Pinal County, Arizona

Pinal County, Arizona
Pinal County is 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 founded 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–Scottsdale, 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
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.
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.
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. Donald Trump carried the county by the second-largest margin for a Republican since statehood.
Government
Salaries for county elected officials are set by the Arizona Revised Statutes. All county elected officials except the Sheriff (Mark Lamb as of 2017) 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. 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)
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
1875 establishments in Arizona Territory
Phoenix metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1875