County food-access profile · Arizona
Yavapai County, AZ
Distance to a supermarket is a real obstacle for a meaningful share of Yavapai County residents. This profile covers who qualifies as a food desert here and the income, SNAP, and vehicle-access context behind it, from the USDA Food Access Research Atlas (2019) and the Census ACS (2024).
- 35.8%
- low-access pop.
- 11
- food-desert tracts
- 8.2%
- on SNAP
- 245K
- residents (ACS 2024)
The food-access picture
35.8% of Yavapai County residents live in a low-access area, and 11 of its 42 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts.
- 27
- low-access tracts
- 27K
- food-desert residents
- 3.8%
- households, no vehicle
- 12.0%
- 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).
USDA data puts Yavapai County's low-access share at 35.8%, above the national share. 27 of the county's 42 census tracts are classified low-access, meaning residents there live far from a supermarket, an area covering about 75,445 people. 11 of those also meet the low-income condition that defines a food desert, home to roughly 27,392 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 Yavapai County compares nationally
Relative to the 3,133 U.S. counties with USDA food-access data, Yavapai County's 35.8% low-access share is elevated, higher than 82% of them and ranked #559 most-affected nationwide.
Yavapai County: USDA Food-Access Tier Breakdown
All 42 census tracts in Yavapai County, grouped by USDA classification (see "How the USDA defines low-access and food-desert tracts" above for what each tier means).
Yavapai County vs. other Arizona counties
Share of the population living in low-access areas, compared with other counties in Arizona
- Yavapai
Yavapai County, AZ
35.8 % 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 | 42 |
| Atlas Population (2010 basis) | 211,033 |
| Low-Access Tracts | 27 |
| Food-Desert Tracts (low-income & low-access) | 11 |
| Low-Access Population | 75,445 |
| Low-Access Share | 35.8%well above the national average |
| Low-Income & Low-Access Population | 27,392 |
Demographics & Assistance (Census ACS 2024)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | 245,480 |
| Median Household Income | $69,613 |
| Poverty Rate | 12.0%below the national average |
| SNAP Households | 9,130 |
| SNAP Participation Rate | 8.2%below the national average |
| Households Without a Vehicle | 3.8%well below the national average |
| Group-Quarters Population | 1.8% |
About 8.2% of Yavapai County households receive SNAP, versus a U.S. county median in the 11–13% range (Census ACS).
What this means
- 35.8% of residents are low-access, above the national share for U.S. counties.
- 8.2% of households receive SNAP, the federal program that offsets food costs for 9,130 households here.
- 3.8% of households have no vehicle, the hidden multiplier that turns distance into a real barrier.
- 11 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 Yavapai County
above the national share
11 of Yavapai County's 42 census tracts are USDA-designated food deserts, low-income areas where many residents also live far from a supermarket, about 26.2% of all its tracts.
A further 16 tracts are low-access but not low-income, bringing the total low-access tract count to 27.
An estimated 75,445 residents, roughly 35.8% of the county's 2010 population, live in one of these low-access areas.
Of those, 27,392 are also low-income, the group most exposed to genuine food hardship, since limited transportation compounds a limited budget.
The remaining 15 tracts (35.7%) meet the USDA's adequate-access threshold.
SNAP retailers in Yavapai County
Yavapai County has 152 stores currently authorized to accept SNAP (EBT) benefits, across 8 store categories. Convenience Store lead with 65 locations (43% of the total), followed by combination grocery/other.
Convenience Store · 65
- 1 food store, clarkdale
- 76 gas station 6791, cottonwood
- arco am pm prescott, prescott
- beaver creek gas mart, rimrock
- blue ridge market 1, dewey
- circle k 2703491, prescott valley
- circle k 2709527, cottonwood
- circle k 2709530, prescott valley
- carioca shell 69, humboldt
- circle k 2700781, mayer
- circle k 2701389, sedona
- circle k 2701535, sedona
- circle k 2701840, prescott valley
- circle k 2701995, prescott
- circle k 2703489, camp verde
- circle k 2705326, chino valley
- circle k 2707929, prescott
- circle k 2709525, prescott
- circle k store 2701576, prescott
- corral mart, ash fork
- cottonwood chevron, cottonwood
- country corner, kirkland
- country market, black canyon city
- cstop, prescott
- dave's fast stop, prescott valley
- depot 89 marketplace, inc., paulden
- fuel up mini mart, cottonwood
- gilligan's mayer market, llc, mayer
- good 2 go store 507, camp verde
- good 2 go store 508, prescott
- good 2 go store 555, prescott
- grab n go cordes, mayer
- love's travel stop 722, cordes junction
- marios, prescott valley
- maverik inc 562, prescott
- maverik, inc 272, cottonwood
- maverik, inc 294, camp verde
- maverik, inc 350, chino valley
- maverik, inc 419, prescott
- maverik, inc 672, dewey
- mike's mini market, prescott
- mountain aire, peeples valley
- one9 484, ash fork
- pilot travel center 1175, cordes lake
- quick country store, cottonwood
- rick murphy's chevron, ash fork
- roberts market place inc, prescott valley
- roberts marketplace inc. 2, prescot valley
- route 66 chevron, seligman
- sheldon street gas & grill, prescott
- shell 47, cottonwood
- shell 48, camp verde
- shell 56, prescott
- shell 60, prescott valley
- shell 61, prescott
- shell 62, prescott valley
- shell 63, chino valley
- speedway 2881, sedona
- speedway 2883, cottonwood
- speedway 2888, sedona
- suzy q market, cottonwood
- ta express ash fork, ash fork
- village chevron, sedona
- yavapai-apache nation marketplace 09483645, camp verde
- yavapai-apache nation whitehills chevron 00358748, camp verde
Combination Grocery/Other · 45
- cvs 10147, prescott
- cvs pharmacy 10425, sedona
- cvs pharmacy 5983, prescott valley
- cvs pharmacy 9266, campe verde
- cvs pharmacy 9319, cottonwood
- cvs pharmacy 9343, prescott
- dollar general 18958, cordes lake
- dollar general 12053, cottonwood
- dollar general 12136, prescott valley
- dollar general 13047, prescott
- dollar general 13618, rimrock
- dollar general 16054, clarkdale
- dollar general 16629, yarnell
- dollar general 25554, congress
- dollar general 25558, camp verde
- dollar general 9943, chino valley
- dollar general store 17749, camp verde
- dollar tree 3176, prescott
- dollar tree 4458, cottonwood
- dollar tree 4951, prescott valley
- dollar tree 7205, chino valley
- dollar tree 9254, prescott
- family dollar 10273, paulden
- family dollar 11493, seligman
- family dollar 8845, dewey
- family dollar 9385, ash fork
- family dollar store 10406, mayer
- family dollar store 4151, chino valley
- family dollar store 5150, camp verde
- family dollar store 6076, prescott valley
- family dollar store 6861, congress
- family dollar store 6862, mayer
- family dollar store 6880, lake montezuma
- family dollar store 6924, black canyon city
- family dollar store 7851, cornville
- leverone family farm market (the market), ash fork
- mount hope foods, cottonwood
- the honeyman, prescott
- walgreens 04065, sedona
- walgreens 06666, prescott valley
- walgreens 09292, prescott
- walgreens 09571, chino valley
- walgreens 12385, camp verde
- walgreens 2555, prescott
- walgreens 5567, cottonwood
Super Store · 16
- bashas' 28, sedona
- bashas' 49, camp verde
- bashas' 91, bagdad
- clark's market inc 10, sedona
- costco wholesale 0466, prescott
- fry's 116, prescott
- fry's 63, prescott valley
- fry's 77, prescott
- food city 37, cottonwood
- fry's 103, cottonwood
- target store t-0884, prescott
- walmart 1299, cottonwood
- walmart 1417, prescott
- walmart 5303, prescott
- walmart supercenter 3730, prescott valley
- whole foods market 10583, sedona
Supermarket · 11
- natural grocers by vitamin cottage u058, prescott
- natural grocers by vitamin cottage u060, sedona
- safeway 1055, prescott valley
- safeway 1207, sedona
- safeway 1747, chino valley
- safeway 2052, cottonwood
- safeway 245, prescott
- safeway 274, prescott
- sprouts farmers market 28, prescott valley
- sprouts farmers market 36, prescott
- trader joe's 283, prescott
Medium Grocery Store · 8
- azteca market, prescott valley
- big country market 01, paulden
- carniceria azteca, prescott valley
- duke's black canyon market, black canyon city
- mayas mercado, prescott valley
- mercado del pueblo llc, prescott valley
- rinzai's market, sedona
- seligman grocery market, seligman
Bakery Specialty · 3
- papa murphy's az006, prescott
- papa murphy's az020, cottonwood
- papa murphy's az053, prescott valley
Farmers' Market · 2
- prescott farmers market inc, prescott
- prescott farmers market, inc. 3, chino valley
Small Grocery Store · 2
- holly's market, mayer
- the honeyman, prescott valley
Source: USDA SNAP Retailer Locator, currently authorized retailers.
Other Counties in Arizona
Compare Yavapai County vs Apache County → · All Arizona counties →
Food access nationally, Arizona in context
Yavapai 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 Yavapai County has low food access? ▼
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Is Yavapai County a food desert? ▼
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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.