Lafayette County, Arkansas

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Lafayette County, Arkansas
Map
Location in the state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	October 15, 1827
Seat	Lewisville
Area - Total - Land - Water	545 sq mi (1,412 km²) 526 sq mi (1,362 km²) 19 sq mi (49 km²), 3.41%
Population - (2000) - Density	8,559 16/sq mi (6/km²)

Lafayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population is 8,559. The county seat is Lewisville.^[1] Lafayette County was formed on October 15, 1827 and named in honor of Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero and American general who fought during the American Revolutionary War.
The local pronunciation of the name is "luh-FAY-ut". It is a dry county; therefore, the sale of alcohol is prohibited.

1 Geography
- 1.1 Major highways
- 1.2 Adjacent counties
2 Demographics
3 Cities
4 References

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 545 square miles (1,412 km²), of which, 526 square miles (1,364 km²) of it is land and 19 square miles (48 km²) of it (3.41%) is water.

[edit] Major highways

U.S. Highway 82
Highway 29
Highway 53
Highway 160

[edit] Adjacent counties

Hempstead County (north)
Nevada County (northeast)
Columbia County (east)
Webster Parish, Louisiana (southeast)
Bossier Parish, Louisiana (south)
Caddo Parish, Louisiana (southwest)
Miller County (west)

[edit] Demographics

Age pyramid Lafayette County^[2]

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 8,559 people, 3,434 households, and 2,376 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 4,560 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 62.08% White, 36.49% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,434 households out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.60% were married couples living together, 14.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,831, and the median income for a family was $30,720. Males had a median income of $26,492 versus $17,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,128. About 18.70% of families and 23.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.50% of those under age 18 and 19.30% of those age 65 or over.