# Izard County, Arkansas

Izard County (/ˈɪzɜːrd/) is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,577. The county seat is Melbourne. Izard County is Arkansas's 13th county, formed on October 27, 1825, and named for War of 1812 General and Arkansas Territorial Governor George Izard. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 584 square miles (1,510 km$^2$), of which 581 square miles (1,500 km$^2$) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km$^2$) (0.6%) is water.

### Major highways

* Arkansas Highway 5
* Arkansas Highway 9
* Arkansas Highway 56
* Arkansas Highway 58
* Arkansas Highway 69
* Arkansas Highway 69 Business
* Arkansas Highway 177
* Arkansas Highway 223
* Arkansas Highway 289
* Arkansas Highway 354

### Adjacent counties

* Fulton County (north)
* Sharp County (east)
* Independence County (southeast)
* Stone County (southwest)
* Baxter County (northwest)

## Demographics
### 2020 census

Izard County racial composition :
| Race | Number | Percentage |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 12,175 | 89.67% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 256 | 1.89% |
| Native American | 73 | 0.54% |
| Asian | 27 | 0.2% |
| Pacific Islander | 9 | 0.07% |
| Other/Mixed | 711 | 5.24% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 326 | 2.4% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 13,577 people, 4,851 households, and 3,124 families residing in the county.

### 2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 13,249 people, 5,440 households, and 3,769 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (8.9 people/km$^2$). There were 6,591 housing units at an average density of 11 units per square mile (4.2 units/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 96.41% White, 1.44% Black or African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 1.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,440 households, out of which 25.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.78.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.90% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 25.80% from 45 to 64, and 21.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 102.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $25,670, and the median income for a family was $32,313. Males had a median income of $22,389 versus $18,450 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,397. About 13.60% of families and 17.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.40% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those age 65 or over.

## Government

Over the past few election cycles Izard County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat (as of 2024) to carry this county was Al Gore in 2000.
United States presidential election results for Izard County, Arkansas :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 4,854 | 81.92% | 949 | 16.02% | 122 | 2.06% |
| 2020 | 4,631 | 79.71% | 1,021 | 17.57% | 158 | 2.72% |
| 2016 | 4,042 | 74.19% | 1,113 | 20.43% | 293 | 5.38% |
| 2012 | 3,575 | 67.73% | 1,524 | 28.87% | 179 | 3.39% |
| 2008 | 3,193 | 61.19% | 1,792 | 34.34% | 233 | 4.47% |
| 2004 | 2,833 | 51.57% | 2,586 | 47.08% | 74 | 1.35% |
| 2000 | 2,301 | 45.73% | 2,587 | 51.41% | 144 | 2.86% |
| 1996 | 1,678 | 32.82% | 2,818 | 55.11% | 617 | 12.07% |
| 1992 | 1,532 | 27.42% | 3,419 | 61.18% | 637 | 11.40% |
| 1988 | 2,824 | 51.19% | 2,652 | 48.07% | 41 | 0.74% |
| 1984 | 2,726 | 53.08% | 2,346 | 45.68% | 64 | 1.25% |
| 1980 | 2,266 | 43.13% | 2,750 | 52.34% | 238 | 4.53% |
| 1976 | 1,394 | 29.52% | 3,328 | 70.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 2,001 | 64.26% | 1,108 | 35.58% | 5 | 0.16% |
| 1968 | 931 | 31.16% | 948 | 31.73% | 1,109 | 37.12% |
| 1964 | 726 | 29.20% | 1,736 | 69.83% | 24 | 0.97% |
| 1960 | 808 | 35.94% | 1,340 | 59.61% | 100 | 4.45% |
| 1956 | 511 | 29.78% | 1,200 | 69.93% | 5 | 0.29% |
| 1952 | 629 | 36.68% | 1,085 | 63.27% | 1 | 0.06% |
| 1948 | 240 | 15.33% | 1,283 | 81.93% | 43 | 2.75% |
| 1944 | 402 | 31.93% | 853 | 67.75% | 4 | 0.32% |
| 1940 | 366 | 25.67% | 1,058 | 74.19% | 2 | 0.14% |
| 1936 | 416 | 23.56% | 1,350 | 76.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 200 | 13.90% | 1,227 | 85.27% | 12 | 0.83% |
| 1928 | 696 | 43.45% | 902 | 56.30% | 4 | 0.25% |
| 1924 | 241 | 24.10% | 728 | 72.80% | 31 | 3.10% |
| 1920 | 485 | 35.87% | 841 | 62.20% | 26 | 1.92% |
| 1916 | 285 | 18.36% | 1,267 | 81.64% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1912 | 215 | 18.70% | 746 | 64.87% | 189 | 16.43% |
| 1908 | 392 | 28.74% | 873 | 64.00% | 99 | 7.26% |
| 1904 | 313 | 32.91% | 605 | 63.62% | 33 | 3.47% |
| 1900 | 381 | 25.10% | 1,119 | 73.72% | 18 | 1.19% |
| 1896 | 285 | 15.69% | 1,507 | 82.98% | 24 | 1.32% |

## Communities
### Cities

* Calico Rock
* Horseshoe Bend
* Melbourne (county seat)
* Oxford

### Towns

* Franklin
* Guion
* Mount Pleasant
* Pineville

### Census-designated places

* Mount Olive
* Violet Hill

### Unincorporated communities

* Brockwell
* Dolph
* Forty Four
* Gid
* Jumbo
* LaCrosse
* Lunenburg
* Sage
* Sylamore
* Wideman
* Wiseman
* Zion

### Townships

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the United States census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Izard County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.
* Athens
* Baker (small parts of Horseshoe Bend and Oxford)
* Barren Fork (part of Mount Pleasant)
* Big Spring
* Bryan
* Claiborne (small part of Calico Rock)
* Drytown (part of Mount Pleasant)
* Franklin (most of Franklin, small part of Horseshoe Bend)
* Gid
* Guion (Guion)
* Guthrie
* Jefferson (most of Horseshoe Bend, small part of Franklin)
* Lacrosse (part of Melbourne)
* Lafferty
* Lunenberg
* Mill Creek (most of Melbourne)
* Mount Olive
* Newburg (small part of Oxford)
* New Hope (most of Oxford)
* Pleasant Hill
* Sage (part of Melbourne)
* Strawberry
* Union (Pineville, most of Calico Rock)
* Violet Hill
* White River
Source:

## Notable people

* Terry Shell, lawyer and judge, served as United States federal judge in Arkansas from 1975 to 1978