Signature · 6 LILA tracts (37.5% of tracts)
Gila County, AZ
Gila County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 6 LILA tracts (37.5% of the book) alongside 28.2% low-access.
- 28.2%
- low-access pop.
- 6
- food-desert tracts
- 14.6%
- on SNAP
- 54K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Gila County, AZ
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-CLUSTER · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 28.2% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +6.1 pts vs US
- LILA-CLUSTER 6 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 14.6% SNAP
- VEH-OK 6.4% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 38% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Pima County (+ 0.4 pts)
The food-access picture
According to the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, Gila County ranks #1,068 of 3,079 U.S. counties by low-access share and #13 of 15 counties in AZ (28.2% low-access; 6 food-desert tracts).
- #1,068
- national by low-access %
- #13
- in AZ
- 8
- low-access tracts
- 6K
- food-desert residents
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).
Signature read: 6 LILA tracts (37.5% of tracts) .
How Gila County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Gila County's 28.2% low-access share is elevated, higher than 66% of them and ranked #1,073 most-affected nationwide.
Gila County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
16 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 6 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Gila County has 6 urban and 10 rural census tracts. The 1-mile (urban) vs 10-mile (rural) distance threshold above applies per tract, so a county's access rate reflects this mix.
Gila County low-access neighbourhood
Poles + nearest peers in Arizona, not a full county-board reprint
- Apache
Apache 54.7%
54.7 % low-access
- Greenlee
Greenlee 32.9%
32.9 % low-access
- Coconino
Coconino 32.5%
32.5 % low-access
- Pima
Pima 28.6%
28.6 % low-access
- Gila
Gila 28.2%
28.2 % low-access
- Yuma
Yuma 24.7%
24.7 % low-access
- Maricopa 20.8
Maricopa 20.8%
20.8 % low-access
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 16 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 53,597 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 8 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 6 |
| Low-Access Population | 15,132 |
| Low-Access Share | 28.2%above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,904 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 53,795 |
| Median Household Income | $61,986 |
| Poverty Rate | 16.9%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 3,455 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 14.6%above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 6.4%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 2.0% |
Thick SNAP store book in Gila County
Gila County has 41 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 7 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 23 locations (56% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 23
- apache burger travel center, peridot
- cherry creek store, young
- circle k 2700423, globe
- circle k 2700689, globe
- circle k 2700816, payson
- circle k 2700854, globe
- circle k 2701445, claypool
- circle k 2701792, payson
- circle k 2706670, star valley
- dave's fast stop 1, miami
- dave's fast stop 3, miami
- dave's fast stop 4, miami
- good 2 go store 503, globe
- jakes corner general store, payson
- noline's country store, peridot
- san carlos market place, san carlos
- speedway 2884, payson
- speedway 2890, payson
- speedway 2951, payson
- speedway 2968, winkelman
- speedway 2979, globe
- spring creek store, roosevelt
- star k 32398, globe
Combination Grocery/Other · 7
- dollar general 6811, globe
- dollar general 16995, tonto basin
- dollar tree 3117, miami
- dollar tree 3129, payson
- family dollar store 5082, miami
- family dollar store 5102, globe
- walgreens 6533, payson
Super Store · 5
- bashas' 54, payson
- bashas' 8, san carlos
- fry's 109, globe
- walmart 1334, claypool
- walmart 1369, payson
Medium Grocery Store · 2
- pinemarket llc, pine
- tonto basin marketplace, tonto basin
Supermarket · 2
- safeway 1536, payson
- safeway 3187, globe
Farmers' Market · 1
- payson farmers market, llc, payson
Small Grocery Store · 1
- giorsetti's superior grocery, llc, winkelman
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator (currently authorized stores, a live third population, not the 2019 Atlas or ACS 2024 snapshot above).
Other Counties in Arizona
One of 14 counties in Arizona, 6 are shown here.
Compare Gila County vs Apache County → · All Arizona counties →
Nationwide peers for Gila County's low-access or SNAP share
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Gila County, both outside Arizona so the neighborhoods are not the same-state county list above.
Similar low-access share
Nearest low-access rates outside AZ (28.2% here).
- Union County, AR · 28.2% low-access
- Union County, AR · 28.2% low-access
- Thomas County, GA · 28.2% low-access
- Thomas County, GA · 28.2% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside AZ (14.6% here).
- Greene County, AR · 14.6% SNAP
- Greene County, AR · 14.6% SNAP
- Winston County, AL · 14.6% SNAP
- Winston County, AL · 14.6% SNAP
Source: USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) + Census ACS 2024 SNAP. Peers floor at 10,000 residents so stub counties cannot own the match.
Food access nationally, Arizona in context
Gila County sits inside Arizona (ringed). Each state is colored by population-weighted low-access; click any state to compare.
USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019), population-weighted · Census ACS 2024 context
Read with this county
Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Access Research Atlas (2019) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-Year Estimates · methodology · compiled .
PlainFoodAccess renders this county profile directly from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates), no number is typed in by an editor. Figures for Gila County, AZ are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 04007. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-23. Primary sources: USDA Food Access Research Atlas and Census ACS 5-year estimates.
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.