The pinyon mouse (Peromyscus truei) is native to the southwestern United States and Baja California in Mexico.

The range of this species extends from southern Oregon and Wyoming in the north, and extends south to roughly the U.S.-Mexico border, with a disjunct population known as the Palo Duro mouse (Peromyscus truei comanche) that occupies an area in the vicinity of Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas panhandle.

The skull of P. truei is larger than that of P. leucopus, with more inflated auditory bullae and a less robust zygomatic arch than the latter species.

They tend to have a larger home range than other Peromyscus, up to 2.9 hectares (7.2 acres) in males, which can possibly be attributed to requiring a large area to search for food in drought conditions.

[4] P. truei mostly feed on fruit, grain, and seeds, but they will also readily eat insects, spiders, and other invertebrates.