Signature · 4 LILA tracts (40% of tracts)
Santa Cruz County, AZ
Santa Cruz County's signature pressure is desert tracts: 4 LILA tracts (40% of the book) alongside 36.3% low-access.
- 36.3%
- low-access pop.
- 4
- food-desert tracts
- 23.9%
- on SNAP
- 49K
- residents (ACS 2024)
USDA FARA access plate
County Santa Cruz County, AZ
LA-ELEVATED · ABOVE-NATIONAL · LILA-POCKET · SNAP-HEAVY · VEH-OK · DENSITY-DENSE
- LA-ELEVATED 36.3% low-access
- ABOVE-NATIONAL +14.2 pts vs US
- LILA-POCKET 4 food-desert tracts
- SNAP-HEAVY 23.9% SNAP
- VEH-OK 5.0% no vehicle
- DENSITY-DENSE 40% tracts LILA
Nearest low-access peer: Yavapai County ( -0.5 pts)
Upper-band low-access
Santa Cruz County sits in the upper national band (36.3%, #545 of 3,079) with 4 LILA tracts.
- #545
- national by low-access %
- #8
- in AZ
- 5
- low-access tracts
- 9K
- food-desert residents
Upper-band counties often pair elevated low-access with clustered LILA tracts. Low access = >1 mile urban / >10 miles rural.
Signature read: 4 LILA tracts (40% of tracts) .
How Santa Cruz County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Santa Cruz County's 36.3% low-access share is elevated, higher than 83% of them and ranked #545 most-affected nationwide.
Santa Cruz County's elevated USDA tier split
10 census tracts grouped by USDA classification · 4 LILA.
By USDA urbanicity classification, Santa Cruz County has 7 urban and 3 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.
Santa Cruz County vs nearby high low-access peers
Poles + nearest peers in Arizona, not a full county-board reprint
- Apache
Apache 54.7%
54.7 % low-access
- Graham
Graham 39.6%
39.6 % low-access
- Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz 36.3%
36.3 % low-access
- Yavapai
Yavapai 35.8%
35.8 % low-access
- Greenlee
Greenlee 32.9%
32.9 % low-access
- Coconino
Coconino 32.5%
32.5 % low-access
- Maricopa 20.8
Maricopa 20.8%
20.8 % low-access
FARA 2019 · elevated low-access
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Census Tracts | 10 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 47,420 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 5 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 4 |
| Low-Access Population | 17,204 |
| Low-Access Share | 36.3%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 8,689 |
ACS 2024 · elevated SNAP band
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 48,926 |
| Median Household Income | $55,217 |
| Poverty Rate | 20.2%above the national average |
| SNAP Households | 4,056 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 23.9%well above the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 5.0%below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 0.3% |
Thick SNAP store book in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County has 29 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 6 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 15 locations (52% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 15
- circle k 2700259, nogales
- circle k 2700745, nogales
- circle k 2700916, nogales
- circle k 2701772, nogales
- circle k 2703443, nogales
- el mercado market n/a, tubac
- el ranchito market llc., rio rico
- fastrip food stores #6648 6648, nogales
- fiesta market rio rico, rio rico
- grand chevron, nogales
- k money nogales llc, nogales
- love's travel stop 350, nogales
- patagonia market, patagonia
- pilot travel center 279, rio rico
- raj nogales inc, nogales
Combination Grocery/Other · 5
- dollar general 17334, sonita
- dollar tree 2629, nogales
- family dollar store 4567, nogales
- family dollar store 6848, rio rico
- walgreens 07623, nogales
Medium Grocery Store · 3
- nogales market 2, nogales
- red mountain foods, patagonia
- tubac market, tubac
Super Store · 3
- food city 60, nogales
- garrett's supermarket, rio rico
- walmart 1324, nogales
Supermarket · 2
- safeway 1229, nogales
- villa's market 2, nogales
Large Grocery Store · 1
- nogales market llc, nogales
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 Santa Cruz County vs Apache County → · All Arizona counties →
Counties near Santa Cruz County's elevated low-access or SNAP band
Two USDA/ACS-derived peer sets for Santa Cruz 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 (36.3% here).
- Burlington County, NJ · 36.3% low-access
- Burlington County, NJ · 36.3% low-access
- Madison County, OH · 36.3% low-access
- Madison County, OH · 36.3% low-access
Similar SNAP participation
Nearest household SNAP rates outside AZ (23.9% here).
- Lincoln Parish, LA · 23.9% SNAP
- Lincoln Parish, LA · 23.9% SNAP
- Bertie County, NC · 23.9% SNAP
- Bertie County, NC · 23.9% 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.
Santa Cruz County inside a higher low-access state context
Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County, AZ are computed from the joined Atlas and ACS records for FIPS 04023. 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.