Cleburne County, Arkansas | |
|---|---|
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 Location within the U.S. state ofArkansas | |
| Coordinates:35°32′06″N92°00′46″W / 35.535°N 92.012777777778°W /35.535; -92.012777777778 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Arkansas |
| Founded | February 20, 1883 |
| Named after | Maj. Gen.Patrick Cleburne |
| Seat | Heber Springs |
| Largest city | Heber Springs |
| Area | |
• Total | 592 sq mi (1,530 km2) |
| • Land | 554 sq mi (1,430 km2) |
| • Water | 38 sq mi (98 km2) 6.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 24,711 |
• Estimate (2024) | 25,646 |
| • Density | 44.6/sq mi (17.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Cleburne County (/ˈkliːbɜːrn/KLEE-burn, historically/ˈkleɪbɜːrn/KLAY-burn) is acounty located in the north-central portion of theU.S. state ofArkansas. As of the2020 census, the population was 24,711.[1] Thecounty seat and most populous city isHeber Springs.[2] The county was formed on February 20, 1883, making it the youngest of Arkansas's 75 counties. It is named forConfederate Major-GeneralPatrick Cleburne.[3] Cleburne is an alcohol-prohibition ordry county.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 592 square miles (1,530 km2), of which 554 square miles (1,430 km2) is land and 38 square miles (98 km2) (6.5%) is water.[4] Much of the water area in the County includes Greers Ferry Lake, which extends westward into neighboringVan Buren County.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 7,884 | — | |
| 1900 | 9,628 | 22.1% | |
| 1910 | 11,903 | 23.6% | |
| 1920 | 12,696 | 6.7% | |
| 1930 | 11,373 | −10.4% | |
| 1940 | 13,134 | 15.5% | |
| 1950 | 11,487 | −12.5% | |
| 1960 | 9,059 | −21.1% | |
| 1970 | 10,349 | 14.2% | |
| 1980 | 16,909 | 63.4% | |
| 1990 | 19,411 | 14.8% | |
| 2000 | 24,046 | 23.9% | |
| 2010 | 25,970 | 8.0% | |
| 2020 | 24,711 | −4.8% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 25,646 | [5] | 3.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8] 1990–2000[9] 2010[10] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 24,711. The median age was 50.5 years. 18.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 27.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.6 males age 18 and over.[11][12]
The racial makeup of the county was 92.9%White, 0.3%Black or African American, 0.5%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.9% from some other race, and 4.9% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.6% of the population.[12]
27.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 72.7% lived in rural areas.[13]
There were 10,819 households in the county, of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.7% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 15,527 housing units, of which 30.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.3% were owner-occupied and 23.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 14.3%.[11]
As of the2000 census,[14] there were 24,046 people, 10,190 households, and 7,408 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 44 people per square mile (17 people/km2). There were 13,732 housing units at an average density of 25 units per square mile (9.7 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.20%White, 0.12%Black orAfrican American, 0.47%Native American, 0.15%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.15% fromother races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 1.17% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 10,190 households, out of which 26.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% weremarried couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% 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 2.74.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.30% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 26.90% from 45 to 64, and 21.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 93.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,531, and the median income for a family was $37,273. Males had a median income of $28,844 versus $19,672 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,250. About 9.00% of families and 13.10% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 17.10% of those under age 18 and 11.90% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1884 | 57 | 9.66% | 527 | 89.32% | 6 | 1.02% |
| 1888 | 22 | 2.85% | 483 | 62.48% | 268 | 34.67% |
| 1892 | 132 | 11.99% | 606 | 55.04% | 363 | 32.97% |
| 1896 | 108 | 9.26% | 1,047 | 89.79% | 11 | 0.94% |
| 1900 | 205 | 25.03% | 520 | 63.49% | 94 | 11.48% |
| 1904 | 214 | 31.15% | 394 | 57.35% | 79 | 11.50% |
| 1908 | 294 | 31.65% | 506 | 54.47% | 129 | 13.89% |
| 1912 | 138 | 15.33% | 517 | 57.44% | 245 | 27.22% |
| 1916 | 271 | 23.86% | 865 | 76.14% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 459 | 38.06% | 678 | 56.22% | 69 | 5.72% |
| 1924 | 238 | 26.44% | 569 | 63.22% | 93 | 10.33% |
| 1928 | 574 | 39.81% | 856 | 59.36% | 12 | 0.83% |
| 1932 | 204 | 10.29% | 1,750 | 88.29% | 28 | 1.41% |
| 1936 | 336 | 26.44% | 927 | 72.93% | 8 | 0.63% |
| 1940 | 374 | 30.71% | 834 | 68.47% | 10 | 0.82% |
| 1944 | 582 | 40.50% | 839 | 58.39% | 16 | 1.11% |
| 1948 | 312 | 21.56% | 1,061 | 73.32% | 74 | 5.11% |
| 1952 | 918 | 46.58% | 1,045 | 53.02% | 8 | 0.41% |
| 1956 | 947 | 46.24% | 1,094 | 53.42% | 7 | 0.34% |
| 1960 | 1,026 | 44.96% | 1,144 | 50.13% | 112 | 4.91% |
| 1964 | 1,221 | 31.51% | 2,645 | 68.26% | 9 | 0.23% |
| 1968 | 1,301 | 31.27% | 1,202 | 28.89% | 1,657 | 39.83% |
| 1972 | 2,870 | 67.15% | 1,400 | 32.76% | 4 | 0.09% |
| 1976 | 1,992 | 25.77% | 5,726 | 74.07% | 13 | 0.17% |
| 1980 | 4,042 | 48.38% | 4,021 | 48.13% | 292 | 3.49% |
| 1984 | 5,769 | 64.04% | 3,172 | 35.21% | 67 | 0.74% |
| 1988 | 4,932 | 58.85% | 3,404 | 40.62% | 45 | 0.54% |
| 1992 | 3,580 | 35.87% | 5,090 | 51.00% | 1,310 | 13.13% |
| 1996 | 3,807 | 40.23% | 4,475 | 47.28% | 1,182 | 12.49% |
| 2000 | 5,730 | 56.14% | 4,120 | 40.36% | 357 | 3.50% |
| 2004 | 7,107 | 60.43% | 4,517 | 38.41% | 137 | 1.16% |
| 2008 | 7,962 | 70.22% | 2,951 | 26.03% | 425 | 3.75% |
| 2012 | 8,693 | 74.64% | 2,620 | 22.50% | 334 | 2.87% |
| 2016 | 9,458 | 78.26% | 2,101 | 17.39% | 526 | 4.35% |
| 2020 | 10,328 | 81.45% | 1,988 | 15.68% | 364 | 2.87% |
| 2024 | 10,595 | 83.17% | 1,941 | 15.24% | 203 | 1.59% |
The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by theConstitution of Arkansas and theArkansas 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 Cleburne County Quorum Court has eleven members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive 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.[17][18]
| Position | Officeholder | Party |
|---|---|---|
| County Judge | Eric Crosby | Republican |
| County Clerk | Sherry Logan | Republican |
| Circuit Clerk | Heather Smith | Republican |
| Sheriff | Chris Brown | Republican |
| Treasurer | Felicia Hipp | Republican |
| Collector | Connie Caldwell | Republican |
| Assessor | Rachelle Hipp Miller | Republican |
| Coroner | Waren Olmstead | Republican |
| Surveyor | Perry Sayles | (Unknown) |
The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 11Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:[21][22][23]
Additionally, the townships of Cleburne County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by theConstitution of Arkansas Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult.[24] The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:[25]
A typicalSolid South county for most of its history, voting overwhelmingly forDemocratic candidates, Cleburne County has trended heavily towards the GOP in recent decades. As of 2024, the last Democrat to carry this county wasBill Clinton in1996.
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, theUnited 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 Cleburne County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/orcensus-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.[26][27]
Places adjacent to Cleburne County, Arkansas | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofCleburne County, Arkansas,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
35°32′06″N92°00′46″W / 35.53500°N 92.01278°W /35.53500; -92.01278
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