Saline County, Arkansas

County in Arkansas, United States

County in Arkansas

Saline County

County

Saline County Courthouse in Benton

Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas

Arkansas's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 34°39′04″N 92°40′54″W﻿ / ﻿34.651111111111°N 92.681666666667°W﻿ / 34.651111111111; -92.681666666667
Country|  United States
State|  Arkansas
Founded| November 2, 1835
Seat| Benton
Largest city| Benton
Area

• Total

| 730 sq mi (1,900 km2)
• Land| 724 sq mi (1,880 km2)
• Water| 6.9 sq mi (18 km2)  0.9%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 123,416

• Estimate

(2023)

| 129,574
• Density| 170/sq mi (65/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 2nd
Website| www.salinecounty.org

Saline County (/səˈliːn/ sə-LEEN) is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 123,416.[1] Its county seat and largest city is Benton.[2] Saline County was formed on November 2, 1835, and named for the salt water (brine) springs in the area, despite a differing pronunciation from saline. Until November 2014, it was an alcohol prohibition or dry county.

Saline County is included in the Central Arkansas region.

## Geography

[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 730 square miles (1,900 km2), of which 724 square miles (1,880 km2) is land and 6.9 square miles (18 km2) (0.9%) is water.[3]

### Major highways

[edit]

* Interstate 30
* Interstate 30 Business Loop
* Interstate 530
* U.S. Highway 65
* U.S. Highway 67
* U.S. Highway 70
* U.S. Highway 167
* Highway 5
* Highway 9
* Highway 35

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Perry County (northwest)
* Pulaski County (northeast)
* Grant County (southeast)
* Hot Spring County (southwest)
* Garland County (west)

### National protected area

[edit]

* Ouachita National Forest (part)

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1840| 2,061| | —
1850| 3,903| | 89.4%
1860| 6,640| | 70.1%
1870| 3,911| | −41.1%
1880| 8,953| | 128.9%
1890| 11,311| | 26.3%
1900| 13,122| | 16.0%
1910| 16,657| | 26.9%
1920| 16,781| | 0.7%
1930| 15,660| | −6.7%
1940| 19,163| | 22.4%
1950| 23,816| | 24.3%
1960| 28,956| | 21.6%
1970| 36,107| | 24.7%
1980| 53,161| | 47.2%
1990| 64,183| | 20.7%
2000| 83,529| | 30.1%
2010| 107,118| | 28.2%
2020| 123,416| | 15.2%
2023 (est.)| 129,574| [4]| 5.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790–1960[6] 1900–1990[7]
1990–2000[8] 2010[9]
Age pyramid Saline County[10]

### 2020 census

[edit]

Saline County racial composition[11] Race  | Number  | Percentage

|
|

White (non-Hispanic)  | 96,745  | 78.39%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)  | 10,351  | 8.39%
Native American | 522  | 0.42%
Asian | 1,453  | 1.18%
Pacific Islander | 70  | 0.06%
Other/Mixed | 5,768  | 4.67%
Hispanic or Latino | 8,507  | 6.89%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 123,416 people, 45,455 households, and 31,395 families residing in the county.

### 2000 census

[edit]

As of the 2000 United States census,[12] there were 83,529 people, 31,778 households, and 24,500 families residing in the county. The population density was 116 inhabitants per square mile (45/km2). There were 33,825 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile (18/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.27% White, 2.20% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. 1.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 31,778 households, out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.80% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.90% were non-families. 19.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,569, and the median income for a family was $48,717. Males had a median income of $32,052 versus $23,294 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,214. About 5.00% of families and 7.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.80% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

## Media

[edit]

The area is served online and in print by The Saline Courier.[13]

## Government and politics

[edit]

### Government

[edit]

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 Saline County Quorum Court has thirteen 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]

Saline County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials[16] Position  | Officeholder  | Party

|
|

County Judge | Matthew Brumley  | Republican
County Clerk | Doug Curtis  | Republican
Circuit Clerk | Myka Bono Sample  | Republican
Sheriff | Rodney Wright  | Republican
Treasurer | Holly Payne  | Republican
Collector | Jennifer Carter  | Republican
Assessor | Pam Wright  | Republican
Coroner | Kevin Cleghorn  | Republican
Surveyor | Aaron Rasburry  | Republican

The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 13 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:[17]

* District 1: Pat Bisbee (R)
* District 2: Wilson Hatcher (R)
* District 3: Carlton Billingsley (R)
* District 4: Keith Kellum (R)
* District 5: Justin Rue (R)
* District 6: Rick Bellinger (R)
* District 7: Josh Curtis (R)
* District 8: Edward A. Albares (R)
* District 9: CJ Engel (R)
* District 10: Jim Whitley (R)
* District 11: Clint Chism (R)
* District 12: Stephanie Johnson (R)
* District 13: Karen Crowson (R)

Additionally, the townships of Saline 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.[18] The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:[19]

* District 1: Clint Newcomb (R)
* District 2: Bobby Hahn (R)

### Politics

[edit]

Over the past few election cycles Saline County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat (as of the 2024 election) to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1996.

United States presidential election results for Saline County, Arkansas[20] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | %
2024 | 39,736  | 68.98% | 16,609  | 28.83%  | 1,264  | 2.19%
2020 | 39,556  | 69.45% | 16,060  | 28.20%  | 1,343  | 2.36%
2016 | 35,863  | 68.83% | 13,256  | 25.44%  | 2,981  | 5.72%
2012 | 32,963  | 70.04% | 12,869  | 27.34%  | 1,230  | 2.61%
2008 | 30,981  | 69.38% | 12,695  | 28.43%  | 977  | 2.19%
2004 | 24,864  | 63.15% | 14,153  | 35.94%  | 359  | 0.91%
2000 | 18,617  | 57.48% | 12,700  | 39.21%  | 1,074  | 3.32%
1996 | 11,695  | 40.77%  | 14,027  | 48.90% | 2,963  | 10.33%
1992 | 10,105  | 39.38%  | 12,671  | 49.38% | 2,885  | 11.24%
1988 | 12,353  | 58.89% | 8,436  | 40.22%  | 188  | 0.90%
1984 | 11,709  | 60.68% | 6,977  | 36.16%  | 611  | 3.17%
1980 | 8,330  | 42.60%  | 10,368  | 53.02% | 857  | 4.38%
1976 | 4,123  | 25.55%  | 12,008  | 74.41% | 7  | 0.04%
1972 | 7,972  | 63.64% | 4,503  | 35.95%  | 52  | 0.42%
1968 | 2,614  | 23.15%  | 3,111  | 27.55%  | 5,569  | 49.31%
1964 | 3,628  | 38.96%  | 5,605  | 60.18% | 80  | 0.86%
1960 | 2,195  | 32.32%  | 3,898  | 57.40% | 698  | 10.28%
1956 | 2,603  | 40.81%  | 3,705  | 58.09% | 70  | 1.10%
1952 | 1,766  | 30.12%  | 4,045  | 68.99% | 52  | 0.89%
1948 | 390  | 13.60%  | 2,070  | 72.18% | 408  | 14.23%
1944 | 643  | 19.99%  | 2,556  | 79.45% | 18  | 0.56%
1940 | 274  | 12.17%  | 1,963  | 87.21% | 14  | 0.62%
1936 | 359  | 18.86%  | 1,520  | 79.87% | 24  | 1.26%
1932 | 107  | 5.03%  | 1,990  | 93.47% | 32  | 1.50%
1928 | 520  | 29.12%  | 1,261  | 70.60% | 5  | 0.28%
1924 | 144  | 13.65%  | 770  | 72.99% | 141  | 13.36%
1920 | 403  | 24.13%  | 1,206  | 72.22% | 61  | 3.65%
1916 | 231  | 12.85%  | 1,567  | 87.15% | 0  | 0.00%
1912 | 164  | 13.86%  | 814  | 68.81% | 205  | 17.33%
1908 | 369  | 27.48%  | 899  | 66.94% | 75  | 5.58%
1904 | 391  | 38.04%  | 588  | 57.20% | 49  | 4.77%
1900 | 342  | 29.01%  | 811  | 68.79% | 26  | 2.21%
1896 | 268  | 15.89%  | 1,417  | 84.00% | 2  | 0.12%
1892 | 326  | 20.84%  | 1,161  | 74.23% | 77  | 4.92%

## Communities

[edit]

### Cities

[edit]

* Alexander
* Benton (county seat)
* Bryant
* Haskell
* Shannon Hills
* Traskwood

### Town

[edit]

* Bauxite

### Census-designated places

[edit]

* Avilla
* East End
* Hot Springs Village
* Salem
* Sardis

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Brooks
* Lakeside
* Owensville
* Paron

### Townships

[edit]

Townships in Saline 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 Saline County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township. [21][22]

* Banner (contains most of East End)
* Bauxite (contains Bauxite, most of Benton)
* Beaver (contains Avilla, part of Bryant)
* Bryant (contains most of Alexander and Bryant, small parts of Benton and Shannon Hills)
* Dyer (contains part of Hot Springs Village)
* Fairplay
* Haskell (contains Haskell)
* Holland
* Hurricane (contains small part of East End)
* Jefferson
* Kentucky
* Liberty
* Marble (contains part of Hot Springs Village)
* Newcomb
* Otter (contains most of Shannon Hills, small parts of Alexander and East End)
* Owen (contains some of Bryant, small part of Alexander)
* Salem (contains Salem, small part of Bryant)
* Shaw
* Smith
* Traskwood (contains Traskwood)
* Union

Source:[23]

## Education

[edit]

School districts include:[24]

* Bauxite School District
* Benton School District
* Bryant Public Schools
* Fountain Lake School District
* Glen Rose School District
* Harmony Grove School District
* Jessieville School District
* Pulaski County Special School District
* Sheridan School District

Former school districts:

* Paron School District \- On July 1, 2004, the Paron School District merged into the Bryant School District.[25]

## See also

[edit]

* List of lakes in Saline County, Arkansas
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Saline County, Arkansas
* Lanny Fite

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Saline County, Arkansas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
4. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
5. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
6. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
7. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
8. ^ "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.
9. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
10. ^ Based on 2000 census data
11. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
12. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
13. ^ "Contact | The Saline Courier". www.bentoncourier.com. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
14. ^ "Quorum Courts". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
15. ^ "Office of County Judge". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
16. ^ Poole, Shelli (January 20, 2025). "Elected Officials - MySaline". Retrieved April 2, 2025.
17. ^ Poole, Shelli (January 20, 2025). "Elected Officials - MySaline". Retrieved April 2, 2025.
18. ^ "What is a Constable?". What is a Constable?. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
19. ^ Poole, Shelli (January 20, 2025). "Elected Officials - MySaline". Retrieved April 2, 2025.
20. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved November 18, 2016.
21. ^ 2011 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS): Saline County, AR (PDF) (Map). U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
22. ^ "Arkansas: 2010 Census Block Maps - County Subdivision". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
23. ^ "Summary Population and Housing Characteristics, CPH-1-5, Arkansas" (PDF). 2010 Census of Population and Housing. United States Census Bureau. September 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2014. `{{cite web}}`: External link in ``|work=`` (help)
24. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Saline County, AR" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 5, 2024. \- Text list. 2010 map and text list
25. ^ "ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on May 23, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

Saline County, Arkansas at Wikipedia's sister projects

* Definitions from Wiktionary
* Media from Commons
* Data from Wikidata

Government

* Saline County Sheriff's Office

General information

* Geographic data related to Saline County, Arkansas at OpenStreetMap
* Saline County, Arkansas at ARGenWeb (argenweb.net)
* Saline County at Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture
* Saline County in the Civil War at The Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org)
* Saline County Library

* v
* t
* e

Places adjacent to Saline County, Arkansas

| Perry County |  | Pulaski County

|
|

|  |
Garland County |

Saline County, Arkansas

|  |
Hot Spring County |  | Grant County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Saline County, Arkansas, United States

County seat: Benton

Cities|

* Alexander‡
* Benton
* Bryant
* Haskell
* Shannon Hills
* Traskwood

Map of Arkansas highlighting Saline County

Towns|

* Bauxite

CDPs|

* Avilla
* East End
* Hot Springs Village‡
* Salem
* Sardis

Other unincorporated
communities|

* Brooks
* Crows
* Detonti
* Lakeside
* Paron
* Pleasant Hill

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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* e

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34°39′04″N 92°40′54″W﻿ / ﻿34.65111°N 92.68167°W﻿ / 34.65111; -92.68167
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