Arizona has nearly 4 times more vape shops than McDonald’s

You probably shouldn’t put anything from either place in your body.

July 25, 2025

Image: a mcdonald's fry sleeve with vapes in it

There are way more vape shops in Arizona than McDonald's restaurants. Images via Adobe Images

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The Golden Arches.

They’re one of the most recognizable symbols in the world, synonymous with ubiquity. Aside from Starbucks — or in Arizona, Circle K — no business is as known for being found everywhere, one block after another.

But perhaps another business — or type of business — should really be the shorthand for ever-present. According to a new study by online vape shop Huff and Puffers, there are nearly four times as many vape shops in Arizona as McDonald’s restaurants. So long, Ronald McDonald. Hello, Ronald McJuul.

What is the point of this comparison, this question that nobody has ever thought to ask until now? According to Huff and Puffers, the study was done to “highlight vaping’s regional influence” by looking at the availability of vape shops and McDonald’s in all 50 states.

The study found that there are nearly 15 vape shops in Arizona per 100,000 residents over the age of 18, or a total of 1,000 statewide. There are only about four McDonald’s per 100,000 residents. Arizona is tied with Michigan for the fifth-most “vape obsessed” state. Arizona’s neighbor, Nevada, tops the list with more than five times the number of vape shops than McDonald's. Kentucky, Tennessee and Oklahoma trail closely behind.

Already, though, we have an apples-to-oranges issue — measuring vape shops by adult population and McDonald’s by total population. It’s almost as if these two things have nothing to do with each other!

You don’t get carded at McDonald’s, and you won’t get busted by a baby cop if you sell a 15-year-old some McNuggets. Kids in the backseat don’t chant “Vape shop! Vape shop!” on road trips, and dudes selling you e-cigs don’t include a toy with your purchase. Then again, you probably shouldn’t put anything from either place in your body.

All that makes this for a pretty specious measurement system, but maybe it’ll catch on. How many car dealerships are there in Arizona? Please respond in vape shops per dealership. Wow, Arizona has a lot of lawyer billboards, huh? It’s gotta be like 25 billboards per vape shop!

Whatever. Please smoke and McMuffin responsibly.

Morgan Fischer joined Phoenix New Times as a staff writer in July 2024, covering all things Phoenix and Arizona news. Before joining New Times, Morgan has worked as a national politics intern at The Arizona Republic and as a reporter for News21, among other positions. She holds degrees in journalism and mass communication and political science from Arizona State University, where she also attended Barrett, The Honors College.

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