White County, Arkansas

White County is a county in Arkansas, United States, about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock.
It had a population of 76,822 at the 2020 census, an estimated 77,838 by 2024, and covers 1,035
square miles (2,680 km2) centred near 35°15′N 91°44′W.

Searcy is the county seat and the county’s largest city; its postal code is 72143. The
county holds 8 cities, 8 incorporated towns and 2 census-designated places, plus dozens of
smaller unincorporated communities, and it runs on Central Time.

Towns & Villages in White County

White County has 18 places with a formal Census Bureau boundary: 8 incorporated cities, 8
incorporated towns and 2 census-designated places (CDPs). CDP stands for census designated
place — a populated area with no city or town government of its own, tracked by the
Census Bureau for statistics only.

Two names on the old version of this page were errors, not real duplicates: El Paso and
Floyd each appeared twice, when White County has only one of each. A genuine pair does exist
among the unincorporated communities below — there are two places called Midway, one near
Bald Knob and one near Pleasant Plains, several miles apart. Higginson is grouped with the
county’s incorporated towns here, following the official county roster, even though its
own charter classes it as a second-class city.

Beyond the 18 places above, White County has roughly four dozen unincorporated communities
with no Census Bureau population count: Albion, Andrews, Antioch, Bare Stone, Barrentine
Corner, Bee Rock, Belcher, Center Hill, Clay, Conant, Crosby, Dewey, Dogwood, Doniphan,
Enright, Essex, Four Mile Hill, Georgia Ridge, Gravel Hill, Hammondsville, Happy, Harmony,
Hart, Hickory Flat, Holly Springs, Joy, Keeler Corner, Liberty Valley, Little Red, Midway (near
Bald Knob), Midway (near Pleasant Plains), Mitchell Corner, Nimmo, Opal, Pickens, Plainview,
Pryor, Providence, Rio Vista, Romance, Showalter’s Corner, Sidon, Smyrna, Steprock,
Sunnydale, Twentythree, Velvet Ridge, Vinity Corner, Walker, Worden and Wright’s Corner.
These are crossroads and rural settlements, most with a church, a cemetery or a store as their
only landmark; the Census Bureau does not track their population separately from the townships
around them.

ZIP Codes

• 72143 — Searcy (also serves Georgetown)
• 72012 — Beebe
• 72010 — Bald Knob
• 72081 — Judsonia
• 72082 — Kensett
• 72020 — Bradford
• 72102 — McRae
• 72121 — Pangburn
• 72068 — Higginson
• 72137 — Rose Bud
• 72085 — Letona
• 72052 — Garner
• 72139 — Russell
• 72178 — West Point
• 72060 — Griffithville

Floyd and El Paso, the two CDPs, have no post office of their own; mail there is addressed
through nearby Beebe (72012) or an adjoining county’s office instead.

Geography

White County sits in the transition zone where the Ozark foothills meet the Arkansas Delta,
giving it rolling upland in the north and west and flat, farmed bottomland in the south and
east. The Little Red River crosses the county from northwest to southeast before joining the
White River, which forms part of the county’s eastern border. Land covers 1,035 square
miles of the county’s 1,042 square miles; water accounts for the remaining 7 square miles
(18 km2).

White County borders seven other counties. Jackson County lies to the northeast,
Woodruff County borders east, Prairie County borders southeast,
Lonoke County borders southwest, Faulkner County borders west, Independence County
borders north and Cleburne County borders northwest.

Demographics

White County had a population of 76,822 at the 2020 census, and the county estimate stood at
77,838 in 2024. Searcy, with 22,937 residents, and Beebe, with
8,437, are the county’s two largest communities and together hold more than 40 percent of
the county’s population.

Median household income in White County was $55,249 in 2024, below the Arkansas figure of
$58,700 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to about 74 people per square mile across the
county’s land area.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector, with about
5,009 workers, followed by retail trade at 4,830 and manufacturing at 3,924. Unity Health, based
in Searcy, is the county’s largest single employer with more than 2,300 staff. First
Security Bank, founded in Searcy in 1932, remains headquartered there, and Walmart operates a
regional distribution center in the county — its first built outside Bentonville.

Harding University, a private Christian university with roughly 6,100 students, anchors
Searcy’s economy and gives the city a college-town character alongside its role as county
seat. White County is dry under state law, with a narrow exception for a small number of
private clubs, including the Searcy Country Club and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in Searcy
and Beebe, which may serve alcohol to members. Floyd holds an annual Independence Day parade
and fireworks display each July.

History

White County was established on October 23, 1835, carved from parts of Independence, Jackson
and Pulaski counties by the Arkansas territorial legislature. It is named for Hugh Lawson
White, a Tennessee senator and 1836 Whig presidential candidate. The first documented settlers,
John and Nancy Magness, arrived around 1815, and Georgetown, on the White River in the
county’s southeast corner, is considered the oldest continuously settled site in
Arkansas, dating to 1789.

The county saw Civil War skirmishing in 1862. A 1952 tornado outbreak killed fifty people in
and around Judsonia, the deadliest local disaster on record. In 1965, a welding accident during
maintenance work ignited a fire inside a Titan II missile silo in the county, killing 53
workers — one of the deadliest Cold War-era accidents on US soil.

Getting There

US 67/167 crosses the county as a divided freeway carrying a Future Interstate 57 designation,
running through Beebe and Bald Knob before continuing north toward Walnut Ridge. US 64 shares
that corridor through Beebe. No completed interstate currently reaches White County.

• Little Rock — about 50 miles southwest of Searcy
• Batesville — about 30 miles north of Searcy
• Conway — about 30 miles southwest of Searcy
• Jonesboro — about 60 miles northeast of Searcy

The nearest commercial airport is Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock,
roughly 50 miles southwest of Searcy. White County has no Amtrak service; the nearest station
is in Little Rock.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is White County, Arkansas?
White County sits in central Arkansas, about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock, where the Ozark
foothills meet the Delta.

What is the population of White County?
White County has a population of 76,822 according to the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate of
77,838.

How big is White County?
White County covers 1,035 square miles (2,680 km2) of land, plus 7 square miles of water.

What is the county seat of White County?
Searcy is the county seat of White County.

How many towns and villages are in White County?
White County has 16 incorporated cities and towns, 2 census-designated places, and roughly four
dozen smaller unincorporated communities.

What is the postal code for Searcy?
Searcy’s postal code is 72143; other communities in the county have their own ZIP codes,
listed above.

Is White County a dry county?
Yes. White County is dry under Arkansas law, with a narrow exception allowing a handful of
private clubs to serve alcohol to members.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Arkansas.