Pinal County, Arizona

Pinal County is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2020 census, the population of the county was 425,264, making it Arizona's third-most populous county. The county seat is Florence. The county was established in 1875.

Pinal County contains parts of the Tohono Oʼodham Nation, the Gila River Indian Community and the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, as well as all of the Ak-Chin Indian Community.

Pinal County is included in the Phoenix–Mesa– Chandler, Arizona Metropolitan Statistical Area. Suburban growth southward from greater Phoenix has begun to spread into the county's northern parts; similarly, growth northward from Tucson is spreading into the county's southern portions. Pinal County has five cities: Maricopa, Casa Grande, Apache Junction, Eloy, and Coolidge. There are also many unincorporated areas, which have shown accelerated growth patterns in recent years; such suburban development is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

History

Pinal County was carved out of neighboring Maricopa County and Pima County on February 1, 1875, during the Eighth Legislature. In the August 18, 1899, issue of ''The Arizona Magazine,'' the name "Pinal" is said to come from the pine-clad Pinal Mountains. Pinal County was the second-fastest-growing county in the U.S. between 2000 and 2010.

In 2010, CNN Money named Pinal County as the second fastest growing county in the USA.

Pinal County has been identified as the second riskiest county for combined impacts of climate change from 2040 to 2060, largely due to high risks of extreme heat, fire hazard and economic and crop damages.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water.

Mountain ranges

* Mineral Mountains
* Sacaton Mountains
* Superstition Mountains
* Waterman Mountains

Adjacent counties

* Maricopa County – west, north
* Gila County – north
* Graham County – east
* Pima County – south

Major highways

* Interstate 8
* Interstate 10
* U.S. Route 60
* Historic U.S. Route 80
* State Route 24
* State Route 77
* State Route 79
* State Route 84
* State Route 87
* State Route 177
* State Route 187
* State Route 238
* State Route 287
* State Route 347
* State Route 387
* State Route 587

National protected areas

* Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
* Coronado National Forest (part)
* Hohokam Pima National Monument
* Ironwood Forest National Monument (part)
* Sonoran Desert National Monument (part)
* Tonto National Forest (part)

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 375,770 people, 125,590 households, and 92,157 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 159,222 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 72.4% white, 5.6% American Indian, 4.6% black or African American, 1.7% Asian, 0.4% Pacific islander, 11.5% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 28.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.9% were German, 10.6% were Irish, 9.5% were English, and 2.8% were American.

Of the 125,590 households, 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.6% were non-families, and 20.5% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.21. The median age was 35.3 years.

The median household income was $51,310 and the median family income was $56,299. Males had a median income of $45,082 versus $34,785 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,716. About 10.1% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 179,727 people, 61,364 households, and 45,225 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 81,154 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 70.4% White, 2.8% Black or African American, 7.8% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 15.7% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. 29.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 21.9% reported speaking Spanish at home, while 1.4% speak O'odham and <0.1% speak Apache.

Of the 61,364 households 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 21.1% of households were one person and 9.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.09.

The age distribution was 25.1% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.0 males.

The median household income was $35,856 and the median family income was $39,548. Males had a median income of $31,544 versus $23,726 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,025. About 12.1% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty threshold, including 25.5% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

During the 20th century, Pinal was very much a bellwether county in U.S. presidential elections, having supported the winning candidate in every election between Arizona's statehood in 1912 and 2004 except for that of 1968, when Hubert Humphrey won the county by 3.2 percentage points but lost to Richard M. Nixon. As a result of the urban sprawl from Phoenix spreading into the county, a major political reversal has taken place between it and neighboring Maricopa County since the turn of the millennium. Maricopa County is now becoming more progressive as is the trend of most largely populated city centers in America. Pinal voters currently still trend more conservative for now. In 2024, Donald Trump carried the county by the largest margin for a Republican since statehood. The county is one of the most conservative suburban areas outside of the deep South, and one of the few that has continued to trend rightward in the Trump era.

Government

Salaries for county elected officials are set by the Arizona Revised Statutes. All county elected officials except the Sheriff (Ross Teeple as of 2025) and the County Attorney make a salary of $63,800, along with county benefits and compulsory participation in the Arizona State Elected Official Retirement Plan.
In 2020, the Republican Party won complete control of the Board of Supervisors. In 2022, the Arizona Supreme Court deemed their Road Improvement Tax (passed in 2018) as illegal due to the tax only applied to purchases under $10,000. In 2022, the county's elections department came under intense scrutiny following several mistakes in the primary election. At the time, the Elections Department had only two full-time employees. The Board of Supervisors found themselves being accused of not properly funding the Elections Department.

Economy

CoreCivic, while still known as Corrections Corporation of America, operated the privately owned Saguaro Correctional Center.Brady, Kat.
Using private prisons costs more than it seems
" (editorial) '' Honolulu Star Advertiser''. June 18, 2010. Retrieved on September 29, 2010. located in Eloy in Pinal County, It is paid by the state of Hawaii to house the majority of Hawaii's male prison inmate population.

Communities

Cities

* Apache Junction (partially in Maricopa County)
* Casa Grande
* Coolidge
* Eloy
* Maricopa

Towns

* Florence (county seat)
* Hayden (partially in Gila County)
* Kearny
* Mammoth
* Marana (mostly in Pima County)
* Queen Creek (partially in Maricopa County)
* Superior
* Winkelman (partially in Gila County)

Census-designated places

* Ak-Chin Village
* Arizona City
* Blackwater
* Cactus Forest
* Campo Bonito
* Casa Blanca
* Catalina (partially in Pima County)
* Chuichu
* Dudleyville
* Gold Canyon
* Goodyear Village
* Kohatk
* Lower Santan Village
* Oracle
* Picacho
* Queen Valley
* Red Rock
* Sacate Village
* Sacaton
* Sacaton Flats Village
* Saddlebrooke
* San Manuel
* Santa Cruz
* San Tan Valley
* Stanfield
* Stotonic Village
* Sweet Water Village
* Tat Momoli
* Top-of-the-World (partially in Gila County)
* Upper Santan Village
* Vaiva Vo
* Wet Camp Village

Other unincorporated communities

* Arizola
* Bapchule
* Barkerville
* Burns
* Kelvin
* Oracle Junction
* Randolph
* Ray Junction
* Reymert
* Riverside
* Santan

Ghost towns

* Adamsville
* Alma
* American Flag
* Cochran
* Copper Creek
* Goldfield
* Pinal City
* Ray
* Reymert
* Socaton Village
* Sonora
* Tiger

County population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Pinal County.
† county seat

See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Pinal County, Arizona

References

External links

*
*

Pinal County Official Employment Site

Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc.

Pinal County Chamber

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1875 establishments in Arizona Territory
Phoenix metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1875