Crawford County, Arkansas | |
|---|---|
 Crawford County Courthouse within theVan Buren Historic District | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofArkansas | |
 Arkansas's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:35°34′00″N94°15′00″W / 35.566666666667°N 94.25°W /35.566666666667; -94.25 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Arkansas |
| Named after | William H. Crawford |
| Seat | Van Buren |
| Largest city | Van Buren |
| Area | |
• Total | 604 sq mi (1,560 km2) |
| • Land | 593 sq mi (1,540 km2) |
| • Water | 11 sq mi (28 km2) 1.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 60,133 |
• Estimate (2024) | 62,258 |
| • Density | 101/sq mi (39.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
Crawford County is acounty located in theOzarks region of theU.S. state ofArkansas. As of the2020 census, its population was 60,133.[1] Thecounty seat and largest city isVan Buren.[2] Crawford County was formed on October 18, 1820, from the formerLovely County andIndian Territory, and was named forWilliam H. Crawford, theUnited States Secretary of War in 1815.[3]
Located largely within the Ozarks, the southern border of the county is theArkansas River, placing the extreme southern edge of the county in theArkansas River Valley. The frontier county became an early crossroads, beginning with aCalifornia Gold Rush and developing into theButterfield Overland Mail,Civil War trails, and railroads such as theSt. Louis and San Francisco Railway, theLittle Rock and Fort Smith Railroad, and theSt. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway. Today, the county is home to the intersection of two major interstate highways,Interstate 40 (I-40) andI-49. Crawford County is part of theFort Smith metropolitan area. As adry county, alcohol sales are generally prohibited, though recent changes to county law provide for exemptions.
Crawford County is located in the northwest region of Arkansas. According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 604 square miles (1,560 km2), of which 11 square miles (28 km2) (1.8%) are covered by water.[4]
Crawford County is included in an area designated for a planned extension of I-49 into Arkansas. The final project will connectNew Orleans, Louisiana, toKansas City, Missouri, a large trucking corridor, which is currently not served by an interstate highway. The proposed highway would use portions of I-49 that currently runs north from Van Buren toward the Missouri state line passing through Benton County, home ofWalmart. The corridor was listed as the number-one high-priority corridor by transportation officials in theIntermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 2,440 | — | |
| 1840 | 4,266 | 74.8% | |
| 1850 | 7,960 | 86.6% | |
| 1860 | 7,850 | −1.4% | |
| 1870 | 8,957 | 14.1% | |
| 1880 | 14,740 | 64.6% | |
| 1890 | 21,714 | 47.3% | |
| 1900 | 21,270 | −2.0% | |
| 1910 | 23,942 | 12.6% | |
| 1920 | 25,739 | 7.5% | |
| 1930 | 22,549 | −12.4% | |
| 1940 | 23,920 | 6.1% | |
| 1950 | 22,727 | −5.0% | |
| 1960 | 21,318 | −6.2% | |
| 1970 | 25,677 | 20.4% | |
| 1980 | 36,892 | 43.7% | |
| 1990 | 42,493 | 15.2% | |
| 2000 | 53,247 | 25.3% | |
| 2010 | 61,948 | 16.3% | |
| 2020 | 60,133 | −2.9% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 62,258 | [5] | 3.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8] 1990–2000[9] 2010[10] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 47,627 | 79.2% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 857 | 1.43% |
| Native American | 1,366 | 2.27% |
| Asian | 939 | 1.56% |
| Pacific Islander | 27 | 0.04% |
| Other/mixed | 4,750 | 7.9% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 4,567 | 7.59% |
As of the2020 United States census, 60,133 people, 23,958 households, and 17,082 families resided in the county.
As of the2000 census,[12] there were 53,247 people, 19,702 households, and 15,150 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 35/km2 (91/sq mi). The 21,315 housing units had an average density of 14/km2 (36/sq mi). Theracial makeup of the county was 92.19% White, 0.87% Black or African American, 2.01% Native American, 1.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.48% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. About 3.27% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
Of the 19,702 households, 37.5% had children under 18 living with them, 62.2% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were not families. About 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county, the age distribution was 28.2% under 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,871, and for a family was $36,741. Males had a median income of $29,581 versus $20,352 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $15,015. About 10.9% of families and 14.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 19.3% of those under 18 and 13.70% of those 65 or over.
Thousands of self-claimed "Western Band of Cherokee" (or ArkansasCherokees) fought for state and federal recognition as a political entity ofNative Americans. Crawford County (specifically, that area known as "Lovely's Purchase") was historically part of theCherokee Nation, which lost its tribal sovereignty status as a result of theU.S. Civil War in the 1860s. The Cherokee Nation was subsequently relocated to the west in the present-day state ofOklahoma.[citation needed]
The violentarrest of Randal Worcester by two Crawford County sheriff's deputies and one Mulberry police officer took place in Mulberry, Crawford County, in August 2022.[13]
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 calledjustices 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 Crawford County Quorum Court has thirteen members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is thecounty judge, who serves as thechief 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]
| Position | Officeholder | Party |
|---|---|---|
| County Judge | Chris Keith | Republican |
| County Clerk | Stacey Shelly | Republican |
| Circuit Clerk | Sharon Blount-Baker | Republican |
| Sheriff | Daniel Perry | Republican |
| Treasurer | Daniel Watson | Republican |
| Collector | Kevin Pixley | Republican |
| Assessor | Sandra Heiner | Republican |
| Coroner | Pam Wells | Republican |
| Surveyor | Vacant | |
The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 13 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:[17][18][19]
Additionally, the townships of Crawford 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. The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:[20]
Crawford County is a longtime Republican stronghold, so much so that not even former governor and native ArkansanBill Clinton was able to carry it in either of his presidential victories. The last Democrat (as of 2024) to carry this county wasJimmy Carter in 1976.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1836 | 119 | 52.19% | 109 | 47.81% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1840 | 335 | 49.12% | 347 | 50.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1844 | 385 | 40.53% | 565 | 59.47% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1848 | 345 | 43.02% | 457 | 56.98% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1852 | 153 | 39.33% | 236 | 60.67% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1856 | 0 | 0.00% | 371 | 69.74% | 161 | 30.26% |
| 1860 | 0 | 0.00% | 357 | 36.62% | 618 | 63.38% |
| 1868 | 486 | 55.42% | 391 | 44.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1872 | 918 | 60.92% | 589 | 39.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1876 | 663 | 40.93% | 957 | 59.07% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1880 | 974 | 45.09% | 1,138 | 52.69% | 48 | 2.22% |
| 1884 | 1,193 | 45.34% | 1,438 | 54.66% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1888 | 1,680 | 46.28% | 1,913 | 52.70% | 37 | 1.02% |
| 1892 | 1,099 | 36.73% | 1,545 | 51.64% | 348 | 11.63% |
| 1896 | 1,311 | 40.98% | 1,870 | 58.46% | 18 | 0.56% |
| 1900 | 1,060 | 41.78% | 1,449 | 57.11% | 28 | 1.10% |
| 1904 | 941 | 49.97% | 875 | 46.47% | 67 | 3.56% |
| 1908 | 1,339 | 43.49% | 1,661 | 53.95% | 79 | 2.57% |
| 1912 | 407 | 21.65% | 969 | 51.54% | 504 | 26.81% |
| 1916 | 1,195 | 42.42% | 1,622 | 57.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 1,497 | 44.06% | 1,861 | 54.77% | 40 | 1.18% |
| 1924 | 996 | 34.23% | 1,445 | 49.66% | 469 | 16.12% |
| 1928 | 1,559 | 47.21% | 1,743 | 52.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 809 | 21.16% | 2,962 | 77.46% | 53 | 1.39% |
| 1936 | 697 | 26.09% | 1,963 | 73.47% | 12 | 0.45% |
| 1940 | 691 | 29.81% | 1,581 | 68.21% | 46 | 1.98% |
| 1944 | 1,141 | 39.87% | 1,702 | 59.47% | 19 | 0.66% |
| 1948 | 1,002 | 33.94% | 1,730 | 58.60% | 220 | 7.45% |
| 1952 | 2,782 | 52.80% | 2,477 | 47.01% | 10 | 0.19% |
| 1956 | 3,090 | 52.88% | 2,723 | 46.60% | 30 | 0.51% |
| 1960 | 3,373 | 57.10% | 2,430 | 41.14% | 104 | 1.76% |
| 1964 | 3,294 | 48.07% | 3,537 | 51.62% | 21 | 0.31% |
| 1968 | 2,723 | 37.73% | 1,578 | 21.86% | 2,917 | 40.41% |
| 1972 | 6,974 | 81.41% | 1,520 | 17.74% | 72 | 0.84% |
| 1976 | 4,764 | 44.48% | 5,946 | 55.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 8,542 | 66.22% | 3,948 | 30.61% | 409 | 3.17% |
| 1984 | 9,551 | 75.20% | 3,071 | 24.18% | 79 | 0.62% |
| 1988 | 9,092 | 70.85% | 3,582 | 27.91% | 158 | 1.23% |
| 1992 | 6,882 | 42.57% | 6,656 | 41.18% | 2,627 | 16.25% |
| 1996 | 7,182 | 45.42% | 6,749 | 42.68% | 1,883 | 11.91% |
| 2000 | 10,804 | 61.30% | 6,288 | 35.68% | 533 | 3.02% |
| 2004 | 13,391 | 65.64% | 6,764 | 33.16% | 246 | 1.21% |
| 2008 | 14,688 | 71.54% | 5,238 | 25.51% | 606 | 2.95% |
| 2012 | 15,145 | 73.55% | 4,881 | 23.70% | 565 | 2.74% |
| 2016 | 16,686 | 74.33% | 4,488 | 19.99% | 1,276 | 5.68% |
| 2020 | 18,607 | 77.24% | 4,959 | 20.58% | 525 | 2.18% |
| 2024 | 18,615 | 78.10% | 4,753 | 19.94% | 466 | 1.96% |
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 Crawford County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/orcensus-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.[22][23]
Places adjacent to Crawford County, Arkansas | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofCrawford County, Arkansas,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
35°34′N94°15′W / 35.567°N 94.250°W /35.567; -94.250
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