Linda Wills, 71, receives her first vaccination shot at the University of Arizona in Tucson on Feb. 10, 2021. The university will serve as the state’s first 24/7vaccination site in southern Arizona, dramatically increasing vaccinations across the Tucson area starting on Feb. 18. / MAMTA POPAT/ARIZONA DAILY STAR
By Stephanie Innes and Alison Steinbach | Arizona Republic
Some of Maricopa County’s wealthier ZIP codes have among the highest percentages of eligible residents vaccinated, while those ZIP codes at the bottom of the list tend to be lower income, according to county estimates from the first weeks of COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Native Americans also were faring well in getting vaccines in the early phases of the rollout.
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The ZIP code map shows a band of light blue, which means a lower vaccination rate, along the Interstate 17 corridor as well as in more rural parts of western and northwestern Maricopa County, such as Wickenburg and Aguila.
Five of the top 10 nontribal areas of the county with the highest vaccine rates had median household incomes of $100,000 or more and all were higher than the overall county median of $68,649, the data showed. With the exception of Queen Creek, none of the county ZIP codes with the 10 lowest vaccination rates had median household incomes higher than the county median.
Fifteen percent of the population eligible to be vaccinated in the lower income 85009 ZIP code, an area in Phoenix west of I-17 and south of I-10, had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the data shows. The median household income in 85009 is $32,893.
In contrast, 87% of the upscale 85266 ZIP code in Scottsdale had received at least one dose. The median household income in 85266 is $145,000.
All income figures are based on U.S. Census data from the 2019 American Community Survey.
