Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population is 45,629. The county seat is El Dorado.
Union County was formed on 2 November 1829 and was named from the citizen's petition for a new county which stated that they were petitioning "in the spirit of Union and Unity".
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,733 km² (1,055 mi²). 2,691 km² (1,039 mi²) of it is land and 42 km² (16 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.55% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 45,629 people, 17,989 households, and 12,646 families residing in the county. The population density is 17/km² (44/mi²). There are 20,676 housing units at an average density of 8/km² (20/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 66.15% White, 31.97% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 17,989 households out of which 32.20% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.30% are married couples living together, 15.20% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% are non-families. 26.90% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.10% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.48 and the average family size is 3.00.
In the county the population is spread out with 25.90% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.10% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 91.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $29,809, and the median income for a family is $36,805. Males have a median income of $31,868 versus $19,740 for females. The per capita income for the county is $16,063. 18.70% of the population and 14.70% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 25.80% are under the age of 18 and 14.30% are 65 or older.