• county
  • FIPS 05061
  • Largest town: Nashville

Howard County, Arkansas

Howard County had 12,387 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 587.3 square miles of land. It ranks 56th of 75 in Arkansas by population and 63rd by land area.

Population
12,387
#56 of 75 in Arkansas · #2,262 in US
Area
587.3 sq mi
#63 of 75 in Arkansas · #1,670 in US
Density
21 / sq mi
#52 of 75 in Arkansas · #2,205 in US
Median household income
$47,308
#56 of 75 in Arkansas · #2,878 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Howard County within Arkansas. Pin: Little Rock.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Howard County

Howard County population, land area and income

Howard County had 12,387 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 587.3 square miles of land. It ranks 56th of 75 in Arkansas by population and 63rd by land area. That works out to 21.1 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Arkansas has 18,130 residents; Howard County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $47,308 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

12,387

3144th1st

2262nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

587 sq mi

3144th1st

1670th of 3,144 (US)

Density

21.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

2205th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$47,308

3143rd1st

2878th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Arkansas (75)

Population

12,387

75th1st

56th of 75 (AR)

Land area

587 sq mi

75th1st

63rd of 75 (AR)

Density

21.1 / sq mi

75th1st

52nd of 75 (AR)

Median household income

$47,308

75th1st

56th of 75 (AR)

How Howard County's population changed since 2020

Howard County lost 371 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.9%. That ranks 53rd of 75 in Arkansas for growth. The median Arkansas county changed by -0.2%, and the state as a whole by +2.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Howard County recorded 657 births and 809 deaths, a natural change of -152. Net international migration added +25 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -280. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 280 people.

12.8k202012.7k202112.6k202212.5k202312.4k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
657
Deaths
809
Net international migration
+25
Net domestic migration
-280
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-113

Where Howard County is

The Census internal point of Howard County is at 34.083100, -93.990900. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Arkansas's 75 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Howard County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Lincoln County: -0.2%Cleveland County: -2.5%St. Francis County: -5.2%Howard County: -2.9%Drew County: -2.2%Van Buren County: +2.2%Searcy County: -0.1%Poinsett County: -2.9%Hot Spring County: +0.7%Izard County: +5.0%Cross County: -3.6%Garland County: -0.4%Nevada County: -3.4%Washington County: +7.9%Union County: -5.0%Pope County: +2.2%Columbia County: -3.2%Conway County: +3.3%Faulkner County: +6.3%Miller County: -1.5%Arkansas County: -6.2%Clay County: -2.9%Saline County: +6.0%Yell County: -0.4%Craighead County: +3.8%Monroe County: -5.3%Calhoun County: -1.0%Marion County: +4.3%Carroll County: +2.6%Mississippi County: -6.0%Ashley County: -5.2%Independence County: +1.1%Stone County: +3.5%Madison County: +7.9%Johnson County: +1.7%Little River County: -2.9%Montgomery County: +0.3%Perry County: +2.5%Pike County: -1.3%Lee County: -5.0%Randolph County: +2.4%Woodruff County: -6.6%Lafayette County: -4.4%Grant County: +2.9%Greene County: +2.3%Jefferson County: -4.7%Franklin County: +2.6%Dallas County: -5.7%Crittenden County: -3.0%White County: +2.9%Lonoke County: +3.1%Bradley County: -5.3%Benton County: +12.2%Fulton County: +4.1%Desha County: -8.8%Pulaski County: +0.5%Newton County: -2.4%Logan County: +1.6%Scott County: +0.1%Prairie County: -3.8%Phillips County: -10.8%Ouachita County: -4.1%Polk County: +1.3%Cleburne County: +3.8%Sebastian County: +1.7%Clark County: -2.3%Sevier County: -0.3%Hempstead County: -4.4%Jackson County: -0.5%Chicot County: -8.7%Sharp County: +4.7%Crawford County: +3.5%Boone County: +3.3%Baxter County: +3.1%Lawrence County: +0.5%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -4.4%
  2. < -2.2%
  3. < +1.1%
  4. < +3.1%
  5. ≥ +3.1%
no data

Orange pin: Howard County internal point. Dark pin: Little Rock.

Internal point

Decimal
34.083100, -93.990900
DMS
34°04'59.16"N 93°59'27.24"W
UTM
15N 408580.0E 3771813.0N
Geohash
9yj1vhtum
Plus code
866832M5+6J

Towns in Howard County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Howard County, 5,029 people together, or 41% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Howard County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Nashville with 3,984.

  1. 01Nashville3,984
  2. 02Mineral Springs1,045
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Howard County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Howard County. The most populous is Polk County, AR, with 19,434 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Little Rock and the nearest big city

Little Rock is 107.3 miles ENE of Howard County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Little Rock, AR (population 204,774), 103.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Texarkana, TX (population 35,971), 44.1 miles away.

Howard County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Howard County is 05061: state code 05 for Arkansas plus county code 061. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $47,308.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Howard County, Arkansas?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 12,387. That is down 371 people (2.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 12,758.

What is the FIPS code of Howard County?

05061. The first two digits (05) are Arkansas; the last three (061) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Howard County?

Nashville, with 3,984 residents inside Howard County in 2024.

Which counties border Howard County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Polk County, AR; Hempstead County, AR; Sevier County, AR; Little River County, AR; Pike County, AR; Montgomery County, AR.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.