County food-access profile · Arizona
Pinal County, AZ
Pinal 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.
- 45.7%
- low-access pop.
- 19
- food-desert tracts
- 10.8%
- on SNAP
- 469K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
45.7% of Pinal County residents live in a low-access area, and 19 of its 75 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 48
- low-access tracts
- 53K
- food-desert residents
- 3.9%
- households, no vehicle
- 11.1%
- 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).
Pinal County carries one of the more serious food-access burdens the USDA Atlas tracks: its low-access share of 45.7% is well above the national share. 48 of the county's 75 census tracts fall into that category, areas where residents live far from a supermarket, covering about 171,858 people. 19 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 53,409 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 Pinal County compares nationally
Pinal County sits among the nation's most food-access-constrained counties: its 45.7% low-access share outpaces 91% of the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA data, ranking #272 most-affected nationwide.
Pinal County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 75 census tracts in Pinal County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Pinal County vs. other Arizona counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Arizona
- Pinal
Pinal County, AZ
45.7 % 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 | 75 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 375,770 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 48 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 19 |
| Low-Access Population | 171,858 |
| Low-Access Share | 45.7%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 53,409 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 469,006 |
| Median Household Income | $80,266 |
| Poverty Rate | 11.1%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 17,512 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 10.8%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.9%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 3.4% |
About 10.8% of Pinal County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 45.7% of residents are low-access, well above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 10.8% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 17,512 households here.
- 3.9% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 19 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 Pinal County
well above the national share
19 of Pinal County's 75 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 25.3% of all its tracts.
A further 29 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 48.
An estimated 171,858 residents, roughly 45.7% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 53,409 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 27 tracts (36.0%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Pinal County
Pinal County has 173 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 9 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 84 locations (49% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 84
- 7-eleven #17312e, casa grande
- apache mini mart, apache junction
- apache shell, apache junction
- arco ampm 66574, apache junction
- bottle stop drive in, coolidge
- brown and brown mercantile, casa grande
- circle k 2709535, stanfield
- circle k 2709544, florence
- circle k 2709548, eloy
- cactus mini mart, kearny
- canyon food mart, apache junction
- casa blanca market, bapchule
- circle k 2700853, mammoth
- circle k 2700867, casa grande
- circle k 2701556, apache junction
- circle k 2701989, apache junction
- circle k 2702910, casa grande
- circle k 2702928, oracle
- circle k 2702930, casa grande
- circle k 2702943, coolidge
- circle k 2702947, eloy
- circle k 2703390, maricopa
- circle k 2703440, san tan valley
- circle k 2703442, apache junction
- circle k 2703444, apache jct
- circle k 2703470, casa grande
- circle k 2703472, superior
- circle k 2703473, coolidge
- circle k 2703485, casa grande
- circle k 2703486, maricopa
- circle k 2703492, florence
- circle k 2703499, gold canyon
- circle k 2705918, queen creek
- circle k 2706639, maricopa
- circle k 2708746, apache junction
- circle k 3385, casa grande
- circle k store 2741647, apache junction
- eloy ok market, eloy
- fast market 4596, san tan valley
- fast mart, casa grande
- fastrip food store, casa grande
- gantzel farms country store, llc 209972, san tan valley
- gila river service station 808, sacaton
- goldfield chevron, apache junction
- good 2 go store 504, casa grande
- good 2 go store 514, eloy
- good 2 go store 515, superior
- grande market - fuel & food n/a, casa grande
- guru sahai investments, inc., casa grande
- jb farmer's convenience store inc, maricopa
- jc mart, casa grande
- kashish llc, coolidge
- lee's foodland market, coolidge
- love's travel stop 972, eloy
- love's travel stops 265, eloy
- lucky star market, eloy
- maverik 773, gold canyon
- mia's ok market, arizona city
- new island liquor, casa grande
- old corral carniceria, mammoth
- petro eloy 306, eloy
- pilot 1264, eloy
- pilot travel center 458, eloy
- pilot travel center 609, eloy
- princy investments ,inc 42427, casa grande
- pyramid smoke shop & mini market, apache junction
- quiktrip 437, apache junction
- quiktrip 482, casa grande
- quiktrip 489, casa grande
- quiktrip 495, queen creek
- quiktrip 499, maricopa
- robs convenience, maricopa
- safeway fuel station 5821, florence
- salt n pepper # 3 llc, san manuel
- shell food mart, maricopa
- skyline market 2, san tan valley
- speedway 2964, florence
- speedway 2967, florence
- store 1216, eloy
- sunlite market, arizona city
- t&l convenience, llc, coolidge
- ta eloy 007, eloy
- vekol market 1, maricopa
- ventura market, san tan valley
Combination Grocery/Other · 45
- cvs pharmacy 6719, maricopa
- cvs pharmacy 86, casa grande
- cvs pharmacy 9293, apache junction
- dollar general 18902, red rock
- dollartree 10394, casa grande
- dollar general 10333, oracle
- dollar general 10339, casa grande
- dollar general 10351, arizona city
- dollar general 10353, san manuel
- dollar general 12042, eloy
- dollar general 13383, mammoth
- dollar general 15728, casa grande
- dollar general 17976, eloy
- dollar general 18365, maricopa
- dollar general 22253, casa grande
- dollar general 22286, arizona city
- dollar general 6710, apache junction
- dollar general 7336, florence
- dollar general store 13396, coolidge
- dollar tree 2656, casa grande
- dollar tree 3298, coolidge
- dollar tree 3719, apache junction
- dollar tree 7064, casa grande
- dollar tree 7537, maricopa
- family dollar 12235, stanfield
- family dollar 12313, arizona city
- family dollar 13445, oracle
- family dollar 8172, superior
- family dollar store 4147, eloy
- family dollar store 4463, coolidge
- family dollar store 4943, san manuel
- family dollar store 5602, casa grande
- family dollar store 6541, kearny
- walgreens 01076, queen creek
- walgreens 04188, apache junction
- walgreens 04344, casa grande
- walgreens 06333, apache junction
- walgreens 09264, maricopa
- walgreens 09460, san tan valley
- walgreens 09652, coolidge
- walgreens 10505, casa grande
- walgreens 10998, casa grande
- walgreens 21293, maricopa
- walgreens 6129, casa grande
- walgreens 6440, gold canyon
Super Store · 16
- bashas' 109, maricopa
- bashas' 82, gold canyon
- fry's 48, casa grande
- fry's 84, queen creek
- food city 21, casa grande
- food city 4, casa grande
- fry's 665, apache junction
- fry's 669, casa grande
- fry's 672, maricopa
- fry's 682, queen creek
- target store t2920, queen creek
- walmart 1218, casa grande
- walmart 1381, apache junction
- walmart 2778, coolidge
- walmart 3751, san tan valley
- walmart 4430, maricopa
Supermarket · 13
- aldi 79170, casa grande
- food town iga, arizona city
- food town iga, eloy
- norms iga, kearny
- safeway 1706, casa grande
- safeway 1732, coolidge
- safeway 253, apache junction
- safeway 2835, florence
- safeway 3173, queen creek
- shope's iga, coolidge
- sprouts farmers market 45, maricopa
- sprouts farmers market 48, queen creek
- winco foods 175, san tan valley
Small Grocery Store · 5
- carniceria el torito, coolidge
- el rancho alegre meat market llc meat marke, casa grande
- pacific pearl market, casa grande
- pinal food market, florence
- the kosher canyon shop 1, casa grande
Medium Grocery Store · 4
- carniceria sonora, maricopa
- el rancho barajas llc, stanfield
- el tapatio market llc, san tan valley
- mercado y carniceria el pima, casa grande
Bakery Specialty · 3
- papa murphy's az007, apache junction
- papa murphy's az059, maricopa
- papa murphy's pizza az025, casa grande
Meat/Poultry Specialty · 2
- chop it up meat shop, apache junction
- the pork shop, san tan valley
Large Grocery Store · 1
- save money market, superior
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Arizona
Compare Pinal County vs Apache County → · All Arizona counties →
Food access nationally, Arizona in context
Pinal 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 Pinal County has low food access? ▼
What is the SNAP participation rate in Pinal County? ▼
What is the poverty rate in Pinal County? ▼
Is Pinal County a food desert? ▼
What share of Pinal 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.