Madison County, Arkansas

Not to be confused with Madison, Arkansas.

Madison County
County
Clockwise from top: A rural scene in Madison County near Forum, Madison County Courthouse in Huntsville, War Eagle Creek Bridge, Kings River Falls and swimming hole at the Kings River Falls Natural Area
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°01′38″N93°41′45″W / 36.027222222222°N 93.695833333333°W / 36.027222222222; -93.695833333333
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Founded	September 30, 1836
Named for	Madison County, Alabama
Seat	Huntsville
Largest city	Huntsville
Area
• Total	837 sq mi (2,170 km2)
• Land	834 sq mi (2,160 km2)
• Water	2.8 sq mi (7 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	16,521
• Estimate  (2023)	17,775
• Density	20/sq mi (7.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	madisoncogov.com

Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,521. ^[1] The county seat is Huntsville. ^[2] The county was formed on September 30, 1836, and named for Madison County, Alabama, the home of some early settlers. They also named the county seat after Madison County in Alabama's county seat, Huntsville. ^[3] Madison County is part of the Northwest Arkansas region.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 837 square miles (2,170 km²), of which 834 square miles (2,160 km²) is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²) (0.3%) is water. ^[4]

Adjacent counties

• Carroll County (north)
• Newton County (east)
• Johnson County (southeast)
• Franklin County (south)
• Crawford County (southwest)
• Washington County (west)
• Benton County (northwest)

National protected area

• Ozark National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	2,775		—
1850	4,823		73.8%
1860	7,740		60.5%
1870	8,231		6.3%
1880	11,455		39.2%
1890	17,402		51.9%
1900	19,864		14.1%
1910	16,056		−19.2%
1920	14,918		−7.1%
1930	13,334		−10.6%
1940	14,531		9.0%
1950	11,734		−19.2%
1960	9,068		−22.7%
1970	9,453		4.2%
1980	11,373		20.3%
1990	11,618		2.2%
2000	14,243		22.6%
2010	15,717		10.3%
2020	16,521		5.1%
2023 (est.)	17,775	[5]	7.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1790–1960 [7] 1900–1990 [8] 1990–2000 [9] 2010 [10]

Age pyramid Madison County

2020 census

Madison County racial composition ^[12]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	14,075	85.19%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	36	0.22%
Native American	205	1.24%
Asian	102	0.62%
Pacific Islander	238	1.44%
Other/Mixed	975	5.9%
Hispanic or Latino	890	5.39%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 16,521 people, 6,279 households, and 4,318 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, ^[13] there were 14,243 people, 5,463 households, and 4,080 families residing in the county. The population density was 7/km² (18/sq mi). There were 6,537 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (7.8/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 95.94% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 1.22% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.47% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. 3.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,463 households, out of which 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.00% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.30% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.80% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,895, and the median income for a family was $32,910. Males had a median income of $24,911 versus $18,786 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,736. About 14.70% of families and 18.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.60% of those under age 18 and 18.00% of those age 65 or over.

Government

During the Secession Convention of 1861, Arkansas voted to leave the Union and join the Confederate States of America. When Chairman David Walker called for a second vote seeking a unanimous decision, only Madison County representative Isaac Murphy refused to change his vote. ^[14] Murphy would later be appointed Governor of Arkansas during Reconstruction under Abraham Lincoln's conciliatory policy.

Madison County is strongly Republican, and voted for the Republican candidate several times even when Arkansas was part of the "Solid South". A Democrat has carried the county only four times since 1940.

United States presidential election results for Madison County, Arkansas ^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	5,885	78.46%	1,491	19.88%	125	1.67%
2020	5,658	76.97%	1,563	21.26%	130	1.77%
2016	4,928	72.04%	1,588	23.21%	325	4.75%
2012	4,263	64.91%	2,099	31.96%	206	3.14%
2008	3,972	62.77%	2,144	33.88%	212	3.35%
2004	3,873	60.67%	2,421	37.92%	90	1.41%
2000	3,387	60.18%	2,055	36.51%	186	3.30%
1996	2,303	43.01%	2,504	46.76%	548	10.23%
1992	2,238	42.41%	2,415	45.76%	624	11.82%
1988	3,067	58.72%	2,106	40.32%	50	0.96%
1984	3,516	61.65%	2,133	37.40%	54	0.95%
1980	3,180	54.50%	2,434	41.71%	221	3.79%
1976	2,502	46.09%	2,926	53.91%	0	0.00%
1972	3,372	64.09%	1,889	35.91%	0	0.00%
1968	2,320	47.14%	1,574	31.98%	1,028	20.89%
1964	1,997	42.26%	2,715	57.45%	14	0.30%
1960	2,445	58.20%	1,702	40.51%	54	1.29%
1956	2,525	53.54%	2,186	46.35%	5	0.11%
1952	2,868	57.51%	2,110	42.31%	9	0.18%
1948	2,201	51.22%	2,041	47.50%	55	1.28%
1944	2,120	54.25%	1,788	45.75%	0	0.00%
1940	2,107	48.91%	2,196	50.97%	5	0.12%
1936	1,484	46.86%	1,679	53.02%	4	0.13%
1932	2,197	43.12%	2,803	55.01%	95	1.86%
1928	2,760	61.33%	1,717	38.16%	23	0.51%
1924	1,263	46.85%	1,335	49.52%	98	3.64%
1920	1,715	53.10%	1,463	45.29%	52	1.61%
1916	1,332	47.78%	1,456	52.22%	0	0.00%
1912	786	38.91%	932	46.14%	302	14.95%
1908	1,541	50.28%	1,441	47.01%	83	2.71%
1904	1,160	50.94%	1,072	47.08%	45	1.98%
1900	1,289	46.52%	1,475	53.23%	7	0.25%
1896	1,260	42.25%	1,689	56.64%	33	1.11%

Transportation

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 412
• Highway 12
• Highway 16
• Highway 21
• Highway 23
• Highway 45
• Highway 74

Airport

The Huntsville Municipal Airport is a public-use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) southwest of the central business district of Huntsville. ^[16]

Communities

City

• Huntsville (county seat)

Towns

• Hindsville
• St. Paul

Unincorporated communities

• Delaney
• Kingston
• Marble
• Clifty
• Forum
• Weathers
• Witter
• Japton
• Combs
• Pettigrew
• Wesley
• Aurora

Townships

Townships in Madison 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 Madison County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township. ^{[17] [18]}

Township	FIPS  code	ANSI  code (GNIS  ID)	Population center(s)	Pop. (2010)	Pop. density (/mi2)	Pop. density (/km2)	Total area (mi2)	Total area (km2)	Land area (mi2)	Land area (km2)	Water area (mi2)	Water area (km2)	Geographic coordinates
Alabam	05-90009	00068839		1,261	21.90	8.46	57.903	150.0	57.572	149.1	0.331	0.8573	36°11′28″N93°40′09″W / 36.191194°N 93.669170°W / 36.191194; -93.669170
Bohannan	05-90392	00068840		631	36.81	14.21	17.202	44.55	17.140	44.39	0.062	0.1606	36°05′09″N93°49′16″W / 36.085717°N 93.821228°W / 36.085717; -93.821228
Boston	05-90414	00068841		168	2.54	0.98	66.351	171.8	66.267	171.6	0.084	0.2176	35°50′58″N93°34′36″W / 35.849404°N 93.576730°W / 35.849404; -93.576730
Bowen	05-90426	00068842		486	15.18	5.86	32.123	83.20	32.013	82.91	0.110	0.2849	35°58′31″N93°43′22″W / 35.975305°N 93.722794°W / 35.975305; -93.722794
California	05-90426	00068842		1,303	15.36	5.93	85.034	220.2	84.848	219.8	0.186	0.4817	36°15′19″N93°46′13″W / 36.255402°N 93.770360°W / 36.255402; -93.770360
Hilburn	05-91722	00068844	St. Paul	310	16.39	6.33	18.942	49.06	18.914	48.99	0.028	0.07252	35°47′51″N93°45′36″W / 35.797425°N 93.760126°W / 35.797425; -93.760126
Japton	05-91902	00068845		441	17.28	6.67	25.603	66.31	25.528	66.12	0.075	0.1942	35°57′20″N93°47′37″W / 35.955531°N 93.793701°W / 35.955531; -93.793701
Kentucky	05-92028	00068846		265	5.82	2.25	45.546	118.0	45.508	117.9	0.038	0.09842	35°49′22″N93°40′40″W / 35.822760°N 93.677824°W / 35.822760; -93.677824
Kings River	05-92055	00068847		769	12.16	4.69	63.474	164.4	63.229	163.8	0.245	0.6345	36°02′08″N93°30′12″W / 36.035554°N 93.503218°W / 36.035554; -93.503218
Lamar	05-92103	00068848		949	33.88	13.08	28.138	72.88	28.010	72.55	0.128	0.3315	36°01′59″N93°54′34″W / 36.032938°N 93.909403°W / 36.032938; -93.909403
Lincoln	05-92208	00068849		229	9.19	3.55	24.982	64.70	24.920	64.54	0.062	0.1606	35°54′07″N93°41′11″W / 35.902011°N 93.686265°W / 35.902011; -93.686265
Marble	05-92367	00068850		318	19.48	7.52	16.398	42.47	16.323	42.28	0.166	0.4299	36°07′53″N93°35′56″W / 36.131296°N 93.598757°W / 36.131296; -93.598757
Mill Creek	05-92481	00068851		610	9.44	3.65	64.711	167.6	64.590	167.3	0.121	0.3134	35°50′45″N93°49′35″W / 35.845829°N 93.826426°W / 35.845829; -93.826426
Prairie	05-93000	00068852	Hindsville	1,632	31.40	12.12	52.182	135.2	51.976	134.6	0.206	0.5335	36°08′25″N93°52′12″W / 36.140250°N 93.870069°W / 36.140250; -93.870069
Purdy	05-93048	00068853		314	2.45	8.67	14.029	36.33	13.989	36.23	0.040	0.1036	36°05′18″N93°35′33″W / 36.088293°N 93.592540°W / 36.088293; -93.592540
Richland	05-93144	00068854		567	21.56	8.32	26.372	68.30	26.299	68.11	0.073	0.1891	36°01′20″N93°50′09″W / 36.022251°N 93.835944°W / 36.022251; -93.835944
Valley	05-93759	00068855		517	13.88	5.36	37.414	96.90	37.235	96.44	0.179	0.4636	35°51′02″N93°55′06″W / 35.850483°N 93.918223°W / 35.850483; -93.918223
Venus	05-93792	00068856		244	6.65	2.53	36.783	95.27	36.717	95.10	0.066	0.1709	35°56′23″N93°36′20″W / 35.939655°N 93.605466°W / 35.939655; -93.605466
War Eagle	05-93888	00068857	Huntsville	4,037	67.55	26.08	60.177	155.9	59.762	154.8	0.415	1.075	36°05′31″N93°43′03″W / 36.091926°N 93.717540°W / 36.091926; -93.717540
Wharton	05-93976	01986189		418	12.24	4.72	34.308	88.86	34.160	88.47	0.148	0.3833	36°00′30″N93°37′10″W / 36.008463°N 93.619431°W / 36.008463; -93.619431
White River	05-94017	00068859		248	8.48	3.27	29.317	75.93	29.255	75.77	0.062	0.1606	35°56′55″N93°53′34″W / 35.948524°N 93.892882°W / 35.948524; -93.892882
Source: "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: County Subdivisions in Arkansas". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Source: "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files". U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division.

Notable residents

• Orval E. Faubus (1910–1994), governor of Arkansas during the desegregation days, was from the Combs community near Huntsville. He is buried in Combs Cemetery. ^[19]
• Ronnie Hawkins, rockabilly singer. His backing band, The Hawks, later played with Bob Dylan and eventually became The Band.
• Danny L. Patrick, Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Madison and Carroll counties from 1967 to 1970. ^[20]
• John Selman, outlaw and lawman, best known for killing John Wesley Hardin in 1895, was born in Madison County.
• Charles Whorton Jr., Democrat Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives 1991 to1998, ^[21] Madison County Judge 1973 to 1988, ^[22] Madison County Clerk 1955 to 1972
• George William Fullerton (1923-2009), He is credited with design contributions that led to the manufacture of the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar.

See also

• List of lakes in Madison County, Arkansas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Madison County, Arkansas

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Madison County, Arkansas". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 20, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Haden, Rebecca (February 5, 2019). "Madison County". Encyclopedia of Arkansas . Central Arkansas Library System . Retrieved November 6, 2021.
4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 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 27, 2015.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
8. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 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 27, 2015.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
11. Based on 2000 census data
12. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
14. The Edge of Conflict: Arkansas in the Civil War. PBS. 1995.
15. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections" . Retrieved November 18, 2016.
16. FAA Airport Form 5010 for H34 PDF . Federal Aviation Administration. Effective August 25, 2011.
17. 2011 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS): Madison County, AR (PDF) (Map). U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
18. "Arkansas: 2010 Census Block Maps - County Subdivision". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 28, 2014.
19. "Encyclopedia of Arkansas".
20. "Danny Lee Patrick", Arkansas Democrat-Gazette , July 29, 2009
21. "Representative Charles Whorton (Representative) - Arkansas State Legislature". www.arkleg.state.ar.us. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
22. "Just Who is Judge Charles Whorton Jr". The Madison County Record. December 15, 1983. p. 19. Retrieved April 1, 2020.

External links

• Madison County Map (U. S. Census Bureau)
• Official Site

36°01′38″N93°41′45″W / 36.02722°N 93.69583°W / 36.02722; -93.69583