  • speedway 3011, st michaels
  • steamboat trading post 502, ganado
  • tsaile fina, tsaile

Combination Grocery/Other · 8

  • dollar general 10201, saint johns
  • dollar general 17515, concho
  • dollar general 20365, sanders
  • dollar general 23261, springerville
  • dollar general 5884, eagar
  • dollar tree 8058, springerville
  • family dollar 12015, concho lake
  • family dollar 12091, st michaels

Super Store · 5

  • bashas 34, sanders
  • bashas' 121, eagar
  • bashas' dine market 33, chinle
  • bashas' dine market 35, window rock
  • lowes 24, window rock

Small Grocery Store · 3

  • alpine country store, alpine
  • dennehotso market, dennehotso
  • teec nos pos t.p., teec nos pos

Supermarket · 3

  • lowe's shop-n-save 22, ganado
  • safeway 2076, springerville
  • st johns hometown iga, saint johns

Medium Grocery Store · 2

  • jiffy store n/a, concho
  • totsoh trading post, lukachukai

Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.

Other Counties in Arizona

Cochise County
43.9% low-access · 14.9% SNAP
Coconino County
32.5% low-access · 10.6% SNAP
Gila County
28.2% low-access · 14.6% SNAP
Graham County
39.6% low-access · 16.3% SNAP
Greenlee County
32.9% low-access · 5.7% SNAP
La Paz County
53.4% low-access · 11.6% SNAP

Compare Apache County vs Cochise County → · All Arizona counties →

Food access nationally, Arizona in context

Apache County sits inside Arizona (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.

AK 31 ME 13 VT 11 NH 28 WA 23 ID 26 MT 22 ND 29 MN 27 IL 20 WI 21 MI 23 NY 12 RI 24 MA 28 OR 17 NV 23 WY 30 SD 29 IA 20 IN 29 OH 25 PA 21 NJ 24 CT - CA 13 UT 24 CO 22 NE 22 MO 25 KY 20 WV 21 VA 20 MD 23 DE 27 AZ 27 NM 32 KS 26 AR 25 TN 27 NC 23 SC 29 DC 5 OK 25 LA 26 MS 26 AL 25 GA 31 HI 27 TX 25 FL 25

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context

Understand the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of Apache County has low food access? ▼
54.7% of residents in Apache County, AZ live in low-access areas, more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket, per the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019).
What is the SNAP participation rate in Apache County? ▼
30.5% of households in Apache County receive SNAP, covering 6,428 households (Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates).
What is the poverty rate in Apache County? ▼
The poverty rate in Apache County, AZ is 30.5%, with a median household income of $41,438 (Census ACS 2024).
Is Apache County a food desert? ▼
10 of Apache County's 16 census tracts meet the USDA food-desert threshold (low-income and low-access). Food deserts are designated at the tract level, so conditions can vary within the county.
What share of Apache County households lack a vehicle? ▼
11.5% of households in Apache County have no vehicle available (Census ACS 2024), which compounds any distance to a supermarket.
Data Sources & Methodology

USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019): low-access and food-desert tract classifications, low-access population, and low-income low-access counts. ers.usda.gov/food-access-research-atlas

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates: population, median income, poverty, SNAP participation, vehicle access, and group quarters. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs

Low access is defined as living more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket; a food desert adds a low-income condition. Read the full methodology →

Data current as of (most recent source-data vintage; figures reflect the 2019 USDA Atlas and 2024 Census ACS).

Note: This page presents public USDA and Census data for informational purposes and is not professional advice. Figures reflect the cited dataset vintages and may differ from the most recent local conditions. How this data is sourced & verified.