County food-access profile · Arizona
La Paz County, AZ
La Paz 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.
- 53.4%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 11.6%
- on SNAP
- 17K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
53.4% of La Paz County residents live in a low-access area, and 4 of its 8 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 5K
- food-desert residents
- 4.5%
- households, no vehicle
- 17.5%
- 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).
La Paz County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 53.4% is well above the national share. 5 of the county's 8 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 10,938 people. 4 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 5,427 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 La Paz County compares nationally
La Paz County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 53.4% low-access share outpaces 95% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #171 most-affected nationwide.
La Paz County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 8 census tracts in La Paz County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
La Paz County vs. other Arizona counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Arizona
- La Paz
La Paz County, AZ
53.4 % low-access
- Apache
Apache County, AZ
54.7 % low-access
- Cochise
Cochise County, AZ
43.9 % 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
Food Access (USDA FARA 2019)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 8 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 20,489 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 10,938 |
| Low-Access Share | 53.4%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 5,427 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 16,664 |
| Median Household Income | $49,478 |
| Poverty Rate | 17.5%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 1,036 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 11.6%near the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 4.5%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.7% |
About 11.6% of La Paz County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 53.4% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 11.6% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 1,036 households here.
- 4.5% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 4 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 La Paz County
well above the national share
4 of La Paz County's 8 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 50.0% of all its tracts.
A further 1 tract is low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 5.
An estimated 10,938 residents, roughly 53.4% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 5,427 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 3 tracts (37.5%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in La Paz County
La Paz County has 36 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 16 locations (44% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 16
- castillo market llc, wenden
- charge n go 2, ehrenberg
- circle k 2700742, parker
- circle k 2701483, parker
- jacksons 713, parker
- little brown jug, parker
- love's travel stop 286, quartzsite
- pilot 1258, quartzsite
- pilot travel center 328, quartzsite
- pilot travel center 608, ehrenberg
- quick-e-mini mart llc, parker
- quik chek market, quartzsite
- saguaro market, llc, wenden
- store 1212, salome
- store 1215, salome
- woody's ii convenience market, poston
Combination Grocery/Other · 13
- cvs pharmacy 8802, parker
- dollar general 19422, salome
- dollar general 6663, parker
- dollar general 13631, quartzsite
- dollar general 30028, quartzsite
- family dollar 10899, bouse
- family dollar 11956, ehrenberg
- family dollar 9045, salome
- family dollar store 5815, parker
- family dollar store 6649, quartzsite
- terrible's 201, parker
- terrible's 258, parker
- terrible's 396, quartzsite
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- coyote fresh foods, llc, quartzsite
- roadrunner market, quartzsite
- roadrunner market 2, bouse
Super Store · 2
- bashas' 65, parker
- walmart 4543, parker
Large Grocery Store · 1
- salome shopping center, salome
Supermarket · 1
- safeway 2075, parker
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Arizona
Compare La Paz County vs Apache County → · All Arizona counties →
Food access nationally, Arizona in context
La Paz 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 La Paz County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in La Paz County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in La Paz County? ▼
Is La Paz County a food desert? ▼
What share of La Paz 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.