Pinal County was carved out of neighboringMaricopa County andPima County on February 1, 1875, during theEighth Legislature. In the August 18, 1899, issue ofThe Arizona Magazine, the name "Pinal" is said to come from the pine-cladPinal Mountains.[2] Pinal County was the second-fastest-growing county in the U.S. between 2000 and 2010.[3]
In 2010, CNN Money named Pinal County as the second fastest growing county in the USA.[4]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,374 square miles (13,920 km2), of which 5,366 square miles (13,900 km2) is land and 8.6 square miles (22 km2) (0.2%) is water.[5]
Pinal County, Arizona – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of thecensus of 2010, there were 375,770 people, 125,590 households, and 92,157 families living in the county.[14] The population density was 70.0 inhabitants per square mile (27.0 inhabitants/km2). There were 159,222 housing units at an average density of 29.7 units per square mile (11.5 units/km2).[15] Theracial 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.[14] In terms of ancestry, 16.9% wereGerman, 10.6% wereIrish, 9.5% wereEnglish, and 2.8% wereAmerican.[16]
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.[14]
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 thepoverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.[17]
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 179,727 people, 61,364 households, and 45,225 families living in the county. The population density was 34 inhabitants per square mile (13 inhabitants/km2). There were 81,154 housing units at an average density of 15 units per square mile (5.8 units/km2). Theracial 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% speakO'odham and <0.1% speakApache.[18]
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 thepoverty threshold, including 25.5% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
During the 20th century, Pinal was very much abellwether 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, whenHubert 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 becoming more progressive as is the trend of most largely populated city centers in America. Pinal voters trend more conservative. 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.
United States presidential election results for Pinal County, Arizona[19][20]
Salaries for county elected officials are set by the Arizona Revised Statutes. All county elected officials except theSheriff (Ross Teeple as of 2025[21]) 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.[22]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.
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CoreCivic, while still known as Corrections Corporation of America, operated the privately ownedSaguaro Correctional Center.[23] located inEloy in Pinal County,[24] It is paid by the state of Hawaii to house the majority of Hawaii's male prison inmate population.[23][dead link]
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