County food-access profile · Arizona
Cochise County, AZ
Cochise 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.
- 43.9%
- low-access pop.
- 15
- food-desert tracts
- 14.9%
- on SNAP
- 126K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
43.9% of Cochise County residents live in a low-access area, and 15 of its 32 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 21
- low-access tracts
- 20K
- food-desert residents
- 5.3%
- households, no vehicle
- 15.4%
- 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).
Cochise County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 43.9% is well above the national share. 21 of the county's 32 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 57,660 people. 15 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 20,429 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 Cochise County compares nationally
Cochise County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 43.9% low-access share outpaces 90% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #302 most-affected nationwide.
Cochise County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 32 census tracts in Cochise County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Cochise County vs. other Arizona counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Arizona
- Cochise
Cochise County, AZ
43.9 % low-access
- Apache
Apache County, AZ
54.7 % low-access
- Coconino
Coconino County, AZ
32.5 % low-access
- Gila
Gila County, AZ
28.2 % low-access
- Graham
Graham County, AZ
39.6 % low-access
- Greenlee
Greenlee County, AZ
32.9 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 32 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 131,346 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 21 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 15 |
| Low-Access Population | 57,660 |
| Low-Access Share | 43.9%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 20,429 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 125,566 |
| Median Household Income | $59,742 |
| Poverty Rate | 15.4%near the national average |
| SNAP Households | 7,575 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.9%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.3%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 4.6% |
About 14.9% of Cochise County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 43.9% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 14.9% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 7,575 households here.
- 5.3% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 15 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 Cochise County
well above the national share
15 of Cochise County's 32 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 46.9% of all its tracts.
A further 6 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 21.
An estimated 57,660 residents, roughly 43.9% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 20,429 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 11 tracts (34.4%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Cochise County
Cochise County has 103 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 12 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 49 locations (48% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 49
- across the street store, bowie
- border mart, douglas
- bowie travel center, bowie
- circle k 2709536, tombstone
- circle k 2709540, sierra vista
- canyon general, hereford
- canyon general 2, hereford
- circle k 2700230, bisbee
- circle k 2700733, sierra vista
- circle k 2700761, benson
- circle k 2701097, sierra vista
- circle k 2701431, willcox
- circle k 2701488, sierra vista
- circle k 2702940, huachuca city
- circle k 2702941, willcox
- circle k 2702945, benson
- circle k 2702946, sierra vista
- circle k 2703410, sierra vista
- circle k 2703488, douglas
- desert videoland oasis, elfrida
- fast market 4609, sierra vista
- good 2 go store 501, sierra vista
- good 2 go store 523, douglas
- good 2 go store 524, bisbee
- hone's benson fuel, benson
- j & b groceries, douglas
- junction express food and fuel, benson
- love's country store 9, benson
- love's travel stop 460 460, benson
- love's travel stop 831, willcox
- main street market 605, san simon
- maverik, inc 721, benson
- poco market, bisbee
- quick & fast 102, pearce
- quick pic market, benson
- san simon travel center, san simon
- speedway 2962, hereford
- speedway 2972, benson
- speedway 2973, sierra vista
- speedway 2974, sierra vista
- speedway 2975, bisbee
- speedway 2976, douglas
- speedway 2977, douglas
- speedway 2988, willcox
- speedway 2991, douglas
- sv food mart, sierra vista
- ta wilcox 226, wilcox
- willcox express stop, willcox
- winchester mercantile, willcox
Combination Grocery/Other · 30
- b & s oriental market, sierra vista
- cvs pharmacy 8828, sierra vista
- dollar general 6599, willcox
- dollartree 9404, bisbee
- dollar general 11124, bisbee
- dollar general 11133, douglas
- dollar general 18019, saint david
- dollar general 18117, sunsites
- dollar general 20512, benson
- dollar general 21406, huachuca city
- dollar general 22613, hereford
- dollar general 24646, sierra vista
- dollar general 24755, sierra vista
- dollar general 25381, bisbee
- dollar general 5856, sierra vista
- dollar general 6629, benson
- dollar general 7335, huachuca city
- dollar general store 16206, hereford
- dollar tree 2682, sierra vista
- dollar tree 3116, douglas
- dollar tree 7492, benson
- dollar tree 8731, sierra vista
- family dollar 11340, elfrida
- family dollar store 11192, tombstone
- family dollar store 4189, sierra vista
- family dollar store 4712, willcox
- family dollar store 4979, bisbee
- family dollar store 5918, sierra vista
- family dollar store 5965, douglas
- walgreens 05027, sierra vista
Super Store · 6
- fry's 59, sierra vista
- food city 111, sierra vista
- target store t-0735, sierra vista
- walmart 1240, sierra vista
- walmart 1846, douglas
- walmart 3807, benson
Supermarket · 5
- el mercado mannys farmers market, sierra vista
- safeway 1275, benson
- safeway 2083, sierra vista
- safeway 261, bisbee
- safeway 272, willcox
Farmers' Market · 3
- bisbee saturday market, bisbee
- saturday farmers market, sierra vista
- sierra vista farmers markets, llc 1, sierra vista
Small Grocery Store · 3
- pirtleville's grocery store, pirtleville
- palo verde stop-n-go, douglas
- pueblo nuevo mini mart, douglas
Large Grocery Store · 2
- douglas meat warehouse, douglas
- mi ranchito meat center, douglas
Bakery Specialty · 1
- papa murphy's az017, sierra vista
Fruits/Veg Specialty · 1
- the local co-op nafmnp, mcneal
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 1
- plaza meat market, willcox
Medium Grocery Store · 1
- sierra vista natural foods cooperative inc., sierra vista
Military Commissary · 1
- fort huachuca commissary 1910, fort huachuca
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Arizona
Compare Cochise County vs Apache County → · All Arizona counties →
Food access nationally, Arizona in context
Cochise County sits inside Arizona (ringed). Each state is colored by its population-weighted low-access share; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Understand the Data
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of Cochise County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Cochise County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Cochise County? ▼
Is Cochise County a food desert? ▼
What share of Cochise County households lack a vehicle? ▼
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.