Cleburne County, Arkansas

Cleburne County is a county located in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,711. The county seat and most populous city is Heber Springs. The county was formed on February 20, 1883, making it the youngest of Arkansas's 75 counties. It is named for Confederate Major-General Patrick Cleburne. Cleburne is an alcohol-prohibition or dry county.

WWW Official Site

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Much of the water area in the County includes Greers Ferry Lake, which extends westward into neighboring Van Buren County.

Major highways

Arkansas Highway 225

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 24,711. The median age was 50.5 years. 18.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 27.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.6 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 92.9% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.9% from some other race, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.6% of the population.
27.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 72.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 10,819 households in the county, of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.7% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 15,527 housing units, of which 30.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.3% were owner-occupied and 23.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 14.3%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 24,046 people, 10,190 households, and 7,408 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 13,732 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 98.20% White, 0.12% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 1.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 10,190 households, out of which 26.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 24.40% 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 2.33 and the average family size was 2.74.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.30% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 26.90% from 45 to 64, and 21.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 93.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,531, and the median income for a family was $37,273. Males had a median income of $28,844 versus $19,672 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,250. About 9.00% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.10% of those under age 18 and 11.90% 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 Cleburne 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.

Position	Officeholder	Party
County Judge	Eric Crosby	Republican
County Clerk	Sherry Logan	Republican
Circuit Clerk	Heather Smith	Republican
Sheriff	Chris Brown	Republican
Treasurer	Felicia Hipp	Republican
Collector	Connie Caldwell	Republican
Assessor	Rachelle Hipp Miller	Republican
Coroner	Waren Olmstead	Republican
Surveyor	Perry Sayles

The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 11 Republicans. Justices of the Peace of the Quorum Court following the elections are:

District 1: Brian Moorehead
District 2: Sam Henegar
District 3: Stephen Beavers
District 4: Linda Fletcher
District 5: Alan Malone
District 6: Chad Evans
District 7: Jacque Martin
District 8: Brent Foust
District 9: Charles Tamburo
District 10: Mark Baugh
District 11: Jeremy Mcclung

Additionally, the townships of Cleburne 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:

District 1: Christopher Gracey
District 2: Harold B. Williams

Politics

A typical Solid South county for most of its history, voting overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates, Cleburne County has trended heavily towards the GOP in recent decades. As of 2024, the last Democrat to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1996.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Townships

California
Center Post
Clayton
East Peter Creek
Francis
Giles
Grassey
Healing Springs
Heber
McJester
Morgan
Mountain
North Cadron
Pickens
Pine
Piney
Poff
Saline
South Cadron
Sugar Camp
Sugar Loaf
Valley
West Peter Creek
Wilburn