Van Buren County, Arkansas

Van Buren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,796. The county seat is Clinton. 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.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 724 sqmi, of which 708 sqmi is land and 16 sqmi (2.2%) is water.

Major highways

 * US 65.svg U.S. Highway 65
 * Arkansas 9.svg Arkansas Highway 9
 * Arkansas 16.svg Arkansas Highway 16
 * Arkansas 27.svg Arkansas Highway 27
 * Arkansas 92.svg Arkansas Highway 92
 * Arkansas 95.svg Arkansas Highway 95
 * Arkansas 110.svg Arkansas Highway 110
 * Arkansas 124.svg Arkansas Highway 124
 * Arkansas 254.svg Arkansas Highway 254
 * Arkansas 285.svg Arkansas Highway 285
 * Arkansas 330.svg Arkansas Highway 330
 * Arkansas 336.svg Arkansas Highway 336
 * Arkansas 337.svg Arkansas Highway 337
 * Arkansas 356.svg Arkansas Highway 356

Transit

 * Jefferson Lines

Adjacent counties

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

National protected area

 * Ozark National Forest (part)

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

2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 16,192 people, 6,825 households, and 4,804 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 /mi2. There were 9,164 housing units at an average density of 13 /mi2. 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.

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.

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 Van Buren 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.

Politics
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.

Cities

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

Towns

 * Damascus (partly in Faulkner County)
 * Shirley

Census-designated place

 * Bee Branch
 * Dennard

Other unincorporated communities

 * Alread
 * Archey Valley
 * Austin
 * Botkinburg
 * Chimes
 * Choctaw
 * Choctaw Pines
 * Claude
 * Copeland
 * Crabtree
 * Culpepper
 * Dabney
 * Eglantine
 * Elba
 * Fairbanks
 * Formosa
 * Gravesville
 * Gravel Hill
 * Green Tree
 * Half Moon
 * Morganton
 * Old Botkinburg
 * Palisades
 * Pee Dee
 * Plant
 * Pleasant Grove
 * Rabbit Ridge
 * Rex
 * Rocky Hill
 * Rumley
 * Rupert
 * Scotland
 * Southside
 * Stumptoe
 * Sulphur Springs
 * Walnut Grove
 * Whipple
 * Woodlum
 * Zion Hill