| County: | Franklin County |
| State: | Arkansas |
| Seal: | Franklin County, Arkansas official seal.png |
| Flag: | Franklin County AR Flag.gif |
| Founded Year: | 1837 |
| Founded Date: | December 19 |
| Seat: | Ozark (northern district); Charleston (southern district) |
| Largest City: | Ozark |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 620 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 609 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 11 |
| Area Percentage: | 1.7% |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 17097 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| District: | 4th |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| Named For: | Benjamin Franklin |
Franklin County is a county in Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,097.[1] The county has two county seats, Charleston and Ozark.[2] The county was formed on December 19, 1837, and named for Benjamin Franklin,[3] American statesman. Franklin County is a damp county, with alcohol sales allowed except in Prairie & Alix townships, and limits on liquor sales in the city of Branch.[4]
Franklin County was carved out of Crawford County in December 1837. At that time, Franklin was significantly larger than it is at present, encompassing part of present-day Logan County which was formed in 1871.
Initially, the county had a single courthouse at Ozark. To promote economic growth in the county, federal land grants were made in 1853 to incentivize the construction and operation of the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad. From receivership in 1875 after a railroad debt crisis, it was reorganized as the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railway.[5] A number of towns were established in the 1890s on the north bank of the river along its right of way. Many farmers purchased land that had been owned by the railway. After complaints about how difficult it was to cross the river at times, a second courthouse was established at Charleston for citizens in the settlements south of the river, sometime in the 1890s, probably after 1892 since "Charleston" did not appear in an 1893 railroad map in all capital letters as "OZARK" did. In 1906 the railway was acquired by the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway. In 1917 the line became a backbone of the MoPac, which merged into the Union Pacific Railroad in 1982.
The reality television show, The Simple Life, starring Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton was filmed in Altus in 2003.
As of February 2024 animal rights activists have voted Franklin County, AR most likely to support animal abusers as in the case of James Williams and Williams Plumbing with their attempts at killing a female dog and her puppies.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (1.7%) is water.[6]
| Number | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 15,201 | 88.91% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 78 | 0.46% | |
| Native American | 199 | 1.16% | |
| Asian | 162 | 0.95% | |
| Pacific Islander | 10 | 0.06% | |
| Other/Mixed | 956 | 5.59% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 491 | 2.87% |
As of the 2000 census,[7] there were 17,771 people, 6,882 households, and 4,961 families residing in the county. The population density was 29sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 7,673 housing units at an average density of 13/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.17% White, 0.62% Black or African American, 0.80% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. 1.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,882 households, out of which 32.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.90% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.80% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,848, and the median income for a family was $36,189. Males had a median income of $27,907 versus $18,822 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,616. About 10.60% of families and 15.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.20% of those under age 18 and 15.70% of those age 65 or over.
Over the past few election cycles, Franklin County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat (as of 2020) to carry this county was Arkansas native Bill Clinton in 1996.