Van Buren County, Arkansas

Van Buren County
County
Clockwise from top: Van Buren County Courthouse in downtown Clinton, Middle Fork of the Little Red River Bridge, Greers Ferry Lake at Fairfield Bay, a hill near Bee Branch
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°36′01″N 92°29′28″W / 35.600277777778°N 92.491111111111°W / 35.600277777778; -92.491111111111
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Founded	November 11, 1833
Named for	Martin Van Buren
Seat	Clinton
Largest city	Clinton
Area
• Total	724 sq mi (1,880 km2)
• Land	708 sq mi (1,830 km2)
• Water	16 sq mi (40 km2)  2.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	15,796
• Density	22/sq mi (8.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.vanburencountyark.com

Van Buren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,796.^[1] The county seat is Clinton.^[2] The county was formed on November 11, 1833, and named for Martin Van Buren, President of the United States, who was Vice President at the time of the county's formation. Van Buren County was a dry county until November 3, 2020, as the county residents voted to make it a wet county.

Van Buren County should not be confused with the city of Van Buren, which is located approximately 100 miles to the west in Crawford County just north of Fort Smith.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 724 square miles (1,880 km²), of which 708 square miles (1,830 km²) is land and 16 square miles (41 km²) (2.2%) is water.^[3]

• Jefferson Lines

• Searcy County (north)
• Stone County (northeast)
• Cleburne County (east)
• Faulkner County (southeast)
• Conway County (southwest)
• Pope County (west)

• Ozark National Forest (part)

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,796 people, 6,813 households, and 4,631 families residing in the county.

As of the 2000 census,^[12] there were 16,192 people, 6,825 households, and 4,804 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (8.9 people/km²). There were 9,164 housing units at an average density of 13 units per square mile (5.0 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.79% White, 0.31% Black or African American, 0.75% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. 1.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race, but the percentage could increased 3 or 4 times by seasonal migrant laborers in the county's shiitake mushroom harvest and hospitality jobs provided by the Fairfield Bay resort hotel. ^{[citation needed]}

There were 6,825 households, out of which 25.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.50% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 23.00% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 23.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,004, and the median income for a family was $32,284. Males had a median income of $25,821 versus $18,862 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,603. About 11.60% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.90% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Arkansas and the Arkansas Code. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called justices of the peace and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Van Buren County Quorum Court has nine members.^[13] Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief operating officer of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.^[14][15]

Over the past few election cycles Van Buren County, like all of the traditionally secessionist and Democratic Upland South, has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1996.

• Clinton (county seat)
• Fairfield Bay (partly in Cleburne County)

• Damascus (partly in Faulkner County)
• Shirley

• Bee Branch
• Dennard

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the United States census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Van Buren County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township. ^[17][18]

• Arkansas Highway 336 (1965–2013), former state highway in Van Buren County
• List of lakes in Van Buren County, Arkansas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Van Buren County, Arkansas

• Map of Van Buren County from the U. S. Census Bureau
• Van Buren County official website
• Van Buren County, Arkansas entry on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture

35°36′01″N 92°29′28″W / 35.60028°N 92.49111°W / 35.60028; -92.49111