Yell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2000, the population is 21,139. The county has two county seats, Dardanelle and Danville.
Yell County was formed on 5 December 1840 and is named after Archibald Yell who was the first member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas, Governor of Arkansas, and who fell in combat at the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican War.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,457 km² (949 mi²). 2,403 km² (928 mi²) of it is land and 54 km² (21 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.21% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 21,139 people, 7,922 households, and 5,814 families residing in the county. The population density is 9/km² (23/mi²). There are 9,157 housing units at an average density of 4/km² (10/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 86.63% White, 1.47% Black or African American, 0.58% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 8.99% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. 12.73% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 7,922 households out of which 33.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% are married couples living together, 10.10% have a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% are non-families. 23.20% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.80% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.61 and the average family size is 3.04.
In the county the population is spread out with 25.80% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 99.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $28,916, and the median income for a family is $33,409. Males have a median income of $23,172 versus $18,148 for females. The per capita income for the county is $15,383. 15.40% of the population and 11.70% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 20.20% are under the age of 18 and 12.80% are 65 or older.