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Greene County, Arkansas

Coordinates: 36°06′21″N 90°33′41″W / 36.10583°N 90.56139°W / 36.10583; -90.56139
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Greene County
County
Courthouse in Paragould
Courthouse in Paragould
Map of Arkansas highlighting Greene County
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Map of the United States highlighting Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°06′21″N 90°33′41″W / 36.105833333333°N 90.561388888889°W / 36.105833333333; -90.561388888889
Country United States
State Arkansas
FoundedNovember 5, 1833
Named afterNathanael Greene
SeatParagould
Largest cityParagould
Area
 • Total
580 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Land578 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Water1.9 sq mi (5 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
45,736
 • Estimate 
(2023)
46,743 Increase
 • Density79/sq mi (30/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district1st
Websitecounty.arkansas.gov/greene/

Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,736.[1] The county seat is Paragould,[2] which sits atop Crowley's Ridge. Greene County is included in Jonesboro–Paragould Combined Statistical Area.

History

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The first settler in the area was Benjamin Crowley, who arrived from Kentucky in 1821 and made his home about 12 miles (19 km) west of Paragould.

Greene County was formed on November 5, 1833, out of portions of Lawrence County and originally contained parts of present Clay and Craighead counties. The county was named for Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. The first county seat was in Benjamin Crowley's home. By 1836, when Arkansas became a state, the county seat was located in a settlement called "Paris" (not to be confused with present-day Paris, Arkansas).

In 1848 a national highway was made through the area, and the county seat was moved to Gainesville, which had a reputation as rather lawless. The seat remained there until 1883, when it was transferred to the new town of Paragould. The people in Gainesville opposed the move, and shots reportedly were fired, since tempers were high. The courthouse was built in 1888 and survives in downtown Paragould.

In the early 20th century, Clay, Greene, and Craighead counties had sundown town policies forbidding African Americans from living in the area.[3]

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 580 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 578 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2) (0.3%) is water.[4]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18401,586—
18502,59363.5%
18605,843125.3%
18707,57329.6%
18807,480−1.2%
189012,90872.6%
190016,97931.5%
191023,85240.5%
192026,1059.4%
193026,1270.1%
194030,20415.6%
195029,149−3.5%
196025,198−13.6%
197024,765−1.7%
198030,74424.1%
199031,8043.4%
200037,33117.4%
201042,09012.7%
202045,7368.7%
2023 (est.)46,743[5]2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8]
1990–2000[9] 2010[10]
Age pyramid Greene County[11]

2020 census

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Greene County racial composition[12]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 40,509 88.57%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 926 2.02%
Native American 138 0.3%
Asian 181 0.4%
Pacific Islander 287 0.63%
Other/Mixed 2,099 4.59%
Hispanic or Latino 1,596 3.49%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 45,736 people, 17,254 households, and 12,280 families residing in the city.

2010 census

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As of the 2010 census, there were 42,090 people living in the county. The racial makeup of the county was 95.4% White, 0.6% Black, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, <0.1% from some other race and 1.1% from two or more races. 2.1% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

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As of the 2000 census,[13] there were 37,331 people, 14,750 households, and 10,708 families living in the county. The population density was 65 people per square mile (25 people/km2). There were 16,161 housing units at an average density of 28 units per square mile (11 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.45% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 1.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,750 households, out of which 33.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,828, and the median income for a family was $37,316. Males had a median income of $27,535 versus $20,375 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,403. About 9.90% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 12.80% of those age 65 or over.

Government

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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 Greene 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.[14][15]

Greene County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials[16][17][18]
Position Officeholder Party
County Judge Rusty McMillon Republican
County Clerk Phyllis Rhynes Republican
Circuit Clerk Lesa Gramling Republican
Sheriff Brad Snyder Republican
Treasurer Kristi Rawls Republican
Collector Cindy Tracer Republican
Assessor Ashley Reynolds Republican
Coroner Martin Buchman (Unknown)

The composition of the Quorum Court after the 2024 elections is 11 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:[18][19][20]

  • District 1: Sherma Clark Dicus (R)
  • District 2: Robert Glasco (R)
  • District 3: Bill McCartney (R)
  • District 4: Jonathan Davis (R)
  • District 5: Michele Boling (R)
  • District 6: Phillip Keeling (R)
  • District 7: Allen Davis (R)
  • District 8: Dean Wooldridge (R)
  • District 9: Marc Reeves (R)
  • District 10: Ronnie Roberts (R)
  • District 11: Kirk Brinkley (R)

Additionally, the townships of Greene 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.[21] The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:[19][20]

  • Bula: Kevin Gillmore (R)
  • Campground: Billy Joe Foster (R)
  • Crowley's Ridge: Patrick Lenderman (R)
  • Dalton: David Howell (R)
  • Rush Island: Jeremy Perry (D)

Over the past few election cycles, Greene County has swung hard towards the GOP. The last Democrat to carry this county was Al Gore in 2000. Twenty years later, Joe Biden failed to even garner twenty percent of the county's vote.

United States presidential election results for Greene County, Arkansas[22]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 12,617 79.75% 2,935 18.55% 268 1.69%
2020 12,670 78.70% 3,058 18.99% 372 2.31%
2016 10,720 73.42% 3,071 21.03% 809 5.54%
2012 9,071 65.92% 4,000 29.07% 690 5.01%
2008 8,578 63.02% 4,541 33.36% 493 3.62%
2004 7,237 51.86% 6,564 47.04% 154 1.10%
2000 5,831 46.71% 6,319 50.62% 334 2.68%
1996 3,757 32.68% 6,622 57.61% 1,116 9.71%
1992 3,510 28.49% 7,541 61.20% 1,271 10.31%
1988 5,161 50.06% 5,065 49.13% 84 0.81%
1984 6,179 56.17% 4,730 43.00% 91 0.83%
1980 4,514 41.64% 5,996 55.31% 331 3.05%
1976 2,690 26.39% 7,495 73.54% 7 0.07%
1972 6,128 73.03% 2,263 26.97% 0 0.00%
1968 2,859 35.40% 2,197 27.20% 3,021 37.40%
1964 2,271 32.27% 4,742 67.39% 24 0.34%
1960 2,658 47.73% 2,774 49.81% 137 2.46%
1956 1,898 35.22% 3,454 64.09% 37 0.69%
1952 1,875 34.35% 3,571 65.43% 12 0.22%
1948 502 14.81% 2,657 78.38% 231 6.81%
1944 928 26.51% 2,565 73.26% 8 0.23%
1940 510 18.65% 2,220 81.17% 5 0.18%
1936 412 18.48% 1,811 81.25% 6 0.27%
1932 274 7.65% 3,277 91.43% 33 0.92%
1928 1,011 41.27% 1,426 58.20% 13 0.53%
1924 456 23.57% 1,148 59.33% 331 17.11%
1920 1,072 35.53% 1,865 61.82% 80 2.65%
1916 533 18.87% 2,292 81.13% 0 0.00%
1912 286 14.05% 1,251 61.47% 498 24.47%
1908 549 24.48% 1,606 71.60% 88 3.92%
1904 409 29.45% 922 66.38% 58 4.18%
1900 419 27.44% 1,091 71.45% 17 1.11%
1896 262 13.79% 1,627 85.63% 11 0.58%

Communities

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Cities

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Towns

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Unincorporated communities

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Townships

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Townships in Greene County, Arkansas as of 2010

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 Greene County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.[23][24]

  • Blue Cane
  • Breckenridge (Lafe)
  • Bryan
  • Cache
  • Clark (most of Paragould)
  • Collier
  • Crowley
  • Evening Shade
  • Friendship
  • Hays
  • Hopewell
  • Hurricane (Marmaduke)
  • Jones (Delaplaine)
  • Lake
  • Main Shore
  • Poland
  • Reynolds
  • St. Francis (small part of Paragould)
  • Salem
  • Shady Grove
  • Spring Grove (part of Paragould)
  • Sugar Creek
  • Union (Oak Grove Heights)
  • Walnut Corner

Education

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School districts include:[25]

  • Greene County Technical School District
  • Marmaduke School District
  • Paragould School District
    • It consists of the boundary of the original Paragould School District, plus the Oak Grove School district,[26] which merged with the former Paragould district on July 1, 1985,[27] and the Stanford School District.[26] The new merged district was originally called the Northeast Arkansas School District;[27] by 1997 the name of the new district became the Paragould School District.[26]
  • Rector School District
    • The Greenway School District and the former Rector District merged into the Clay County Central School District on July 1, 1984.[27] The name of the merged district later became the Rector School District.

Former districts:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Greene County, Arkansas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Neville, A. W. (March 2, 1945). "Backward Glances". The Paris News. Paris, Texas. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com. On the survey from Bird's Point, Mo., to Jonesboro, Ark., I had a Negro cook. As Negroes were not allowed to live in Clay, Greene and Craighead Counties, Ark., my cook was a curiosity to the children. The women used to bring the children to camp to see him.
  4. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  5. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  8. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  10. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  11. ^ Based on 2000 census data
  12. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  13. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  14. ^ "Quorum Courts". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  15. ^ "Office of County Judge". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  16. ^ "Elected Officials of Greene County Arkansas". www.greenecounty.arkansas.gov. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  17. ^ https://www.arcounties.org/site/assets/files/6033/november_races.pdf
  18. ^ a b "Greene | Association of Arkansas Counties". www.arcounties.org. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  19. ^ a b "Greene County, Arkansas, elections, 2024". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  20. ^ a b "Election Night Reporting". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  21. ^ "What is a Constable?". What is a Constable?. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  22. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  23. ^ 2011 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS): Greene County, AR (PDF) (Map). U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  24. ^ "Arkansas: 2010 Census Block Maps - County Subdivision". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  25. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Greene County, AR" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022. - Text list
  26. ^ a b c Home. Paragould School District. February 11, 1997. Retrieved on October 14, 2017. "Paragould School District is a consolidated district comprising the former districts of Oak Grove, Stanford, and Paragould."
  27. ^ a b c d "ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on October 13, 2017.
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36°06′21″N 90°33′41″W / 36.10583°N 90.56139°W / 36.10583; -90.56139

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