Lafayette County is a county in Arkansas, United States, in the southwestern corner of the state along the Louisiana state line. It had a population of 6,308 at the 2020 census and covers 545 square miles (1,410 km2) centred near 33°15′51″N 93°35′34″W.
Lewisville is the county seat, and its postal code is 71845. The county holds 4 incorporated cities and towns plus roughly 20 unincorporated communities, is entirely in the Central time zone, and is one of Arkansas’s few dry counties — the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited countywide.
Towns & Villages in Lafayette County
Lafayette County has 4 incorporated places — Bradley, Buckner, Lewisville (the seat) and Stamps — and around 20 unincorporated communities and rural crossroads, several of them former sawmill or railroad-siding settlements that no longer have a resident population. Arkansas has no civil townships, so places are grouped by incorporation status only.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewisville | City · seat | — | 71845 |
| Stamps | City | — | 71860 |
| Bradley | City | — | 71826 |
| Buckner | City | — | 71827 |
| Apalco | Unincorp. | — | 71845 |
| Baker | Unincorp. | — | 71845 |
| Boyd Hill | Unincorp. | — | 71860 |
| Burton Mill | Unincorp. | — | 71845 |
| Canale | Unincorp. | — | 71826 |
| Canfield | Unincorp. | — | 71845 |
| Forest Grove | Unincorp. | — | 71827 |
| Gin City | Unincorp. | — | 71845 |
| Grants | Unincorp. | — | 71860 |
| Kizer | Unincorp. | — | 71845 |
| Kress City | Unincorp. | — | 71845 |
| Lerch | Unincorp. | — | 71845 |
| McKamie | Unincorp. | — | 71827 |
| Midway | Unincorp. | — | 71860 |
| Old Town | Unincorp. | — | 71845 |
| Piney Grove | Unincorp. | — | 71826 |
| Pleasant Valley | Unincorp. | — | 71845 |
| Shiloh | Unincorp. | — | 71860 |
| State Line | Unincorp. | — | 71827 |
| Walker Creek | Unincorp. | — | 71845 |
| Walnut Hill | Unincorp. | — | 71860 |
State Line sits directly on the Arkansas–Louisiana boundary southwest of Stamps; it takes its name from that border, not from any statehouse.
ZIP Codes
- 71845 — Lewisville (also serves Apalco, Burton Mill, Canfield, Gin City, Kizer, Kress City, Lerch, Old Town, Pleasant Valley, Walker Creek and Baker)
- 71860 — Stamps (also serves Boyd Hill, Grants, Midway, Shiloh and Walnut Hill)
- 71826 — Bradley (also serves Canale and Piney Grove)
- 71827 — Buckner (also serves Forest Grove, McKamie and State Line)
Every community in the county is served by one of these four post offices; there is no separate ZIP for any unincorporated place.
Geography
Lafayette County is Arkansas’s smallest county by land area, a mostly flat to gently rolling stretch of the West Gulf Coastal Plain drained by the Red River, which forms part of the county’s southern edge, and by smaller streams feeding it. Pine and hardwood timberland covers much of the interior, and the county’s lithium-bearing brine deposits beneath the Smackover Formation have drawn commercial exploration interest.
Lafayette County borders Hempstead County to the north, Nevada County to the northeast, Columbia County to the east, Miller County to the west, and Webster, Bossier and Caddo parishes in Louisiana to the south and southwest.
Demographics
The county’s population was 6,308 at the 2020 census, down from prior decades as the timber and agricultural economy has shrunk. Stamps and Lewisville, the seat, are the two largest incorporated communities. Median household income runs well below the Arkansas median of $58,700, consistent with the county’s small, aging population base. Population density is about 11.9 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Timber, poultry and row-crop farming anchor the local economy, alongside county and municipal government employment in Lewisville. Renewed interest in the county’s underground lithium brine has brought exploration activity tied to the wider South Arkansas lithium play. As a dry county, no packaged alcohol sales occur within its borders, a longstanding local-option law that shapes commerce along the highway corridors.
History
Lafayette County was formed on October 15, 1827, from part of Hempstead County and named for the Marquis de Lafayette, the French officer who served under George Washington in the American Revolution. Stamps grew up around a rail depot on the line built south from Texarkana in the 1880s and later became a shipping point for the area’s timber industry.
Getting There
U.S. Highway 82 crosses the county east–west through Stamps and Lewisville, and Arkansas Highways 29, 53 and 160 connect the smaller communities.
- Texarkana — 30 miles west
- Magnolia — 25 miles east
- Hope — 30 miles north
- Shreveport, Louisiana — 45 miles south
The nearest commercial airport is Texarkana Regional Airport (TXK).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Lafayette County, Arkansas?
It is in the southwestern corner of Arkansas, on the Louisiana state line southwest of Hope.
What is the population of Lafayette County?
6,308 people, as of the 2020 census.
How big is Lafayette County?
545 square miles (1,410 km2), the smallest county in Arkansas by land area.
What is the county seat of Lafayette County?
Lewisville is the county seat.
How many towns are in Lafayette County?
Four incorporated cities and towns — Bradley, Buckner, Lewisville and Stamps — plus about 20 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Lafayette County?
71826 (Bradley), 71827 (Buckner), 71845 (Lewisville) and 71860 (Stamps).
Why is Lafayette County a dry county?
Voters approved a local-option prohibition on alcohol sales, a status the county has kept for decades even as many neighboring Arkansas counties have gone wet.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Arkansas.