Lee County is a county in Arkansas, United States, in the Arkansas Delta along the Mississippi River. It had a population of 8,600 at the 2020 census and covers 620 square miles (1,606 km2) centred near 34°46′32″N 90°46′29″W.
Marianna is the county seat, and its postal code is 72360. The county contains one city, five towns, and dozens of small unincorporated communities. Lee County lies in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Lee County
Lee County has one city — Marianna, the seat — and five incorporated towns: Aubrey, Haynes, La Grange, Moro, and Rondo. The rest of the list below is unincorporated rural communities and crossroads scattered across the county’s cotton and soybean farmland; most have no separate census count.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marianna | City · seat | 3,575 | 72360 |
| Aubrey | Town | — | — |
| Haynes | Town | — | — |
| La Grange | Town | — | — |
| Moro | Town | — | — |
| Rondo | Town | — | — |
| Beck | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Big Creek Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bledsoe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brickeys | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Canaan | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cody | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Council | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cypress Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dansby | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Felton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Four Forks | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Garrett Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gassett | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Greer Place | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Haleside | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Holub Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hopper | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jeffersonville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kokomo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Midway | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Monroe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nash Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Hope | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Salem | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oak Forest | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oakwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Park Place | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Peters | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Phillips Bayou | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Raggio | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Reese | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Scott Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Smith Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Soudan | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Plains | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Spencer Place | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Spring Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Thomasville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tongin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vanness Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vineyard | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Westor | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Whitehall | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Winona | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wrightland | Unincorp. | — | — |
Phillips Bayou and Spring Creek are natural features as much as places — the names mark farm settlements that grew up along those waterways rather than platted towns, which is why most of Lee County’s rural communities never appear in Census Bureau population counts.
ZIP Codes
- 72360 — Marianna (also serves most of the county’s rural east side)
Aubrey, Haynes, La Grange, Moro, and Rondo, along with the unincorporated communities, mostly share ZIP codes with nearby larger post offices in Lee and neighboring counties; those specific assignments were not verified for this profile.
Geography
Lee County sits in the Arkansas Delta, with the Mississippi River forming its entire eastern boundary. The terrain is flat alluvial farmland in the north and east, rising into the wooded hills of Crowley’s Ridge and the St. Francis National Forest toward the south of the county. The county has 603 square miles of land and 17 square miles of water.
Lee County borders St. Francis County to the north, Phillips County to the south, and Monroe County to the west. Across the Mississippi River to the east lies Mississippi.
Demographics
Lee County had 8,600 residents at the 2020 census, a density of roughly 14 people per square mile. Marianna, with 3,575 residents, is by far the county’s largest community, followed by the five smaller incorporated towns. Lee County’s median household income runs well below the Arkansas median of $58,700 — it is consistently among the lowest-income counties in the state, a legacy of its plantation-era agricultural economy and decades of population decline.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture drives the local economy, with cotton, soybeans, rice, and corn grown on the Delta bottomland. The Lee County School District is one of the county’s largest employers, along with the East Arkansas Regional Unit, a state correctional facility operated by the Arkansas Division of Correction near Marianna. The St. Francis National Forest, just south of the county along the river, draws hunters and anglers to Bear Creek Lake and the Mississippi River bottoms.
History
Lee County was organized by the Arkansas legislature on April 17, 1873, during Reconstruction, carved from parts of Phillips, Crittenden, Monroe, and St. Francis counties. It was named for Confederate general Robert E. Lee. The county’s economy grew up around cotton plantations worked first by enslaved people and later by sharecroppers; the Equal Justice Initiative has documented 15 lynchings in Lee County between 1877 and 1950, among the highest totals recorded in Arkansas.
Getting There
US Highway 79 runs through the county, along with Arkansas Highways 1, 78, 121, 131, and 261.
- Forrest City — about 20 miles north
- Helena-West Helena — about 20 miles south
- West Memphis — about 55 miles north
- Memphis, Tennessee — about 65 miles northeast
The nearest commercial airport is Memphis International Airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Lee County, Arkansas?
It’s in the Arkansas Delta in the eastern part of the state, with the Mississippi River forming its eastern boundary.
What is the population of Lee County?
8,600 people, at the 2020 census.
How big is Lee County?
620 square miles (1,606 km2), including 17 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Lee County?
Marianna is the county seat.
How many towns are in Lee County?
One city (Marianna) and five towns (Aubrey, Haynes, La Grange, Moro, and Rondo), plus dozens of unincorporated rural communities.
What ZIP codes are in Lee County?
Marianna’s ZIP code is 72360; the county’s smaller towns share ZIP codes with nearby post offices.
Why is Lee County named Lee?
It was named for Confederate general Robert E. Lee when the Arkansas legislature created the county in 1873.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Arkansas.