Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population is 18,418. The county seat is Newport.
Jackson County was formed on 5 November 1829 and was named for Andrew Jackson, President of the United States.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,661 km² (641 mi²). 1,641 km² (634 mi²) of it is land and 21 km² (8 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.23% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 18,418 people, 6,971 households, and 4,830 families residing in the county. The population density is 11/km² (29/mi²). There are 7,956 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (13/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 80.57% White, 17.56% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 1.27% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 6,971 households out of which 27.70% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.20% are married couples living together, 13.10% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% are non-families. 27.90% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.40% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.40 and the average family size is 2.92.
In the county the population is spread out with 22.20% under the age of 18, 11.50% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 91.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $25,081, and the median income for a family is $32,661. Males have a median income of $26,744 versus $17,830 for females. The per capita income for the county is $14,564. 17.40% of the population and 13.20% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 25.00% are under the age of 18 and 16.70% are 65 or older.