Prairie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population is 9,539. The county has two county seats, Des Arc and De Valls Bluff.
Prairie County was formed on 25 October 1846 and was named after the Grand Prairie of eastern Arkansas.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,750 km² (676 mi²). 1,673 km² (646 mi²) of it is land and 77 km² (30 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 4.41% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 9,539 people, 3,894 households, and 2,795 families residing in the county. The population density is 6/km² (15/mi²). There are 4,790 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (7/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 84.83% White, 13.71% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 3,894 households out of which 30.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% are married couples living together, 11.10% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% are non-families. 25.60% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.20% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.41 and the average family size is 2.88.
In the county the population is spread out with 23.90% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $29,990, and the median income for a family is $36,131. Males have a median income of $28,413 versus $18,808 for females. The per capita income for the county is $15,907. 15.50% of the population and 12.20% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 21.00% are under the age of 18 and 16.80% are 65 or older.