Lafayette County, Arkansas
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county
Lafayette County Template:IPAc-en is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,308,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> making it the third-least populous county in Arkansas. The county seat is Lewisville.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Lafayette County was formed on October 15, 1827, and named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> a French military hero of the American Revolutionary War. It is a dry county; therefore, the sale of alcohol is prohibited.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (3.1%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> It is the smallest county in Arkansas by area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Major highways
- File:US 82.svg U.S. Highway 82
- File:Arkansas 29.svg Highway 29
- File:Arkansas 53.svg Highway 53
- File:Arkansas 160.svg Highway 160
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)
Demographics
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 3,870 | 61.35% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,043 | 32.39% |
| Native American | 29 | 0.46% |
| Asian | 32 | 0.51% |
| Pacific Islander | 5 | 0.08% |
| Other/Mixed | 184 | 2.92% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 145 | 2.3% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,308 people, 2,784 households, and 1,801 families residing in the county.
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census,<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 8,559 people, 3,434 households, and 2,376 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 4,560 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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.
Economics
The major economic activities in Lafayette Country are agriculture (including livestock and poultry),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> logging (especially pine), and oil production.<ref>Lafayette County. arkansas.net, 19 September 2023.</ref>
The discovery of significant quantities of lithium in the brines of the Smackover geological formation has resulted in early commercial activity to develop economic lithium resource mining and production in the county. A 2022 report estimated that the lithium brine in the formation has "sufficient lithium to produce enough batteries for 50 million electric vehicles"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and may hold five to 19 million tons of lithium.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By 2025, results from multiple exploration wells in the county had found an average lithium concentration of Template:Cvt of subsurface brine, including the highest concentration yet reported in the entire Smackover formation. A commercial production decision for a Template:Convert project area south of Lewisville, Stamps, and Buckner is expected by the end of 2025.<ref name=BannerNews20250715>Template:Cite news</ref>
Government
Government
The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Arkansas and the Arkansas 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 Lafayette County Quorum Court has nine members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief operating 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Position | Officeholder | Party |
|---|---|---|
| County Judge | Valarie Clark | Republican |
| County Clerk | Angela Brazell | Republican |
| Circuit Clerk | Dana Phillips | Republican |
| Sheriff | Jeff Black | Republican |
| Treasurer/Collector | Michelle Perkison | Republican |
| Assessor | Billie Jo Pierson | Republican |
| Coroner | William C. "Bill" Powell | Republican |
The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 5 Republicans, 3 Democrats, and 1 Independent. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>
- District 1: Jeremy Kitchens (R)
- District 2: Linda D. Goodner (R)
- District 3: Charles H. Goodwin (R)
- District 4: Rex Lenard (R)
- District 5: LeNora Jackson (D)
- District 6: Catherine Ann Rone (D)
- District 7: Horace M. Hight (R)
- District 8: Stephanie Harris (D)
- District 9: Jimmy Brackman (I)
Additionally, the townships of Lafayette County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by the Constitution of Arkansas. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:<ref name=":2" />
- District 1: Braxton Ben Butler (I)
Politics
Prior to 2000, Lafayette County was considered an "ancestral" Democratic county among white conservatives. Exceptions were the 1972 and 1984 landslides of Republicans Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, respectively.
Former Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas, considered a son of the South, won this county twice in his presidential runs: 1992 and 1996. Clinton's vice president, Al Gore of Tennessee, another son of the South, won the county in 2000, the most recent Democrat to do so. Most of the African-American voters have been affiliated with the national Democratic Party since the 1960s, even as conservative whites here shifted to the Republican Party. Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
Communities
Towns
- Bradley
- Buckner
- Lewisville (county seat)
- Stamps
Townships
Template:Arkansas Townships About <ref>Template:Cite map</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Baker (most of Stamps)
- French
- Hadley (Buckner, small part of Stamps)
- La Grange (small part of Lewisville)
- Mars Hill
- Roane (Bradley)
- Russell
- Steel (most of Lewisville)
- Walker Creek
Source:<ref name=2010-Census-PDF1 />
Education
There are two school districts in the county: Lafayette County School District and the Emerson-Taylor-Bradley School District.<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref> Previously the Bradley School District was the second district;<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref> it merged into Emerson-Taylor-Bradley in 2013.<ref name=Stateapp>Template:Cite news</ref>
See also
- Honors and memorials to the Marquis de Lafayette
- List of counties in Arkansas
- List of lakes in Lafayette County, Arkansas
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lafayette County, Arkansas
References
External links
Template:Geographic Location Template:Lafayette County, Arkansas Template:Arkansas