| Polk County, Arkansas | |
Location in the state of Arkansas |
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Arkansas's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | November 30, 1844 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Mena |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
862.42 sq mi (2,234 km²) 859.38 sq mi (2,226 km²) 3.04 sq mi (8 km²), 0.35% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
20,662 24/sq mi (9.28/km²) |
Polk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas, one of twelve Polk Counties in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 20,662. The county seat is Mena.[1] Polk County is Arkansas's 48th county, formed on November 30, 1844, and named for James Polk, President of the United States. At that time, Polk was president elect. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county. It is the setting for Stephen Hunter's fictional Bob Lee Swagger series, the most notable being Black Light, as well as the place where Joel B Reed's fictional character, Jazz Phillips, of the Jazz Phillips mystery series, grew up.
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According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 862.42 square miles (2,233.7 km2), of which 859.38 square miles (2,225.8 km2) (or 99.65%) is land and 3.04 square miles (7.9 km2) (or 0.35%) is water.[2]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 1,263 |
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| 1860 | 4,262 | 237.5% | |
| 1870 | 3,376 | −20.8% | |
| 1880 | 5,857 | 73.5% | |
| 1890 | 9,283 | 58.5% | |
| 1900 | 18,352 | 97.7% | |
| 1910 | 17,216 | −6.2% | |
| 1920 | 16,412 | −4.7% | |
| 1930 | 14,857 | −9.5% | |
| 1940 | 15,832 | 6.6% | |
| 1950 | 14,182 | −10.4% | |
| 1960 | 11,981 | −15.5% | |
| 1970 | 13,297 | 11.0% | |
| 1980 | 17,007 | 27.9% | |
| 1990 | 17,347 | 2.0% | |
| 2000 | 20,229 | 16.6% | |
| 2010 | 20,662 | 2.1% | |
| [3][4][5] | |||
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 20,229 people, 8,047 households, and 5,793 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 9,236 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.69% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 1.49% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.72% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. 3.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 8,047 households out of which 31.90% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.00% 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 2.49 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.60% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $25,180, and the median income for a family was $31,379. Males had a median income of $23,397 versus $17,294 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,063. 18.20% of the population and 14.00% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 23.50% are under the age of 18 and 16.20% are 65 or older.
As of 2010 Polk County had a population of 20,662. Of this population 89.77% were Non-Hispanic whites, 0.31% were blacks, 1.76% Native Americans, 0.45% Asians, 2.03% Non-Hispanics reporting one or more race and 5.76% Hispanic or Latino.
Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas and some may have incorporated towns or cities within part of their space. Townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the US Census does list Arkansas population based on townships (often referred to as "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. The townships of Polk County are listed below with the town(s) and/or city that are fully or partially inside them listed in parentheses. [8][9]
| Le Flore County, Oklahoma | Scott County | |||
| Montgomery County | ||||
| Polk County, Arkansas | ||||
| McCurtain County, Oklahoma | Sevier County | Howard County |
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