Saline County ( ) is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
. As of the
2020 census, the population was 123,416. Its
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
and largest city is
Benton.
Saline County was formed on November 2, 1835, and named for the salt water (brine) springs in the area, despite a differing pronunciation from
saline. Until November 2014, it was an alcohol prohibition or
dry county
In the United States, a dry county is a county whose local government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. The vast majority of counties n ...
.
Saline County is included in the
Central Arkansas
Central Arkansas, also known as the Little Rock metro, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state ...
region.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water.
Major highways
*
Interstate 30
Interstate 30 (I-30) is a major Interstate Highway in the southern states of Texas and Arkansas in the United States. I-30 travels 366.76 miles from Interstate 20, I-20 west of Fort Worth, Texas, northeast via Dallas, and Texarkana, Texas ...
* Interstate 30 Business Loop
*
Interstate 530
Interstate 530 (I-530) in Arkansas is a spur route of the Interstate highway system, traveling from Pine Bluff north-northwest to Little Rock at an interchange of I-30 and I-440." rkansasState Highways 2009 (Database)." April 2010. AHT ...
*
U.S. Highway 65
*
U.S. Highway 67
*
U.S. Highway 70
*
U.S. Highway 167
*
Highway 5
*
Highway 9
*
Highway 35
The following highways are numbered 35:
The Karakoram Highway (Urdu language, Urdu: شاہراہ قراقرم, ''Śāhirāh-i Qarāquram''), also known as the KKH, National Highway 35 (Urdu language, Urdu: قومی شاہراہ ۳۵), N-35, and ...
Adjacent counties
*
Perry County Perry County may refer to:
United States
*Perry County, Alabama
*Perry County, Arkansas
*Perry County, Illinois
*Perry County, Indiana
*Perry County, Kentucky
*Perry County, Mississippi
*Perry County, Missouri
*Perry County, Ohio
* Perry Cou ...
(northwest)
*
Pulaski County (northeast)
*
Grant County Grant County may refer to:
Places
;Australia
* County of Grant, Victoria
;United States
* Grant County, Arkansas
* Grant County, Indiana
* Grant County, Kansas
*Grant County, Kentucky
Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...
(southeast)
*
Hot Spring County (southwest)
*
Garland County (west)
National protected area
*
Ouachita National Forest
The Ouachita National Forest is a vast congressionally-designated United States National Forest, National Forest that lies in the western portion of Arkansas and portions of extreme-eastern Oklahoma, USA.
History
The Ouachita National Forest is ...
(part)
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 123,416 people, 45,455 households, and 31,395 families residing in the county.
2000 census
As of the
2000 United States census,
there were 83,529 people, 31,778 households, and 24,500 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 33,825 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.27%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 2.20%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.49%
Native American, 0.57%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.45% from
other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. 1.30% of the population were
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race.
There were 31,778 households, out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.80% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.90% were non-families. 19.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,569, and the median income for a family was $48,717. Males had a median income of $32,052 versus $23,294 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $19,214. About 5.00% of families and 7.20% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 8.80% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.
Media
The area is served online and in print by
The Saline Courier.
Government and politics
Government
The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the
Constitution of Arkansas
The Constitution of Arkansas is the Constitution, primary organizing law for the U.S. state of Arkansas delineating the duties, powers, structures, and functions of the Politics and government of Arkansas, state government. Arkansas' original ...
and the
Arkansas Code. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called justices of the peace and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Saline County Quorum Court has thirteen members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive officer of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.
The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 13
Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:
* District 1: Pat Bisbee (R)
* District 2: Wilson Hatcher (R)
* District 3: Carlton Billingsley (R)
* District 4: Keith Kellum (R)
* District 5: Justin Rue (R)
* District 6: Rick Bellinger (R)
* District 7: Josh Curtis (R)
* District 8: Edward A. Albares (R)
* District 9: CJ Engel (R)
* District 10: Jim Whitley (R)
* District 11: Clint Chism (R)
* District 12: Stephanie Johnson (R)
* District 13: Karen Crowson (R)
Additionally, the townships of Saline County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by the
Constitution of Arkansas
The Constitution of Arkansas is the Constitution, primary organizing law for the U.S. state of Arkansas delineating the duties, powers, structures, and functions of the Politics and government of Arkansas, state government. Arkansas' original ...
. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult. The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:
* District 1: Clint Newcomb (R)
* District 2: Bobby Hahn (R)
Politics
Over the past few election cycles Saline County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat (as of the 2024 election) to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1996.
Communities
Cities
*
Alexander
Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here ar ...
*
Benton (county seat)
*
Bryant
*
Haskell
Haskell () is a general-purpose, statically typed, purely functional programming language with type inference and lazy evaluation. Designed for teaching, research, and industrial applications, Haskell pioneered several programming language ...
*
Shannon Hills
*
Traskwood
Town
*
Bauxite
Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...
Census-designated places
*
Avilla
*
East End
*
Hot Springs Village
*
Salem
*
Sardis
Sardis ( ) or Sardes ( ; Lydian language, Lydian: , romanized: ; ; ) was an ancient city best known as the capital of the Lydian Empire. After the fall of the Lydian Empire, it became the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, Persian Lydia (satrapy) ...
Unincorporated communities
*
Brooks
Brooks may refer to:
* Brook (small stream)
Places Antarctica
* Cape Brooks
Canada
*Brooks, Alberta
United Kingdom
* Brooks, Cornwall
* Brooks, Powys, a location
United States
* Brooks, Alabama
* Brooks, Arkansas
* Brooks, California
*Brooks, ...
*
Lakeside
*
Owensville
*
Paron
Townships

*
Banner
A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...
(contains most of
East End)
*
Bauxite
Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...
(contains
Bauxite
Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...
, most of
Benton)
*
Beaver
Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...
(contains
Avilla, part of
Bryant)
*
Bryant (contains most of
Alexander
Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here ar ...
and
Bryant, small parts of
Benton and
Shannon Hills)
*
Dyer (contains part of
Hot Springs Village)
*
Fairplay
FairPlay is a family of digital rights management (DRM) technologies developed by Apple Inc. for protecting videos, books and apps and historically for music.
Music
The initial version of FairPlay was created to protect music on the iTunes S ...
*
Haskell
Haskell () is a general-purpose, statically typed, purely functional programming language with type inference and lazy evaluation. Designed for teaching, research, and industrial applications, Haskell pioneered several programming language ...
(contains
Haskell
Haskell () is a general-purpose, statically typed, purely functional programming language with type inference and lazy evaluation. Designed for teaching, research, and industrial applications, Haskell pioneered several programming language ...
)
*
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...
*
Hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
(contains small part of
East End)
*
Jefferson
*
Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
*
Liberty
Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
*
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
(contains part of
Hot Springs Village)
*
Newcomb
*
Otter
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...
(contains most of
Shannon Hills, small parts of
Alexander
Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here ar ...
and
East End)
*
Owen
Owen may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Owen (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
Places United States
* Owen, Missouri, a ghost town
* Owen, Wisconsin
* Owen County, Indiana
...
(contains some of
Bryant, small part of
Alexander
Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here ar ...
)
*
Salem (contains
Salem, small part of
Bryant)
*
Shaw
*
Smith
Smith may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals
* Smith (given name)
* Smith (surname), a family name originating in England
** List of people ...
*
Traskwood (contains
Traskwood)
*
Union
Source:
Education
School districts include:
*
Bauxite School District
*
Benton School District
*
Bryant Public Schools
*
Fountain Lake School District
*
Glen Rose School District
*
Harmony Grove School District
*
Jessieville School District
*
Pulaski County Special School District
*
Sheridan School District
Former school districts:
*
Paron School District - On July 1, 2004, the Paron School District merged into the Bryant School District.
[ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls]
" Arkansas Department of Education
The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) is a cabinet-level agency of the Arkansas state government overseeing public education for K-12, higher education institutions, and career and technical education.
The ADE also contains the Arkansas ...
. Retrieved on May 23, 2018.
See also
*
List of lakes in Saline County, Arkansas
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Saline County, Arkansas
*
Lanny Fite
References
External links
; Government
Saline County Sheriff's Office; General information
*
Saline County, Arkansasat ARGenWeb (argenweb.net)
Saline Countyat ''
Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture
The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas'' is a web-based encyclopedia of the U.S. state of Arkansas, described by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as "a free, authoritative source of information abou ...
''
Saline County in the Civil Warat The Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org)
Saline County Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saline County, Arkansas
1835 establishments in Arkansas Territory
Arkansas counties
Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1835