Jackson County is a county in Arkansas, United States, in the Arkansas Delta along the White River. It had a population of 16,755 at the 2020 census and covers 642 square miles (1,663 km2) centred near 35°35′38″N 91°11′37″W.
Newport is the county seat, and its postal code is 72112. The county has six incorporated cities, five towns, and dozens of unincorporated communities. Jackson County is in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Jackson County
Jackson County has 49 recognized places on record: six incorporated cities, five incorporated towns, and roughly three dozen unincorporated communities and former settlements. CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no municipal government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newport | City · seat | — | 72112 |
| Campbell Station | City | — | — |
| Diaz | City | — | 72043 |
| Grubbs | City | — | 72431 |
| Swifton | City | — | 72471 |
| Tuckerman | City | — | 72473 |
| Amagon | Town | — | 72005 |
| Beedeville | Town | — | 72014 |
| Jacksonport | Town | — | 72075 |
| Tupelo | Town | — | 72169 |
| Weldon | Town | — | — |
| Airport Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Algoa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Amith Addition | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Auvergne | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Balch | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bengel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Blackville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Centerville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Coffeeville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Denmark | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Elgin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Erwin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Estico | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fitzgerald | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gourd Neck | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grand Glaise | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Heffington | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Horseshoe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ingleside | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Island Town | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Johnstown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kenyon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Macks | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McFadden | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Midway | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Murphys Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nuckles | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Old Grand Glaise | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Olyphant | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pennington | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Possum Grape | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Reamey | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Remmel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shoffner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Spriggs Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stegall | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stringers Mill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vance | Unincorp. | — | — |
Grand Glaise and Old Grand Glaise are two distinct river communities on the White River, not a duplicate entry — the “old” settlement predates a later townsite of the same name nearby.
ZIP Codes
- 72112 — Newport (also serves Campbell Station)
- 72473 — Tuckerman
- 72471 — Swifton
- 72431 — Grubbs
- 72169 — Tupelo
- 72005 — Amagon
- 72014 — Beedeville
- 72075 — Jacksonport
- 72043 — Diaz
Weldon and most of the unincorporated communities have no dedicated ZIP code and are served by the nearest post office town listed above.
Geography
Jackson County sits in the Arkansas Delta, where the White River crosses the county from northwest to southeast on its way to the Mississippi. The terrain is flat delta bottomland in the east, rising to gently rolling upland in the west near the Ozark foothills’ edge. Of the county’s 642 square miles, 634 square miles are land and about 7.6 square miles are water, most of it the White River and its oxbow lakes.
Jackson County borders Lawrence County to the north, Craighead County to the northeast, Poinsett County to the east, Cross County to the southeast, Woodruff County to the south, White County to the southwest, and Independence County to the west. Only Lawrence County, Poinsett County, Woodruff County, and White County have live pages on this site; Craighead, Cross, and Independence counties are named without a link.
Demographics
Jackson County had 16,755 residents at the 2020 census. Newport is the largest community by a wide margin, followed by Tuckerman. The county’s median household income runs well below the Arkansas median of $58,700, consistent with the Delta region’s persistently lower incomes relative to the rest of the state. Population density works out to roughly 26 people per square mile of land, making the county rural even by Arkansas Delta standards.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture drives much of the county’s economy, with rice and soybeans as the dominant row crops on the Delta bottomland east of Newport. Newport is also home to two Arkansas Department of Corrections facilities, the Grimes Unit and the McPherson Unit — the McPherson Unit houses the state’s death row for women. Arkansas State University-Newport, a two-year college, is the county’s main higher-education institution. The White River supports recreational fishing and boating that draws visitors from across the region.
History
Jackson County was organized on November 5, 1829, carved from Independence County. It is named for Andrew Jackson, hero of the War of 1812 and, by the time the county was formed, the seventh President of the United States. Jacksonport, on the White River, was the original county seat and a busy steamboat port in the 19th century before river trade declined and the seat moved to Newport, which had become the dominant rail and commercial center. Jacksonport survives today as a much smaller town and is preserved in part as Jacksonport State Park.
Getting There
U.S. Route 67 runs through Newport, linking the county to Bald Knob and Little Rock to the southwest and to Walnut Ridge and Missouri to the northeast. Arkansas Highway 14 and Arkansas Highway 17 cross the county east-west and north-south respectively.
- Batesville — about 30 miles northwest
- Searcy — about 35 miles southwest
- Jonesboro — about 40 miles northeast
- Little Rock — about 90 miles southwest
Newport Municipal Airport handles general aviation. The nearest commercial airport is Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Jackson County, Arkansas?
It is in the Arkansas Delta in the northeastern part of the state, along the White River, about 90 miles northeast of Little Rock.
What is the population of Jackson County?
16,755 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Jackson County?
642 square miles (1,663 km2), including about 7.6 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Jackson County?
Newport, the county’s largest city.
How many towns and cities are in Jackson County?
Six incorporated cities and five incorporated towns, plus roughly three dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Jackson County?
72112 (Newport), 72043 (Diaz), 72431 (Grubbs), 72471 (Swifton), 72473 (Tuckerman), 72169 (Tupelo), 72005 (Amagon), 72014 (Beedeville), and 72075 (Jacksonport).
Why is Jackson County named that?
It honors Andrew Jackson, who became the seventh U.S. President the same year the county was organized in 1829.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Arkansas.