Prairie County, Arkansas

34°49′41″N 91°32′12″W / 34.82806°N 91.53667°W / 34.82806; -91.53667

Prairie County
County
Prairie County Courthouse, Des Arc
Location within the U.S. state of Arkansas
Arkansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°49′41″N 91°32′12″W / 34.828055555556°N 91.536666666667°W / 34.828055555556; -91.536666666667
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
Founded	November 25, 1846
Named for	Grand Prairie
Seat	Des Arc, DeValls Bluff
Largest city	Des Arc
Area
• Total	676 sq mi (1,750 km2)
• Land	648 sq mi (1,680 km2)
• Water	28 sq mi (70 km2)  4.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,282
• Density	12/sq mi (4.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Prairie County is in the Central Arkansas region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The county is named for the Grand Prairie, a subregion of the Arkansas Delta known for rice cultivation and aquaculture that runs through the county. Created as Arkansas's 54th county in 1846, Prairie County is home to four incorporated towns, including DeValls Bluff, the southern district county seat, and two incorporated cities, including Des Arc, the northern district county seat. The county is also the site of numerous unincorporated communities and ghost towns. Occupying 676 square miles (175,000 ha), Prairie County is the median-sized county in Arkansas. As of the 2020 Census, the county's population was 8,282.^[1] Based on population, the county is the ninth-smallest county of the 75 in Arkansas.^[2]

The county is crossed by Interstate 40 (I-40), a major east–west Interstate highway running from California to North Carolina, as well as four United States highways (U.S. Route 63 [US 63], US 70, US 79, and US 165). Eleven Arkansas state highways run in the county.^[3] Prairie County is served by two public owned/public use general aviation airports and six potable water systems.