Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas in the area known as the Arkansas Delta that extends west of the Mississippi River. Jefferson County consists of five cities, two towns, and 20 townships. It is bisected by the Arkansas River, which was critical to its development and long the chief transportation byway. In 2020, Jefferson County's population was estimated at 67,260. The county seat and most populous city is Pine Bluff. The county is included in the Pine Bluff micropolitan statistical area.

Jefferson County was formed from Vaugine Township, Pulaski County and Richland Township, Arkansas County in the Arkansas Territory on November 2, 1829. It is named for Thomas Jefferson, third U.S. president. It was the site of the Battle of Pine Bluff on October 25, 1863.

History The area now known as Jefferson County was occupied by the Quapaw when Henri de Tonti established Arkansas Post in 1686. De Tonti claimed the area for Louis XIV, King of France.

In March 1819, Robert Crittenden was appointed secretary of the Arkansas Territory. That same year, Joseph Bonne, traveling upstream on the Arkansas River from Arkansas Post, built a cabin on a "high bluff covered with pine trees" on the river's south bank. Several years later, James Scull, also from Arkansas Post, established a tavern and small inn on the river's north bank, across from what would become the site of Pine Bluff. Five years later, Secretary Crittenden convinced the remaining Quapaw to sign a treaty with the U.S. government relinquishing what remained of their tribal lands.

Steamboat travel led to expanding settlement, bringing to the area such men as French émigré Antoine Barraqué, Indian trader and veteran of the Napoleonic Wars (a township in northwest Jefferson County and Pine Bluff's principal east–west street are both named for him), and brothers James T. and John Pullen (main thoroughfares are both named for them). On November 2, 1829, Territorial Governor John Pope—Crittenden's successor—approved the establishment of Jefferson County. Though Bonne's cabin was initially used; by August 1832, "Pine Bluff Town" became the permanent county seat."

The land in the county was developed as large cotton plantations, with fronts on the river for transportation. The plantations were dependent on the labor of enslaved African Americans, who comprised a majority of the population in the county well before the American Civil War. After the war, planters in Jefferson County gradually resumed cotton cultivation and processing. The economy was driven by cotton and the Delta area was highly productive.

Because of the county's large African-American population, it was a center of Black political power in the decades after the Civil War before Jim Crow eliminated nearly all Black participation in politics. Twenty-two different African Americans from Jefferson County were elected to the Arkansas state legislature between 1871 and 1893, by far the most from any county.

In 1886, Jefferson County produced 55,120 bales of cotton, the most in Arkansas, and the second-most throughout the South. Transportation companies serving the county at the time included the Cotton Belt Route, the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway, Missouri Pacific, the Arkansas River Packet Company, the Wiley Jones Street Car Lines, and the Citizens Street Railway Company.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.7%) is water. The county is located approximately southeast of Little Rock, southwest of Memphis, Tennessee, and

Transit Pine Bluff Transit

Major highways

Adjacent counties Lonoke County (northeast) Arkansas County (east) Lincoln County (southeast) Cleveland County (southwest) Grant County (west) Pulaski County (northwest)

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Jefferson County, Arkansas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)52,99047,70640,47532,05025,23058.41%55.80%48.03%41.39%37.51%Black or African American alone (NH)36,44936,77141,62342,48537,71240.18%43.01%49.39%54.87%56.07%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1882201922012120.21%0.26%0.23%0.26%0.32%Asian alone (NH)2603475425956640.29%0.41%0.64%0.77%0.99%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census24993xx0.03%0.01%0.14%Other race alone (NH)961641521640.11%0.02%0.05%0.07%0.24%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census5718241,697xx0.68%1.06%2.52%Hispanic or Latino (any race)7354278101,2191,4880.81%0.50%0.96%1.57%2.21%Total90,71885,48784,27877,43567,260 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 67,260. The median age was 40.7 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.9 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 37.9% White, 56.3% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.3% from some other race, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.2% of the population.

69.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 30.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 26,264 households in the county, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.0% were married-couple households, 21.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 30,573 housing units, of which 14.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 62.5% were owner-occupied and 37.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.0%.

2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 77,435 people living in the county. 55.1% were Black or African American, 42.0% White, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% of some other race and 1.2% of two or more races. 1.6% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).2010 census report for Jefferson County, Arkansas

2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 84,278 people, 30,555 households, and 21,510 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 34,350 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 49.58% Black or African American, 48.46% White, 0.24% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. By comparison, the county had 15,714 residents in 1870, 20% of whom were White.

In the county, there were 30,555 households, out of which 33.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.40% were married couples living together, 18.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% 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 3.13. The population was spread out, with 26.30% under the age of 18, 10.80% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.40 males.

Jefferson County experienced a decline in population between 2000 and 2010 of 8.1%.Jefferson County at USA.com The county has continued to decline in population since 2010, showing a 3.5% decrease in population to 74,723 between the 2010 census and the 2012 (-3.5%) census estimates."Quick Facts: Jefferson County, AR" , US Census Bureau

The median income for a household in the county was $31,327, and the median income for a family was $38,252. Males had a median income of $31,848 versus $21,867 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,417. About 16.00% of families and 20.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.60% of those under age 18 and 17.80% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

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 Jefferson County Quorum Court has thirteen 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. +Jefferson County, Arkansas Elected countywide officialsPositionOfficeholderPartyCounty JudgeGerald RobinsonDemocraticCounty ClerkShawndra TaggartDemocraticCircuit ClerkFlora Cook BishopDemocraticSheriffLafayette Woods Jr.DemocraticTreasurerVonysha GoodwinDemocraticCollectorTony WashingtonDemocraticAssessorGloria TillmanDemocraticCoronerChad KelleyDemocratic The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 9 Democrats and 4 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:

District 1: Rev. Alfred Carroll Sr. (D) of Pine Bluff District 2: Reginald Adams (D) of Pine Bluff District 3: Reginald Johnson (D) District 4: Patricia Royal Johnson (D) of Pine Bluff District 5: Jimmy Fisher Sr. (D) District 6: Margerette Williams (D) of Pine Bluff District 7: Melanie Johnson Dumas (D) of Pine Bluff District 8: Roy Agee (R) District 9: Cedric Jackson (D) of Pine Bluff District 10: Dr. Conley F. Byrd Jr. (R) of Redfield District 11: Danny Holcomb (R) of Pine Bluff District 12: Ted Harden (R) of White Hall District 13: Brenda Bishop Gaddy (D) of Altheimer

Additionally, the townships of Jefferson 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:

Barraque: Richard Debill (R) Jefferson: Scott A. Dunn (R) Melton: Turner Nowlin (R) Spring: Clyde McDaniel (R) Talladega: Michale Slayton (R) Vaugine: Deshawn Bennett (D) Washington: Otho Anderson III (R)

Infrastructure