County of Lonoke | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofArkansas | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Arkansas |
| Formed | April 16, 1874 (151 years ago) (1874-04-16) |
| Named after | "Loneoak" |
| Seat | Lonoke |
| Largest city | Cabot |
| Area | |
• Total | 803 sq mi (2,080 km2) |
| • Land | 771 sq mi (2,000 km2) |
| • Water | 32 sq mi (83 km2) 4.0% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 74,015 |
• Estimate (2024) | 76,389 |
| • Density | 96.0/sq mi (37.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 72007, 72023, 72024, 72037, 72046, 72072, 72076, 72083, 72086, 72142, 72160, 72176 |
| Congressional district | 1st |
Lonoke County is acounty located in theCentral Arkansas region of theU.S. state ofArkansas. As of the2020 census, the population was 74,015, making it the 10th-most populous of Arkansas's 75 counties.[1] Thecounty seat isLonoke and largest city isCabot.[2] Included in theCentral Arkansas metropolitan area, withLittle Rock as the principal city, it is an alcohol prohibition ordry county.
Lonoke County wasnamed for the "loneoak" located in the county at the time of its formation, by simply spelling itphonetically, at the suggestion of the chief engineer of theCairo & Fulton Railroad.[3]
Formed on April 16, 1873,[3] fromPulaski andPrairie counties, Lonoke County's varied geography can be roughly broken into thirds horizontally. The top third has rolling hills at the edge of theOzarks, including the Cabot area. The middle third, including the Lonoke area, contains portions of theGrand Prairie, a flat native grassland today known forrice farming, an important part of the culture, economy and history of Lonoke County. The southern third, including theScott area, is home to the alluvial soils of theArkansas Delta. Historically, a military road and a railroad brought settlers to the area, andcotton cultivation was very profitable. In 1904, a demonstration that rice could grow well on the same land coupled with sinking cotton prices drove the area into rice cultivation. During World WarsI andII, Lonoke County was home toEberts Field, aU.S. Army airfield. Today the land is used inaquaculture.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 803 square miles (2,080 km2), of which 771 square miles (2,000 km2) is land and 32 square miles (83 km2) (4.0%) is water.[4]
Sitting within the Grand Prairie, Lonoke County is a largely level county with relatively impermeable clay soils,[5] making it an important headwater for many tributary streams. Cypress Bayou forms the northern boundary of the county, with tributaries Pigeon Roost Creek, Brush Creek, and Mill Creek having headwaters in northern Lonoke County, and Fourmile Creek, which originates in Pulaski County. Two watercourses drain much of central of Lonoke County: Wattensaw Bayou, a tributary of theCache River, has headwaters in Cabot, and Bayou Two Prairie, which originates in Pulaski County and runs across Lonoke County, briefly forming the eastern county boundary until emptying intoBayou Meto. Bayou Meto forms the southeastern boundary with Prairie County and is the receiving waters for Crooked Creek and is bisected by Big Ditch, a manmade canal famous for the numerousduck hunting camps serving this part of theMississippi flyway.[6] Southwestern Lonoke County is drained by Wabbaseka Bayou and tributaries Bakers Bayou, Salt Bayou, and Plum Bayou.[7]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 12,146 | — | |
| 1890 | 19,263 | 58.6% | |
| 1900 | 22,544 | 17.0% | |
| 1910 | 27,983 | 24.1% | |
| 1920 | 33,400 | 19.4% | |
| 1930 | 33,759 | 1.1% | |
| 1940 | 29,802 | −11.7% | |
| 1950 | 27,278 | −8.5% | |
| 1960 | 24,551 | −10.0% | |
| 1970 | 26,249 | 6.9% | |
| 1980 | 34,518 | 31.5% | |
| 1990 | 39,268 | 13.8% | |
| 2000 | 52,828 | 34.5% | |
| 2010 | 68,356 | 29.4% | |
| 2020 | 74,015 | 8.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 76,389 | [8] | 3.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11] 1990–2000[12] 2010[13] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 74,015. The median age was 37.4 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.2 males age 18 and over.[14][15]
The racial makeup of the county was 83.3%White, 5.9%Black or African American, 0.5%American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Asian, 0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 2.0% from some other race, and 7.3% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.9% of the population.[15]
48.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 51.9% lived in rural areas.[16]
There were 27,841 households in the county, of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.3% were married-couple households, 16.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[14]
There were 30,112 housing units, of which 7.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.8% were owner-occupied and 28.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.5%.[14]
As of the2000 census,[17] there were 52,828 people, 19,262 households, and 15,024 families residing in the county. The population density was 69 inhabitants per square mile (27/km2). There were 20,749 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.03%White, 6.44%Black orAfrican American, 0.49%Native American, 0.42%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.51% fromother races, and 1.08% from two or more races. 1.75% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 19,262 households, out of which 40.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.30% weremarried couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.00% were non-families. 19.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.70% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 30.90% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,314, and the median income for a family was $46,173. Males had a median income of $32,451 versus $22,897 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,397. About 8.10% of families and 10.50% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 13.60% of those age 65 or over.
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 Lonoke County Quorum Court has thirteen 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.[18][19]
| Position | Officeholder | Party |
|---|---|---|
| County Judge | Doug Erwin | Republican |
| County Clerk | Dawn Porterfield | Republican |
| Circuit Clerk | Deborah Oglesby | Republican |
| Sheriff | John Staley | Republican |
| Treasurer | Patti Weathers | Republican |
| Collector | William Ryker | Democrat |
| Assessor | Donna Pederson | Republican |
| Coroner | Carla Horton | Republican |
The composition of the Quorum Court after the 2024 elections is 12 Republicans and 1 Democrat. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:[23][24]
Additionally, the townships of Lonoke 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.[25]
The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:[26][27]
Lonoke County is home toCamp Nelson Confederate Cemetery,Plantation Agriculture Museum, andPlum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park.
Over the past few election cycles, Lonoke County has trended heavily towards the Republican party. The last Democrat (as of 2024) to carry the county was Bill Clinton in 1996.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1896 | 437 | 15.82% | 2,300 | 83.27% | 25 | 0.91% |
| 1900 | 679 | 33.15% | 1,337 | 65.28% | 32 | 1.56% |
| 1904 | 775 | 39.22% | 1,178 | 59.62% | 23 | 1.16% |
| 1908 | 592 | 28.78% | 1,385 | 67.33% | 80 | 3.89% |
| 1912 | 254 | 13.52% | 1,129 | 60.09% | 496 | 26.40% |
| 1916 | 515 | 19.11% | 2,180 | 80.89% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 697 | 28.09% | 1,711 | 68.96% | 73 | 2.94% |
| 1924 | 321 | 23.87% | 962 | 71.52% | 62 | 4.61% |
| 1928 | 676 | 26.66% | 1,857 | 73.23% | 3 | 0.12% |
| 1932 | 175 | 5.58% | 2,951 | 94.04% | 12 | 0.38% |
| 1936 | 310 | 10.17% | 2,735 | 89.76% | 2 | 0.07% |
| 1940 | 323 | 14.52% | 1,899 | 85.35% | 3 | 0.13% |
| 1944 | 697 | 25.23% | 2,064 | 74.70% | 2 | 0.07% |
| 1948 | 383 | 12.81% | 2,065 | 69.04% | 543 | 18.15% |
| 1952 | 1,570 | 30.82% | 3,517 | 69.04% | 7 | 0.14% |
| 1956 | 1,932 | 36.21% | 3,234 | 60.61% | 170 | 3.19% |
| 1960 | 1,560 | 29.17% | 2,991 | 55.93% | 797 | 14.90% |
| 1964 | 3,636 | 48.63% | 3,818 | 51.06% | 23 | 0.31% |
| 1968 | 1,677 | 21.80% | 2,014 | 26.18% | 4,002 | 52.02% |
| 1972 | 5,298 | 67.62% | 2,504 | 31.96% | 33 | 0.42% |
| 1976 | 2,522 | 24.49% | 7,761 | 75.36% | 16 | 0.16% |
| 1980 | 5,619 | 48.50% | 5,605 | 48.38% | 361 | 3.12% |
| 1984 | 8,425 | 64.11% | 4,636 | 35.28% | 81 | 0.62% |
| 1988 | 7,215 | 59.68% | 4,786 | 39.59% | 89 | 0.74% |
| 1992 | 6,253 | 39.52% | 7,963 | 50.32% | 1,608 | 10.16% |
| 1996 | 6,414 | 39.95% | 8,049 | 50.13% | 1,593 | 9.92% |
| 2000 | 10,606 | 59.11% | 6,851 | 38.18% | 486 | 2.71% |
| 2004 | 14,398 | 65.36% | 7,454 | 33.84% | 178 | 0.81% |
| 2008 | 17,242 | 72.63% | 5,968 | 25.14% | 531 | 2.24% |
| 2012 | 17,880 | 74.15% | 5,625 | 23.33% | 609 | 2.53% |
| 2016 | 19,958 | 73.65% | 5,664 | 20.90% | 1,478 | 5.45% |
| 2020 | 22,884 | 74.63% | 6,686 | 21.81% | 1,092 | 3.56% |
| 2024 | 23,225 | 75.85% | 6,790 | 22.18% | 605 | 1.98% |
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 Lonoke County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/orcensus-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.[29][30]
School districts include:[31]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromWoods, A.J., Foti, T.L., Chapman, S.S., Omernik, J.M.; et al.Ecoregions of Arkansas(PDF).United States Geological Survey.
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Places adjacent to Lonoke County, Arkansas | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofLonoke County, Arkansas,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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