Columbia County, Arkansas


Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,801. The county seat is Magnolia. The county was formed on December 17, 1852, and was named for Christopher Columbus. The Magnolia, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Columbia County.
Columbia County is home to Southern Arkansas University, which dominates the economic and cultural landscape of the county.
WWW countyofcolumbia.org

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Columbia County is in South Arkansas. Columbia County, along with Union County, is home to the largest bromine reserve in the United States.
Dorcheat Bayou flows through Columbia County from its origin in Nevada County southward into Webster Parish, Louisiana, before emptying into Lake Bistineau.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 22,801. The median age was 37.3 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.1 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 58.6% White, 34.5% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.1% from some other race, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.4% of the population.
45.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 54.4% lived in rural areas.
There were 9,082 households in the county, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.4% were married-couple households, 20.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 10,999 housing units, of which 17.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.4% were owner-occupied and 32.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.7%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 25,603 people, 9,981 households, and 6,747 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 11,566 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 62.08% White, 36.06% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 1.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 9,981 households, out of which 30.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.90% were married couples living together, 15.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 29.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.10% under the age of 18, 12.30% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,640, and the median income for a family was $36,271. Males had a median income of $31,313 versus $20,099 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,322. About 15.80% of families and 21.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.70% of those under age 18 and 20.00% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Major highways

Airports

Magnolia Municipal Airport is a public-use airport in Columbia County. It is owned by the city of Magnolia and located three nautical miles southeast of its central business district.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

  • Atlanta
  • Big Creek
  • Brister
  • Bussey
  • Calhoun
  • Jefferson
  • Lamartine
  • Plainfield
  • Village
  • Walkerville
  • Welcome

Townships

Education

School districts include:
Private schools include:
  • Columbia Christian School
Former school districts:

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 Columbia County Quorum Court has eleven 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.
PositionOfficeholderParty
County JudgeDoug FieldsRepublican
County ClerkTammy Kimble WiltzRepublican
Circuit ClerkLisa Lewis
SheriffLeroy Martin IIIndependent
TreasurerSelena BlairRepublican
CollectorRachel WallerRepublican
AssessorShannon HairRepublican
CoronerRandy ReedDemocratic

The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 9 Republicans and 2 Democrats. Justices of the Peace of the Quorum Court following the elections are:
  • District 1: Virginia Pate
  • District 2: Mark Gullenwider
  • District 3: Jason Clark
  • District 4: Penny Cook
  • District 5: Ricky Waller
  • District 6: Jeremy Dodson
  • District 7: Oliver Thomas
  • District 8: Terry Williams
  • District 9: Charles Michael Henderson
  • District 10: Lynn Story
  • District 11: Mike Loe
Additionally, the townships of Columbia 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:
  • Columbia North: Charles Holt
  • Columbia South: Jimmy Holt
  • Emerson: Dusty Shepherd
  • Magnolia: Randall Adams
  • McNeil: Charles E. Beckham III
  • Taylor: Hunter Scott
  • Waldo: Truman Young

Politics

Columbia County's political history is deeply unusual for a county dominated by a university, as it is deeply conservative despite most college counties being Democratic strongholds. Like most fellow Southern counties, Columbia County was once a Democratic stronghold during the 19th century and most of the 20th century, before shifting rapidly towards Republicans in the late 20th century. While other Southern counties remained solidly Republican, Columbia County joined several of its fellow Arkansan counties in voting for native son Bill Clinton before it continued shifting towards Republicans in the 21st century. Republicans have generally seen slowly increasing margins, with Donald Trump securing nearly 68% of the vote in 2024, the best result a Republican has ever seen in the county other than Richard Nixon's 1972 landslide.
In 2014, voters overturned a 71-year-old prohibition against the sale of alcoholic beverages in the county.