Lafayette County, Arkansas

Lafayette County, Arkansas
County
Lafayette County Courthouse, Lewisville
Lafayette County Courthouse, Lewisville
Map of Arkansas highlighting Lafayette County
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Coordinates: 33°15′51″N93°35′34″W / 33.264166666667°N 93.592777777778°W / 33.264166666667; -93.592777777778
Country United States
StateArkansas
FoundedOctober 15, 1827
Named afterMarquis de Lafayette
SeatLewisville
Largest townStamps
Area
 • Total
545 sq mi (1,410 km2)
 • Land528 sq mi (1,370 km2)
 • Water17 sq mi (44 km2)  3.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
6,308
 • Estimate 
(2024)
6,015 Decrease
 • Density11.9/sq mi (4.61/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
71826, 71827, 71845, 71860, 71861
Area code870
Congressional district4th
Websitewww.lafayettecounty.arkansas.gov

Lafayette County/lɑːˈfeɪɛt/ is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,308,[1] making it the third-least populous county in Arkansas. The county seat is Lewisville.[2] Lafayette County was formed on October 15, 1827, and named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette,[3] a French military hero of the American Revolutionary War. It is a dry county; therefore, the sale of alcohol is prohibited.[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 545 square miles (1,410 km2), of which 528 square miles (1,370 km2) is land and 17 square miles (44 km2) (3.1%) is water.[5] It is the smallest county in Arkansas by area.[6]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1830748—
18402,200194.1%
18505,220137.3%
18608,46462.1%
18709,1398.0%
18805,730−37.3%
18907,70034.4%
190010,59437.6%
191013,74129.7%
192015,52213.0%
193016,9349.1%
194016,851−0.5%
195013,203−21.6%
196011,030−16.5%
197010,018−9.2%
198010,2131.9%
19909,643−5.6%
20008,559−11.2%
20107,645−10.7%
20206,308−17.5%
2024 (est.)6,015[7]−4.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]1990–2000[11] 2010[12]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 6,308. The median age was 46.9 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.0 males age 18 and over.[13][14]

The racial makeup of the county was 61.9% White, 32.6% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.3% of the population.[14]

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[15]

There were 2,842 households in the county, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.6% were married-couple households, 23.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]

There were 3,916 housing units, of which 27.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.5% were owner-occupied and 24.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 16.5%.[13]

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census,[16] there were 8,559 people, 3,434 households, and 2,376 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile (6.2 people/km2). There were 4,560 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (3.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 62.08% White, 36.49% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,434 households, out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.60% were married couples living together, 14.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,831, and the median income for a family was $30,720. Males had a median income of $26,492 versus $17,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,128. About 18.70% of families and 23.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.50% of those under age 18 and 19.30% of those age 65 or over.

Economics

The major economic activities in Lafayette Country are agriculture (including livestock and poultry),[17]logging (especially pine), and oil production.[18]

The discovery of significant quantities of lithium in the brines of the Smackover geological formation has resulted in early commercial activity to develop economic lithium resource mining and production in the county. A 2022 report estimated that the lithium brine in the formation has "sufficient lithium to produce enough batteries for 50 million electric vehicles"[19] and may hold five to 19 million tons of lithium.[20] By 2025, results from multiple exploration wells in the county had found an average lithium concentration of 582 mg/L (4,860 lb/million US gal) of subsurface brine, including the highest concentration yet reported in the entire Smackover formation. A commercial production decision for a 50 square miles (130 km2) project area south of Lewisville, Stamps, and Buckner is expected by the end of 2025.[21]

Government

Government

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 Lafayette County Quorum Court has nine members. 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.[22][23]

Lafayette County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials[24][25]
Position Officeholder Party
County Judge Valarie Clark Republican
County Clerk Angela Brazell Republican
Circuit Clerk Dana Phillips Republican
Sheriff Jeff Black Republican
Treasurer/Collector Michelle Perkison Republican
Assessor Billie Jo Pierson Republican
Coroner William C. "Bill" Powell Republican

The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 5 Republicans, 3 Democrats, and 1 Independent. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:[24][25][26]

  • District 1: Jeremy Kitchens (R)
  • District 2: Linda D. Goodner (R)
  • District 3: Charles H. Goodwin (R)
  • District 4: Rex Lenard (R)
  • District 5: LeNora Jackson (D)
  • District 6: Catherine Ann Rone (D)
  • District 7: Horace M. Hight (R)
  • District 8: Stephanie Harris (D)
  • District 9: Jimmy Brackman (I)

Additionally, the townships of Lafayette County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by the Constitution of Arkansas. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult.[27] The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:[26]

  • District 1: Braxton Ben Butler (I)

Politics

Prior to 2000, Lafayette County was considered an "ancestral" Democratic county among white conservatives. Exceptions were the 1972 and 1984 landslides of Republicans Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, respectively.

Former Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas, considered a son of the South, won this county twice in his presidential runs: 1992 and 1996. Clinton's vice president, Al Gore of Tennessee, another son of the South, won the county in 2000, the most recent Democrat to do so. Most of the African-American voters have been affiliated with the national Democratic Party since the 1960s, even as conservative whites here shifted to the Republican Party.

United States presidential election results for Lafayette County, Arkansas[28]
Year RepublicanDemocraticThird party(ies)
№ %№ %№ %
1896423 40.83% 608 58.69%5 0.48%
1900448 51.44%422 48.45% 1 0.11%
1904566 46.66% 614 50.62%33 2.72%
1908552 42.11% 739 56.37%20 1.53%
1912208 23.88% 498 57.18%165 18.94%
1916365 29.06% 891 70.94%0 0.00%
1920500 34.25% 954 65.34%6 0.41%
1924298 24.53% 788 64.86%129 10.62%
1928435 30.48% 991 69.45%1 0.07%
1932151 9.14% 1,495 90.50%6 0.36%
1936100 7.24% 1,279 92.55%3 0.22%
1940159 10.35% 1,352 88.02%25 1.63%
1944177 13.34% 1,150 86.66%0 0.00%
1948113 7.94% 700 49.16%611 42.91%
1952733 30.72% 1,637 68.61%16 0.67%
1956836 36.67% 1,348 59.12%96 4.21%
1960713 30.67% 1,286 55.31%326 14.02%
19641,476 49.75% 1,484 50.02%7 0.24%
1968672 18.75% 1,208 33.71% 1,704 47.54%
19722,460 71.91%952 27.83% 9 0.26%
19761,467 38.51% 2,342 61.49%0 0.00%
19801,756 46.50% 1,947 51.56%73 1.93%
19842,290 57.15%1,695 42.30% 22 0.55%
19881,860 48.95% 1,915 50.39%25 0.66%
19921,188 29.86% 2,273 57.12%518 13.02%
1996971 25.25% 2,466 64.14%408 10.61%
20001,538 45.46% 1,806 53.38%39 1.15%
20041,604 50.27%1,567 49.11% 20 0.63%
20081,685 58.06%1,133 39.04% 84 2.89%
20121,713 58.48%1,173 40.05% 43 1.47%
20161,758 61.47%1,032 36.08% 70 2.45%
20201,757 65.58%839 31.32% 83 3.10%
20241,589 68.34%698 30.02% 38 1.63%

Communities

Towns

Townships

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 Lafayette County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township. [29][30]

Source:[31]

Education

There are two school districts in the county: Lafayette County School District and the Emerson-Taylor-Bradley School District.[32] Previously the Bradley School District was the second district;[33] it merged into Emerson-Taylor-Bradley in 2013.[34]

See also

References

  1. ^"Census - Geography Profile: Lafayette County, Arkansas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  2. ^"Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. p. 178.
  4. ^"Wet/Dry Status of Arkansas Counties". Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  5. ^"2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  6. ^"Arkansas Land area in square miles, 2010 by County". Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  7. ^"County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  8. ^"U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  9. ^"Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  10. ^Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  11. ^"Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000"(PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived(PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  12. ^"State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  13. ^ abc"2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  14. ^ ab"2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  15. ^"2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  16. ^"U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  17. ^"Lafayette County I, Draft Environmental Assessment"(PDF). usda.gov. May 4, 2023. Agriculture has a strong presence in southwest Arkansas. There are several integrated poultry, cattle, hay, and other livestock feeding operations in this area. According to the Lafayette County Conservation District, 35 poultry farms registered for the 2022 production year. According to NASS, Lafayette county had 31,000 head of cattle, including calves in January of 2022.
  18. ^Lafayette County. arkansas.net, 19 September 2023.
  19. ^"Resource report concludes Galvanic's lithium prospect among most prolific in North America". Green Car Congress. July 13, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  20. ^Penn, Ivan; Elliott, Rebecca F. (October 21, 2024). "Arkansas May Have Vast Lithium Reserves, Researchers Say". New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  21. ^"Smackover Lithium reports highest lithium brine grade in SWA Project Area as FEED studies nearing completion". Magnolia Banner-News. July 18, 2025. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  22. ^"Quorum Courts". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  23. ^"Office of County Judge". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  24. ^ ab"Lafayette | Association of Arkansas Counties". www.arcounties.org. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  25. ^ ab"2022 General ElectionGeneral Election - County, District OfficialsCounty, District Officials"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on August 18, 2022.
  26. ^ ab"Lafayette County, Arkansas, elections, 2024". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  27. ^"What is a Constable?". What is a Constable?. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  28. ^"Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  29. ^2011 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS): Lafayette County, AR(PDF) (Map). U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original(PDF) on October 19, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  30. ^"Arkansas: 2010 Census Block Maps - County Subdivision". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  31. ^"Summary Population and Housing Characteristics, CPH-1-5, Arkansas"(PDF). United States Census Bureau. September 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2014.2010 Census of Population and Housing
  32. ^"2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lafayette County, AR"(PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived(PDF) from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022. - Text list
  33. ^"SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Lafayette County, AR"(PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived(PDF) from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2022. - Text list
  34. ^"State approves Bradley school annexation by Emerson-Taylor district". Magnolia Reporter. May 14, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lafayette County, Arkansas.

33°15′51″N93°35′34″W / 33.26417°N 93.59278°W / 33.26417; -93.59278

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lafayette_County,_Arkansas&oldid=1330405489"