Prairie County is a county in Arkansas, United States, in the state’s Grand Prairie rice-farming region east of Little Rock. It had a population of 8,282 at the 2020 census and covers 676 square miles (1,750 km2) centred near 34°49′41″N 91°32′12″W.
Des Arc is the county seat for the county’s Northern District, and DeValls Bluff serves as the seat for the Southern District — Prairie is one of a handful of Arkansas counties split into two judicial districts. Des Arc’s postal code is 72040. The county has two cities, three towns, and a scatter of unincorporated communities; it runs on Central time and carries FIPS code 05-113.
Towns & Villages in Prairie County
Prairie County has five incorporated places — two cities and three towns — plus a long list of unincorporated communities and former settlements, several of them now little more than a crossroads or a name on the map. CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no current population count.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Arc | City · seat | 1,905 | 72040 |
| DeValls Bluff | City · seat | 486 | 72041 |
| Hazen | Town | 1,481 | 72064 |
| Fredonia (Biscoe) | Town | — | 72017 |
| Ulm | Town | — | 72170 |
| Hickory Plains | Unincorp. | — | 72066 |
| Bay Plantation | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Barrettsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Beulah | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brasfield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bucks Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Childers | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Crossroad | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Edwards | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Erwin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fairmount | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fourmile Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gospoda | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hallsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jasmine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kay | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Letchworth | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mesa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Peppers Lake | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Peppers Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Plunketts | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sand Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Slovak | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Thurman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tollville | Unincorp. | — | — |
Slovak is one of several small farming communities in the county settled by Czech immigrants around the turn of the 20th century, alongside Gillett-adjacent enclaves further south in Arkansas County. Several names on old county maps — Screeton, Siedenstricker, Tarnceville, Vaby, Harrys, Hayley, Crossroad’s neighbor Fourmile Corner — no longer turn up in any current gazetteer, postal directory, or census place list and are omitted here rather than guessed at.
ZIP Codes
- 72040 — Des Arc (also serves surrounding rural Northern District addresses)
- 72041 — De Valls Bluff (also serves Bay Plantation and the Southern District river bottoms)
- 72064 — Hazen
- 72017 — Biscoe (covers Fredonia)
- 72066 — Hickory Plains (PO Box delivery only)
- 72170 — Ulm (PO Box delivery only)
Smaller unincorporated places without their own ZIP are served by the nearest post office town listed above.
Geography
Prairie County sits astride the White River, which splits the county into a hillier, more wooded northern half around Des Arc and a low, flat southern half around DeValls Bluff that drains toward the Arkansas River. The county takes its name from the Grand Prairie, a broad, naturally treeless plain that made the area one of Arkansas’s earliest rice- and soybean-growing districts once it was drained and irrigated in the early 1900s. Bayous, borrow pits, and old river oxbows dot the bottomland along both rivers, and duck-hunting flooded fields are common in winter.
Prairie County borders White County to the north, Woodruff County to the northeast, Monroe County to the east, Arkansas County to the south, and Lonoke County to the west. White County, Woodruff County, Arkansas County, and Lonoke County each have their own county page here; Monroe County does not currently have a live page under this bare slug.
Demographics
Prairie County had 8,282 residents at the 2020 census, a density of about 12 people per square mile, making it one of Arkansas’s least-populated counties. Des Arc (1,905) and Hazen (1,481) are its two largest communities, together holding more than 40 percent of the county’s population. Median household income runs well below the Arkansas median of $58,700, reflecting the county’s heavily rural, agriculture-dependent economy.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture drives the local economy — rice, soybeans, and farm-raised catfish and baitfish are the county’s biggest products, continuing the Grand Prairie’s century-old identity as rice country. Government employment (schools, the county courthouse in each district, and municipal offices) is the second-largest sector, followed by trucking and food-processing jobs tied to the farm economy. Des Arc holds an annual White River Water Carnival each summer, and the county’s stretch of the White River is a well-known destination for duck hunters and bass anglers.
History
Prairie County was created in 1846 as Arkansas’s 54th county, carved from Pulaski County and named for the Grand Prairie. Des Arc, on the White River, grew as a steamboat landing and became the county’s original seat; DeValls Bluff, downriver on the same waterway, served as a Union Army supply depot and hospital town during the Civil War, and the county later split into two judicial districts to give each half its own courthouse. The county’s rice industry took off after large-scale irrigation and drainage projects opened the prairie to cultivation in the early 20th century.
Getting There
Interstate 40 crosses the northern part of the county, with U.S. Routes 63, 70, 79, and 165 and several state highways serving the rest.
- Little Rock — 45 miles west
- Searcy — 25 miles north
- Stuttgart — 25 miles south
- Forrest City — 40 miles northeast
Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Prairie County, Arkansas?
It sits in east-central Arkansas along the White River, about 45 miles east of Little Rock, in the Grand Prairie farming region.
What is the population of Prairie County?
8,282 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Prairie County?
676 square miles (1,750 km2), including about 28 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Prairie County?
Prairie County has two: Des Arc for the Northern District and DeValls Bluff for the Southern District.
How many towns are in Prairie County?
Five incorporated places — the cities of Des Arc and DeValls Bluff, and the towns of Hazen, Fredonia (Biscoe), and Ulm — plus around two dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Prairie County?
72040 (Des Arc), 72041 (DeValls Bluff), 72064 (Hazen), 72017 (Biscoe), 72066 (Hickory Plains), and 72170 (Ulm).
What is Prairie County known for?
Rice and soybean farming on the Grand Prairie, catfish and baitfish ponds, and duck hunting along the White River.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Arkansas.