St. Francis County

History

St. Francis County was formed by the Arkansas territorial legislature on October 13, 1827. Madison served as the county seat until Forrest City, formed in 1869 and named after Nathan Bedford Forrest, replaced it in 1874.

The percentage of tenant farmers in the county rose from 43.2% in 1880 to 70.7% in 1900.

It is on the eastern border of the state in the Arkansas Delta, formed by the lowlands of the Mississippi River. It was an area of large cotton plantations in the antebellum era, when the workers were enslaved African Americans. It continued as an agricultural area into the late 19th century, when many freedmen became sharecroppers.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 643 square miles (1,670 km2), of which 635 square miles (1,640 km2) is land and 7.7 square miles (20 km2) (1.2%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 40

U.S. Highway 70

Highway 1

Highway 38

Highway 50

Highway 75

Adjacent counties

Cross County (north)

Crittenden County (east)

Lee County (south)

Monroe County (southwest)

Woodruff County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 23,090. The median age was 42.2 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 116.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 122.1 males age 18 and over.

37.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 62.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 8,470 households in the county, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 34.9% were married-couple households, 20.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 39.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 9,565 housing units, of which 11.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 56.0% were owner-occupied and 44.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.2%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 28,258 people living in the county. 51.9% were Black or African American, 44.2% White, 0.5% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.4% of some other race and 1.5% of two or more races. 4.1% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 29,329 people, 10,043 households, and 7,230 families living in the county. The population density was 18/km2 (47/mi2). There were 11,242 housing units at an average density of 7/km2 (18/mi2). The racial makeup of the county was 48.36% White, 49.01% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. 4.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,043 households, out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.90% were married couples living together, 20.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.90% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 11.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 105.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,146, and the median income for a family was $30,324. Males had a median income of $28,389 versus $20,578 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,483. About 23.10% of families and 27.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.70% of those under age 18 and 23.10% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

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 St. Francis County Quorum Court has eleven members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive 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.

The composition of the Quorum Court after the 2024 elections is 7 Democrats, 3 Republicans, and 1 Independent. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:

District 1: Charles Jones (D)

District 2: Jimmy Long (I)

District 3: Margarette Lacy Winfrey (D)

District 4: David Coleman (R)

District 5: Ernestine Weaver (D)

District 6: Greg Gray (R)

District 7: Nathaniel Murray (D)

District 8: Christopher Ray (D)

District 9: Maceo J. Hawkins (D)

District 10: Kendall Owens (D)

District 11: Jamie Busby (R)

Additionally, the townships of St. Francis 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. The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:

Politics

The Republican Party and Union Labor Party merged for the 1888 election and nominated a multiracial slate of candidates against the all-white Democratic slate. On September 4, Paul M. Cobbs, a white Democrat, shot at men guarding the precinct ballot box and wounded seven. The Republican-Union Labor ticket won the county elections. The Union Labor Party's gubernatorial and Arkansas's 1st congressional district candidates also won St. Francis County.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons Federal Correctional Complex, Forrest City is in Forrest City.

A portion of St. Francis County is represented in the Arkansas Senate by Republican Ronald R. Caldwell.

In presidential elections, St. Francis County generally votes Democratic. Following Reconstruction and disenfranchisement of black voters at the turn of the century, the county voted Democratic in every election since 1896, other than 1900 (William McKinley), 1908 (William Howard Taft), and 1968 (George Wallace).

By the late 1960s, white conservatives began to shift into the Republican Party, and St. Francis County was carried by Richard Nixon in 1972 amidst a national landslide. In 1984, Ronald Reagan carried the county in his landslide reelection. The county has voted Democratic in every subsequent presidential election, albeit be narrowing margins in recent years. In 2024, Kamala Harris narrowly won the county by 44 votes.

Communities

Cities

Forrest City (county seat)

Madison

Towns

Caldwell

Colt

Heth

Hughes

Palestine

Wheatley

Widener

Census-designated place

Goodwin

Townships

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, the United 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 St. Francis County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.

Education

School districts include:

Forrest City School District

Palestine-Wheatley School District

West Memphis School District

Former school districts:

Hughes School District

Notable people

Al Green, soul singer

Charlie Rich, country singer

Sonny Liston, world heavyweight boxing champion

Mark R. Martin, Secretary of State of Arkansas