| Searcy County, Arkansas | |
Location in the state of Arkansas |
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Arkansas's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | December 13, 1838 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Marshall |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
668.51 sq mi (1,731 km²) 667.15 sq mi (1,728 km²) 1.36 sq mi (4 km²), 0.20% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
8,195 12/sq mi (4.74/km²) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
Searcy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 8,195. The county seat is Marshall. The county was formed December 13, 1838, from a portion of Marion County and named for Richard Searcy, the first clerk and judge in the Arkansas Territory. The city of Searcy, Arkansas, some seventy miles away, shares the name despite having never been part of Searcy County. The county is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.
For more information about Searcy County, visit the official website of the Greater Searcy County Chamber of Commerce at: http://www.searcycountyarkansas.org
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According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 668.51 square miles (1,731.4 km2), of which 667.15 square miles (1,727.9 km2) (or 99.80%) is land and 1.36 square miles (3.5 km2) (or 0.20%) is water.[1]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 936 |
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| 1850 | 1,979 | 111.4% | |
| 1860 | 5,271 | 166.3% | |
| 1870 | 5,614 | 6.5% | |
| 1880 | 7,278 | 29.6% | |
| 1890 | 9,664 | 32.8% | |
| 1900 | 11,988 | 24.0% | |
| 1910 | 14,825 | 23.7% | |
| 1920 | 14,590 | −1.6% | |
| 1930 | 11,056 | −24.2% | |
| 1940 | 11,942 | 8.0% | |
| 1950 | 10,424 | −12.7% | |
| 1960 | 8,124 | −22.1% | |
| 1970 | 7,731 | −4.8% | |
| 1980 | 8,847 | 14.4% | |
| 1990 | 7,841 | −11.4% | |
| 2000 | 8,261 | 5.4% | |
| 2010 | 8,195 | −0.8% | |
| [2][3][4] | |||
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 8,261 people, 3,523 households, and 2,466 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 4,292 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.26% White, 0.04% Black or African American, 0.75% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 1.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,523 households out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the county the population was spread out with 22.70% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 19.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $21,397, and the median income for a family was $27,580. Males had a median income of $21,768 versus $16,276 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,536. About 17.80% of families and 23.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.00% of those under age 18 and 26.60% of those age 65 or over.
Searcy is among the northwestern Arkansas counties that have been traditionally Republican in political leanings. In the last thirteen Presidential elections Jimmy Carter was the only Democrat to carry the county.[7] It was one of the only counties in Arkansas to be won by Alf Landon.[8] In the 1992 election George H. W. Bush won by the second highest margin in the state and the Republican nominee has received over 60% in each of the last three Presidential elections.[9]
This is perhaps somewhat less true on a local level. The county is in Arkansas's 1st congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+8 and is represented by Democrat Robert Marion Berry. In the Arkansas House of Representatives they are represented by Republican Roy Ragland.[10] The state senator, Randy Laverty, is of the Democratic Party[11] although in gubernatorial races the county tends to favor Republicans. It is the only county in Arkansas where Republican Sheffield Nelson won in both 1990 and 1994.[12]
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 Searcy County are listed below with the town(s) and/or city that are fully or partially inside them listed in parentheses. [13]
| Boone County | Marion County | Baxter County | ||
| Newton County | Stone County | |||
| Searcy County, Arkansas | ||||
| Pope County | Van Buren County |
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