Pinal County was formed from portions of Maricopa and Pima counties on Feb. 1, 1875, in response to the petition of residents of the upper Gila River Valley, as "Act #1" of the Eighth Territorial Legislature. Florence, established in 1866, was designated and has remained the county seat. The county encompasses 5,374 square miles, of which 4.5 are water.

In both economy and geography, Pinal County has two distinct regions. The eastern portion is characterized by mountains with elevations to 6,000 feet and copper mining. The western area is primarily low desert valleys and irrigated agriculture.

The communities of Mammoth, Oracle, San Manuel, and Kearny have traditionally been active in copper mining, smelting, milling and refining. Arizona City, Eloy, Maricopa, Picacho, Red Rock and Stanfield have agriculture based-economies. Apache Junction, Arizona City, Coolidge, Eloy, and particularly Casa Grande have diversified their economic base to include manufacturing, trade and services. This expansion and diversification has been facilitated by their location in the major growth corridor between Phoenix and Tucson near the junction of I-10 and I-8, except for Apache Junction, which is to the east of burgeoning Mesa.

The county is home to many attractions, including the Old West Highway 60, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Picacho Peak State Park, Picacho Reservoir, Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum, Oracle State Park and the University of Arizona’s Biosphere II, McFarland State Park, Lost Dutchman State Park, Skydive Arizona, the world’s largest skydiving drop-zone, and the Florence Historical District, with 120 buildings on the National Register.

The state of Arizona is the county’s largest landholder with 35 percent, followed by individuals and corporations, 22 percent; Indian reservations, 23 percent; the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, 14 percent, and the remaining 6 percent is other public land.

Population

  2000 2010 2023
Arizona 5,130,632 6,401,569 7,285,370
Pinal County 179,727 376,369 439,128
Incorporated Cities & Towns
   Marana 13,556 35,051 55,174
   Maricopa 0 43,598 61,109
   Casa Grande 25,224 48,664 56,242
   Apache Junction 31,814 35,828 39,009
   Queen Creek 4,316 26,448 66,275
   Florence 17,054 25,537 25,250
   Eloy 10,375 16,657 16,485
   Coolidge 7,786 11,855 14,291
   Superior 3,254 2,835 2,415
   Kearny 2,249 1,947 1,741
   Mammoth 1,762 1,425 1,079
   Winkelman 443 352 294

Office of Economic Opportunity

Age Distribution

0-14 20.4%
15-24 11.8%
25-44 26.6%
45-64 23.0%
65+ 18.2%

American Community Survey

Distance to Major Cities (from Florence)

Phoenix 61 miles
Tucson 70 miles
Los Angeles 435 miles
San Diego 380 miles
Las Vegas 356 miles

Labor Force

  Labor Force Unemployment Rate
Arizona 3,312,720 4.9%
Pinal County 192,406 4.7%
Incorporated Cities & Towns
   Marana 25,127 3.3%
   Maricopa 27,518 5.1%
   Casa Grande 26,573 5.0%
   Apache Junction 15,835 5.6%
   Queen Creek 28,722 3.4%
   Florence 4,305 5.6%
   Eloy 4,080 6.8%
   Coolidge 6,009 8.8%
   Superior 1,294 5.8%
   Kearny 1,157 4.3%
   Mammoth 549 6.7%
   Winkelman 99 16.2%

Office of Economic Opportunity

Employment by Sector (in thousands)

Education, health care & social assistance 36.3 21.7%
Retail trade 21.5 12.8%
Professional, scientific, & administrative services 18.0 10.8%
Arts, entertainment, food & recreation services 15.5 9.2%
Manufacturing 14.3 8.5%
Public administration 12.0 7.1%
Construction 11.3 6.7%
Finance, insurance & real estate 11.3 6.7%
Transportation, warehousing, & utilities 9.7 5.8%
Other services, except public administration 7.3 4.3%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, & mining 4.4 2.6%
Wholesale trade 3.3 2.0%
Information 2.8 1.7%

American Community Survey

Property Tax

  Schools City/Fire County Total
Apache Junction (Pinal County) 5.44 3.47 7.47 16.38
Casa Grande 6.80 1.63 7.47 15.90
Coolidge 5.37 1.93 7.47 14.77
Eloy 9.39 1.23 7.47 18.09
Florence 5.72 1.12 7.47 14.31
Kearny 5.30 2.25 7.47 15.01
Mammoth 5.86 2.36 7.47 15.69
Marana (Pinal County) 0.00 0.00 7.47 7.47
Maricopa 5.95 4.91 7.47 18.33
Queen Creek (Pinal County) 0.00 0.00 7.47 7.47
Superior 7.37 7.34 7.47 22.18
Winkelman (Pinal County) 0.00 0.00 7.47 7.47

Arizona Dept. of Revenue & Arizona Tax Research Association

SALES TAX / TRANSACTION PRIVILEGE TAX

  City County State Total
Apache Junction (Pinal County) 2.40% 1.10% 5.60% 9.10%
Casa Grande 2.00% 1.10% 5.60% 8.70%
Coolidge 3.00% 1.10% 5.60% 9.70%
Eloy 3.00% 1.10% 5.60% 9.70%
Florence 2.00% 1.10% 5.60% 8.70%
Kearny 3.00% 1.10% 5.60% 9.70%
Mammoth 4.00% 1.10% 5.60% 10.70%
Marana (Pinal County) 2.50% 1.10% 5.60% 9.20%
Maricopa 2.00% 1.10% 5.60% 8.70%
Queen Creek (Pinal County) 2.25% 1.10% 5.60% 8.95%
Superior 4.00% 1.10% 5.60% 10.70%
Winkelman (Pinal County) 3.50% 1.10% 5.60% 10.20%

Arizona Dept. of Revenue & Arizona Tax Research Association

CONTACT INFORMATION

Arizona Commerce Authority
Phone: 602-845-1200
Website: www.azcommerce.com
Local First Arizona
Phone: 602-956-0909
Website: www.localfirstaz.com
Apache Junction Economic Development
Phone: 480-474-5076
Website: www.apachejunctionaz.gov
Pinal County Economic Development
Phone: 520-866-6309
Website: pinalcountyaz.gov
Apache Junction Chamber of
Commerce

Phone: 480-982-3141
Website: www.ajchamber.com
City of Casa Grande
Phone: 520-421-8636
Website: casagrandeaz.gov
Greater Casa Grande Chamber
of Commerce

Phone: 520-836-2125
Website: casagrandechamber.org
Access Arizona
Phone: 520-836-6868
Website: accessarizona.org
City of Coolidge
Phone: 520-723-6075
Website: www.coolidgeaz.com
Coolidge Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 520-723-3009
Website: www.coolidgechamber.org
City of Eloy
Phone: 520-464-3178
Website: eloyaz.gov
Eloy Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 520-466-3411
Website: www.EloyChamber.com
Town of Florence
Phone: 520-868-7542
Website: www.florenceaz.gov
Town of Kearny
Phone: 520-363-5547
Website: www.townofkearny.com
Copper Basin Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 520-363-7607
Website: www.copperbasinaz.com
Town of Mammoth
Phone: 520-487-2331
Website: http://townofmammoth.us/
Town of Marana
Phone: 520-382-1938
Website: www.marana.com
Pima County Economic Development
Phone: 520-724-8126
Website: www.webcms.pima.gov
Marana Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 520-682-4314
Website: www.maranachamber.com
City of Maricopa
Phone: 520-316-6939
Website: www.maricopa-az.gov
Maricopa Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 520-568-9573
Town of Queen Creek
Phone: 480-358-3522
Website: www.queencreek.org
Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 480-888-1709
Website: www.queencreekchamber.org
Greater Phoenix Economic Council
Phone: 602-256-7700
Website: www.gpec.org
Town of Superior
Phone: 520-689-5753
Website: www.superior-arizona.com
Superior Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 602-625-3151
Website: www.superiorarizonachamber.org
Town of Winkelman
Phone: 520-356-7854
Website: http://winkelmanaz.com/
Gila County Community Development
Phone: 928-402-4224
Website: www.gilacountyaz.gov