Woodruff County is a county in Arkansas, United States, in the Arkansas Delta about 75 miles northeast of Little Rock. It had a population of 6,269 at the 2020 census, an estimated 5,710 by 2025, and covers 594 square miles (1,538 km2) of land and water, centred near 35°12′N 91°13′W.
Augusta is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 72006. The county holds 4 cities, 1 incorporated town, 1 census-designated place and about 14 unincorporated communities across 13 townships, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is 05147.
Towns & Villages in Woodruff County
Woodruff County has 20 named places on record: 4 incorporated cities, 1 incorporated town, 1 census-designated place (Gregory, first listed in the 2020 census) and 14 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and small clusters with no formal boundary.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta | City · seat | Augusta | 1,998 | 72006 |
| McCrory | City | De View | 1,583 | 72101 |
| Cotton Plant | City | Cotton Plant | 529 | 72036 |
| Patterson | City | De View | 310 | 72123 |
| Hunter | Town | Caney | 103 | 72074 |
| Gregory | CDP | — | 43 | 72059 |
| Becton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dixie | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fitzhugh | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Grays | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hillemann | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Howell | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Little Dixie | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| McClelland | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Morton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Augusta | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Salem | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pleasant Grove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pumpkin Bend | Unincorp. | Pumpkin Bend | — | — |
| Shady Grove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Dixie and Little Dixie are two separate, genuine communities despite the similar names — neither is a duplicate listing of the other. McCrory and Patterson sit side by side near the county’s center; Patterson was originally called Martin’s Junction, for the rail crossing where the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern line met the Batesville and Brinkley line, before being renamed Jelks and then Patterson in 1919.
Townships
Woodruff County is divided into 13 civil townships. The Census Bureau does not publish separate 2020 population figures for Arkansas townships, so population is omitted rather than estimated; the list below is ordered alphabetically.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Augusta | — | Augusta |
| Barnes | — | rural, no incorporated place |
| Cache | — | rural, no incorporated place |
| Caney | — | Hunter |
| Cotton Plant | — | Cotton Plant |
| Dent | — | rural, no incorporated place |
| De View | — | McCrory, Patterson |
| Franks | — | rural, no incorporated place |
| Freeman | — | rural, no incorporated place |
| Garden | — | rural, no incorporated place |
| Point | — | rural, no incorporated place |
| Pumpkin Bend | — | Pumpkin Bend |
| White River | — | rural, no incorporated place |
ZIP Codes
- 72006 — Augusta, the county’s post office town
- 72101 — McCrory
- 72036 — Cotton Plant
- 72123 — Patterson
- 72074 — Hunter
- 72059 — Gregory
Becton, Dixie, Fitzhugh, Grays, Hillemann, Howell, Little Dixie, McClelland, Morton, New Augusta, New Salem, Pleasant Grove, Pumpkin Bend and Shady Grove have no ZIP code of their own; mail to these unincorporated communities is delivered under the nearest incorporated town’s code.
Geography
Woodruff County sits in the Arkansas Delta, a subregion of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, and is largely flat with fertile soils. Of its 594 square miles, 587 are land and 7.2 are water, about 1.2 percent. The Cache River runs roughly north–south through the middle of the county, Bayou De View crosses the eastern side, and the White River forms the county’s western boundary near Augusta. The Cache River National Wildlife Refuge, a Ramsar wetland of international importance, protects bottomland hardwood forest along the Cache River corridor and is a major wintering ground for ducks.
Jackson County lies to the north, Cross County to the northeast, St. Francis County to the southeast, Monroe County to the south, Prairie County to the southwest, and White County to the west. Jackson County, St. Francis County, Prairie County and White County each have their own Towns & Villages page; Cross County and Monroe County do not yet.
Demographics
Woodruff County had a population of 6,269 at the 2020 census, down from 7,260 in 2010, and the 2025 estimate of 5,710 continues a decline that has run nearly every decade since the county peaked at 22,682 residents in 1930. Augusta and McCrory are the two largest communities, together holding well over half the county’s incorporated population. Median household income was $48,158 as of 2024, well below Arkansas’s statewide figure of $58,700 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to about 11 people per square mile of land, among the lowest in the state.
Economy & Local Life
Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector, with about 428 workers, followed by retail trade at 302 and manufacturing at 282. Agriculture remains central to the local economy: county farmers have planted roughly 114,000 acres of soybeans, 58,700 acres of rice, 17,000 acres of corn, 14,600 acres of wheat and 7,000 acres of sorghum in a typical recent year. McCrory, which carries the motto “The Heart of Woodruff County,” has three properties on the National Register of Historic Places, including the McCrory Commercial Historic District. Local students attend the Augusta School District and the McCrory School District.
History
Arkansas created Woodruff County on November 26, 1862, as its 54th county, naming it for William E. Woodruff, founder of the Arkansas Gazette, the state’s first newspaper. Augusta was founded in 1848 by Thomas Hough as Chickasaw Crossing on the White River and renamed for his niece in 1850. It became the county seat and prospered in the 1870s as a riverboat transport hub; when the railroads bypassed the town, residents built and ran their own line from 1886 to 1959 to reach the national network.
Cotton Plant began in 1820 as a settlement called Richmond and took its present name after William Lynch introduced cotton seed from Mississippi in 1846. The Batesville and Brinkley Railroad, completed in 1881, brought warehouses and cotton gins; the Works Progress Administration installed the town’s first water and sewer system in 1935. Cotton Plant is the birthplace of gospel and rock pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who began performing in local churches at age four, and of classical composer Florence Price and U.S. Representative Pearl Peden Oldfield, the first woman elected to Congress from Arkansas. Hunter, in the county’s southeast, is the birthplace of Gilbert G. Collier, who received the Medal of Honor for actions in the Korean War.
Getting There
No interstate highway crosses Woodruff County. Three U.S. highways — US 49, US 63 and US 64 — and twelve Arkansas state highways run through the county, along with two Union Pacific Railroad lines.
- Little Rock — about 75 miles southwest
- Memphis, Tennessee — about 81 miles east
Clinton National Airport in Little Rock is the nearest major commercial airport. Amtrak has no station in the county; the closest is Little Rock’s Clinton Presidential Park station, served by the Texas Eagle line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Woodruff County located?
It sits in the Arkansas Delta, about 75 miles northeast of Little Rock, bordered by Jackson, Cross, St. Francis, Monroe, Prairie and White counties.
What is the population of Woodruff County?
6,269 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 5,710.
How big is Woodruff County?
594 square miles (1,538 km2) total, of which 587 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Woodruff County?
Augusta, founded in 1848 and the county’s largest city, is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Woodruff County?
Four incorporated cities — Augusta, McCrory, Cotton Plant and Patterson — one incorporated town, Hunter, one census-designated place, Gregory, and about 14 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes does Woodruff County use?
72006 for Augusta, 72101 for McCrory, 72036 for Cotton Plant, 72123 for Patterson, 72074 for Hunter and 72059 for Gregory.
What is Woodruff County known for?
The Cache River National Wildlife Refuge and its bottomland hardwood forest, and Cotton Plant, birthplace of gospel and rock pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Arkansas.