Desha County | |
|---|---|
 Desha County courthouse in Arkansas City | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofArkansas | |
 Arkansas's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:33°45′28″N91°17′14″W / 33.7578°N 91.2872°W /33.7578; -91.2872 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Arkansas |
| Founded | December 12, 1838 |
| Named after | Benjamin Desha |
| Seat | Arkansas City |
| Largest city | Dumas |
| Government | |
| • County Judge | Richard Tindall |
| Area | |
• Total | 820 sq mi (2,100 km2) |
| • Land | 768 sq mi (1,990 km2) |
| • Water | 51 sq mi (130 km2) 6.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 11,395 |
• Estimate (2023) | 10,479 |
| • Density | 14/sq mi (5.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | deshacounty |
Desha County (/dəˈʃeɪ/də-SHAY) is acounty located in the southeast part of theU.S. state ofArkansas, with its eastern border theMississippi River. At the2020 census, the population was 11,395. The county is plurality-African American.[1] Thecounty seat isArkansas City.[2]
Desha County was created by theArkansas Legislature on December 12, 1838, consisting of the lands of Arkansas County separated from the county seat by theArkansas River and theWhite River, and land from Chicot County. The county was named for CaptainBenjamin Desha, who fought in theWar of 1812.[3][4]
Located in theArkansas Delta, Desha County's rivers and fertile soils proved to be prosperous for planters under the cotton-based slave society of plantation agriculture in the antebellum years. After the Civil War, cotton continued as the primary commodity crop into the early 20th century, and planters did well. Labor was provided by sharecroppers and tenant farmers.[citation needed]
But following widespread farm mechanization, laborers were thrown off the land, and Desha County had a demographic and economic transformation. Thousands of African-American farm workers left the area and went north or west in theGreat Migration, and there was a decline in population. Farm holdings have been consolidated into industrial-scale farms, with few governmental benefits for small farmers, and the economy cannot support much activity. In the 21st century, the county is seeking to reverse population and economic losses through better education for its workforce, and developing tourism based on its cultural, historical and outdoor recreation amenities.[3]
During World War II, the federal government established theRohwer War Relocation Center, an internment camp for Japanese nationals and Japanese Americans it forced out of the coastal area ofCalifornia, the U.S.Pacific Northwest, andAlaska. The camp operated from late 1942 into 1945 and the end of the war, holding up to nearly 8500 ethnic Japanese, many American-born citizens. The Rohwer War Relocation Center Cemetery has been designated as aNational Historic Landmark.[citation needed]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 820 square miles (2,100 km2), of which 768 square miles (1,990 km2) is land and 51 square miles (130 km2) (6.3%) is water.[5] Desha County is within theArkansas Delta and is considered a member of the Southeast Arkansas region.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 1,598 | — | |
| 1850 | 2,911 | 82.2% | |
| 1860 | 6,459 | 121.9% | |
| 1870 | 6,125 | −5.2% | |
| 1880 | 8,973 | 46.5% | |
| 1890 | 10,324 | 15.1% | |
| 1900 | 11,511 | 11.5% | |
| 1910 | 15,274 | 32.7% | |
| 1920 | 20,297 | 32.9% | |
| 1930 | 21,814 | 7.5% | |
| 1940 | 27,160 | 24.5% | |
| 1950 | 25,155 | −7.4% | |
| 1960 | 20,770 | −17.4% | |
| 1970 | 18,761 | −9.7% | |
| 1980 | 19,760 | 5.3% | |
| 1990 | 16,798 | −15.0% | |
| 2000 | 15,341 | −8.7% | |
| 2010 | 13,008 | −15.2% | |
| 2020 | 11,395 | −12.4% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 10,479 | [6] | −8.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9] 1990–2000[10] 2010[11] | |||
The county has been depopulating since 1940, almost always losing population decade after decade, like some other ruralBlack Belt counties.
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 4,732 | 41.53% |
| Black or African American | 5,385 | 47.26% |
| Native American | 36 | 0.32% |
| Asian | 61 | 0.54% |
| Other/Mixed | 408 | 3.58% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 773 | 6.78% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 11,395 people, 5,204 households, and 3,545 families residing in the county.
As of the2000 census,[14] there were 15,341 people, 5,922 households, and 4,192 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 20 people per square mile (7.7 people/km2). There were 6,663 housing units at an average density of 9 units per square mile (3.5 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 50.50%White, 46.33%Black orAfrican American, 0.35%Native American, 0.30%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 1.73% fromother races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 3.16% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 5,922 households, out of which 34.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.50% weremarried couples living together, 19.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.90% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,121, and the median income for a family was $30,028. Males had a median income of $29,623 versus $18,913 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $13,446. About 23.60% of families and 28.90% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 39.60% of those under age 18 and 24.00% of those age 65 or over.
Desha County had consistently voted Democratic, even as Arkansas as a whole has strongly shifted to the Republican Party and the margins in the county shrinking due to depopulation, voting for the Democratic nominee in every presidential election from 1972 to 2020. In 2020,Joe Biden became the first Democrat sinceWalter Mondale to fall under 50% in the county, winning a plurality. In 2024,Donald Trump became the first Republican sinceRichard Nixon in 1972 to win the county.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 1,805 | 51.50% | 1,638 | 46.73% | 62 | 1.77% |
| 2020 | 1,921 | 46.13% | 2,016 | 48.41% | 227 | 5.45% |
| 2016 | 1,919 | 45.08% | 2,228 | 52.34% | 110 | 2.58% |
| 2012 | 1,896 | 42.90% | 2,443 | 55.27% | 81 | 1.83% |
| 2008 | 1,999 | 42.73% | 2,569 | 54.92% | 110 | 2.35% |
| 2004 | 1,729 | 37.21% | 2,851 | 61.35% | 67 | 1.44% |
| 2000 | 1,603 | 35.66% | 2,776 | 61.76% | 116 | 2.58% |
| 1996 | 978 | 21.48% | 3,230 | 70.94% | 345 | 7.58% |
| 1992 | 1,279 | 22.75% | 3,815 | 67.87% | 527 | 9.38% |
| 1988 | 2,334 | 42.94% | 2,859 | 52.60% | 242 | 4.45% |
| 1984 | 2,696 | 45.87% | 2,918 | 49.64% | 264 | 4.49% |
| 1980 | 2,057 | 34.07% | 3,748 | 62.08% | 232 | 3.84% |
| 1976 | 1,372 | 24.50% | 4,228 | 75.50% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 3,385 | 66.92% | 1,665 | 32.92% | 8 | 0.16% |
| 1968 | 972 | 17.00% | 2,270 | 39.71% | 2,474 | 43.28% |
| 1964 | 1,930 | 36.86% | 3,294 | 62.91% | 12 | 0.23% |
| 1960 | 1,063 | 27.01% | 2,502 | 63.57% | 371 | 9.43% |
| 1956 | 1,204 | 28.73% | 2,935 | 70.03% | 52 | 1.24% |
| 1952 | 1,037 | 24.74% | 3,150 | 75.14% | 5 | 0.12% |
| 1948 | 233 | 7.68% | 2,122 | 69.96% | 678 | 22.35% |
| 1944 | 186 | 13.66% | 1,175 | 86.27% | 1 | 0.07% |
| 1940 | 146 | 9.57% | 1,370 | 89.78% | 10 | 0.66% |
| 1936 | 55 | 3.75% | 1,411 | 96.12% | 2 | 0.14% |
| 1932 | 81 | 4.94% | 1,549 | 94.51% | 9 | 0.55% |
| 1928 | 331 | 23.39% | 1,082 | 76.47% | 2 | 0.14% |
| 1924 | 209 | 21.55% | 540 | 55.67% | 221 | 22.78% |
| 1920 | 360 | 27.40% | 931 | 70.85% | 23 | 1.75% |
| 1916 | 369 | 27.77% | 960 | 72.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1912 | 52 | 9.63% | 314 | 58.15% | 174 | 32.22% |
| 1908 | 263 | 33.21% | 518 | 65.40% | 11 | 1.39% |
| 1904 | 82 | 28.57% | 204 | 71.08% | 1 | 0.35% |
| 1900 | 168 | 33.27% | 328 | 64.95% | 9 | 1.78% |
| 1896 | 290 | 40.50% | 396 | 55.31% | 30 | 4.19% |
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 Desha County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/orcensus-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.[17][18]
Places adjacent to Desha County, Arkansas | |
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Municipalities and communities ofDesha County, Arkansas,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDP | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
33°45′28″N91°17′14″W / 33.75778°N 91.28722°W /33.75778; -91.28722
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