• county
  • FIPS 05143
  • Largest town: Fayetteville

Washington County, Arkansas

Washington County had 266,184 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 941.5 square miles of land. It ranks 3rd of 75 in Arkansas by population and 4th by land area.

Population
266,184
#3 of 75 in Arkansas · #275 in US
Area
941.5 sq mi
#4 of 75 in Arkansas · #756 in US
Density
283 / sq mi
#3 of 75 in Arkansas · #456 in US
Median household income
$66,158
#5 of 75 in Arkansas · #1,283 in US

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

Washington County within Arkansas. Pin: Little Rock.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Washington County

Washington County population, land area and income

Washington County had 266,184 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 941.5 square miles of land. It ranks 3rd of 75 in Arkansas by population and 4th by land area. That works out to 282.7 people per square mile, 2.9 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Arkansas has 18,130 residents, so Washington County is 14.7 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $66,158 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

266,184

3144th1st

275th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

941 sq mi

3144th1st

756th of 3,144 (US)

Density

282.7 / sq mi

3144th1st

456th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$66,158

3143rd1st

1283rd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Arkansas (75)

Population

266,184

75th1st

3rd of 75 (AR)

Land area

941 sq mi

75th1st

4th of 75 (AR)

Density

282.7 / sq mi

75th1st

3rd of 75 (AR)

Median household income

$66,158

75th1st

5th of 75 (AR)

How Washington County's population changed since 2020

Washington County gained 19,405 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 7.9%. That ranks 3rd 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, Washington County recorded 13,802 births and 8,387 deaths, a natural change of +5,415. Net international migration added +4,671 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +10,103. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 10,103 people.

246.8k2020251.7k2021257.3k2022261.9k2023266.2k2024
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
13,802
Deaths
8,387
Net international migration
+4,671
Net domestic migration
+10,103
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+4,304

Where Washington County is

The Census internal point of Washington County is at 35.978000, -94.217300. 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 Washington 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: Washington County internal point. Dark pin: Little Rock.

Internal point

Decimal
35.978000, -94.217300
DMS
35°58'40.80"N 94°13'2.28"W
UTM
15N 390254.6E 3982193.3N
Geohash
9ymh8j951
Plus code
8677XQHM+63

Towns in Washington County

12 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Washington County, 225,754 people together, or 85% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Washington County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Fayetteville with 103,134.

  1. 01Fayetteville103,134
  2. 02Springdale (part)77,226
  3. 03Farmington10,473
  4. 04Prairie Grove8,589
  5. 05Tontitown7,941
  6. 06Elkins4,025
  7. 07Johnson3,705
  8. 08Goshen2,383
  9. 09Lincoln2,371
  10. 10West Fork2,356
  11. 11Elm Springs (part)2,311
  12. 12Greenland1,240
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Washington County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Washington County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Benton County, AR, with 321,566 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Little Rock and the nearest big city

Little Rock is 138.0 miles SE of Washington County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fayetteville, AR (population 103,134), 7.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Farmington, AR (population 10,473), 4.5 miles away.

Washington County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Washington County is 05143: state code 05 for Arkansas plus county code 143. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $66,158.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Washington County, Arkansas?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 266,184. That is up 19,405 people (7.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 246,779.

What is the FIPS code of Washington County?

05143. The first two digits (05) are Arkansas; the last three (143) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Washington County?

Fayetteville, with 103,134 residents inside Washington County in 2024.

Which counties border Washington County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Benton County, AR; Crawford County, AR; Adair County, OK; Madison 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.