Craighead is a county in Arkansas, United States, in the northeastern corner of the state, part of the Jonesboro–Paragould combined statistical area. It had a population of 111,231 at the 2020 census and covers 707 square miles (1,830 km2) centred near 35°50′N 90°42′W.
Jonesboro is the county seat, and its postal code is 72401; Lake City serves as a second, historic county seat. The county holds 8 incorporated cities and towns plus dozens of unincorporated communities, runs on Central Time, and carries FIPS code 05031.
Towns & Villages in Craighead County
Craighead County has 8 incorporated places — 6 cities and 2 towns — alongside a long list of unincorporated communities and rural crossroads. CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no municipal government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonesboro | City · seat | 78,576 | 72401–72405 |
| Lake City | City · seat | — | 72437 |
| Bono | City | — | 72416 |
| Brookland | City | — | 72417 |
| Caraway | City | — | 72419 |
| Cash | City | — | 72421 |
| Monette | City | — | 72447 |
| Bay | City | — | 72411 |
| Black Oak | Town | — | 72414 |
| Egypt | Town | — | 72346 |
| Nettleton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bowman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fisher | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cottonwood Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dixie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fiftysix | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Goobertown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Herman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Philadelphia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sandy | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Three Way | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Valley View | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Glendale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gum Point | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Otwell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Southland | Unincorp. | — | — |
Jonesboro and Lake City both carry the historic title of county seat — a rare arrangement dating to the county’s 1859 organisation, when the population split between the two towns made a single seat impractical. Several old-list entries were dropped as duplicates or unverifiable rail-stop labels: a repeated second listing of Bowman, the near-duplicate spellings Degelow/Deglow (no independent record of two distinct places), and small rural place-name fragments (Apt, Buck Snort, Bunney, Burnt Hill, Cary, Childress, Chilson, Claunch, Davis Spur, Deep Landing, Delfore, Denton Island, Dorothy, Dryden, Elm Grove, Fallis, Farrville, Gibson, Gilkerson, Hancock, Hancock Junction, Hergett, Herndon, Jonesboro Junction, Lake View, Lepanto Junction, Lester, Longwill, Lunsford, Macey, Mangrum, Nalle, Needham, Nemo, Pauls Switch, Phillips, Poplar Ridge, Riggs, Risher, Schug, Sterling Springs, Stier, Upper Poplar Ridge, Winesburg) that could not be corroborated against a current source; see notes.md.
ZIP Codes
- 72401–72405 — Jonesboro
- 72437 — Lake City
- 72416 — Bono
- 72417 — Brookland
- 72419 — Caraway
- 72421 — Cash
- 72447 — Monette
- 72411 — Bay
- 72414 — Black Oak
- 72346 — Egypt
Smaller unincorporated communities generally use the ZIP of the nearest post-office town rather than a code of their own.
Geography
Craighead County sits in the Arkansas Delta and Crowley’s Ridge region of northeastern Arkansas, where the flat alluvial farmland of the Mississippi River lowlands meets the forested, wind-blown loess hills of Crowley’s Ridge running through the county’s centre. The county has no major navigable river within its borders but drains toward the St. Francis and Cache river systems to the east and west. It borders Greene County to the north, Dunklin County, Missouri, to the northeast, Mississippi County to the east, Poinsett County to the south, Jackson County to the west, and Lawrence County to the northwest.
Demographics
Craighead County’s population was 111,231 at the 2020 census, making it one of the more populous counties in northeastern Arkansas. Jonesboro is by far the largest community, with Lake City and the Jonesboro suburbs of Bono and Brookland forming the next tier. Median household income in the county runs below the Arkansas median of $58,700, reflecting a mix of agricultural and lower-wage service employment outside the Jonesboro core. Population density is roughly 157 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Jonesboro anchors the county’s economy as the retail, medical, and educational hub of northeastern Arkansas, home to Arkansas State University and two regional hospital systems. Outside Jonesboro, agriculture — rice, soybeans, and cotton grown on the Delta flatland — remains the dominant industry, supplemented by grain elevators and farm-supply businesses in towns such as Cash, Caraway, and Monette. Craighead is a dry county: the sale of alcoholic beverages by the drink or package is largely prohibited outside a small number of licensed exceptions.
History
Craighead County was organized on February 19, 1859, and named for Thomas Craighead, a state senator whose legislative maneuvering reportedly changed the county’s intended name from “Crowley County” to his own. The dual-county-seat arrangement between Jonesboro and Lake City, unusual in Arkansas, dates to that same founding compromise. Crowley’s Ridge, the loess landform running through the county, is itself named for early settler Benjamin Crowley.
Getting There
Interstate 555 links Jonesboro to Interstate 40 near West Memphis, and US Routes 49, 63, and 67 cross the county. Jonesboro Municipal Airport provides regional air service.
- Memphis, Tennessee — about 65 miles southeast
- Little Rock — about 130 miles southwest
- Paragould — about 20 miles north
- Blytheville — about 45 miles east
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Craighead County?
It is in northeastern Arkansas, on Crowley’s Ridge, within the Jonesboro–Paragould combined statistical area.
What is the population of Craighead County?
111,231 at the 2020 census.
How big is Craighead County?
707 square miles (1,830 km2) of land.
What is the county seat of Craighead County?
Jonesboro, with Lake City serving as a second, historic county seat.
How many towns are in Craighead County?
8 incorporated cities and towns, plus numerous unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Craighead County?
Jonesboro uses 72401 through 72405; other towns include 72437 (Lake City), 72416 (Bono), and 72447 (Monette).
Why is Craighead County a dry county?
Arkansas law lets counties vote to restrict alcohol sales; Craighead has remained largely dry since its founding era, with only limited licensed exceptions today.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Arkansas.