Cross County Demographics

A map of Cross County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	11,844	12,067	71.6%	71.7%
Black	2,617	3,651	15.8%	21.7%
Multiracial	1,170	575	7.1%	3.4%
Asian	479	102	2.9%	0.6%
Hispanic	378	352	2.3%	2.1%
Native American/Other	55	86	0.3%	0.5%

Cross County, Arkansas has an estimated population of 16,543, a slight decrease from the 16,833 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 71.6% White, 15.8% Black, 7.1% Multiracial, 2.9% Asian, 2.3% Hispanic, and 0.3% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Cross County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Cross has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Arkansas overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Cross County, that probability was 43.7% in 2020 and 45.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Cross County is ranked the 45th most populous county in Arkansas, out of 75 counties. Cross County was ranked the 43rd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Cross County's White Population

11,844 residents of Cross County, or 71.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Cross County is slightly higher than in Arkansas overall, where 67.4% of the population is White. Cross County ranks 43rd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cross County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.8%. White residents' share of Cross County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 71.6%.

Cross County is more White than neighboring St. Francis County (39.3% White), Crittenden County (38.8% White), Woodruff County (69.2% White), and Lee County (39.6% White). Cross County is less White than neighboring Poinsett County (84.2% White).

Cross County's Black Population

2,617 residents of Cross County, or 15.8% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Cross County is comparable to the share in Arkansas overall, where 14.6% of the population is Black. Cross County ranks 26th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cross County's Black population has declined by an estimated 28.3%. Black residents' share of Cross County's population has decreased from 21.7% to 15.8%.

Cross County is more Black than neighboring Poinsett County (5.3% Black). Cross County is less Black than neighboring St. Francis County (54.4% Black), Crittenden County (50.9% Black), Woodruff County (24.8% Black), and Lee County (54.5% Black).

Cross County's Asian Population

479 residents of Cross County, or 2.9% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Cross County is comparable to the share in Arkansas overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Cross County ranks 27th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cross County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 369.6%. Asian residents' share of Cross County's population has increased from 0.6% to 2.9%.

Cross County is more Asian than neighboring St. Francis County (0.1% Asian), Poinsett County (0.2% Asian), Crittenden County (0.8% Asian), Woodruff County (0.1% Asian), and Lee County (0% Asian).

Cross County's Hispanic Population

378 residents of Cross County, or 2.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Cross County is lower than in Arkansas overall, where 9% of the population is Hispanic. Cross County ranks 68th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cross County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 7.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Cross County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.3%.

Cross County is more Hispanic than neighboring Woodruff County (1.4% Hispanic). Cross County is less Hispanic than neighboring St. Francis County (3.7% Hispanic), Poinsett County (3.8% Hispanic), Crittenden County (3.3% Hispanic), and Lee County (3.1% Hispanic).

Cross County's Native American/Other Population

55 residents of Cross County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Cross County is comparable to the share in Arkansas overall, where 1% of the population is Native American/Other. Cross County ranks 59th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cross County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 36.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Cross County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Cross County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Crittenden County (0.1% Native American/Other), and Lee County (0% Native American/Other). Cross County is less Native American/Other than neighboring St. Francis County (0.4% Native American/Other), Poinsett County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Woodruff County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Cross County's Multiracial Population

1,170 residents of Cross County, or 7.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Cross County is comparable to the share in Arkansas overall, where 6.3% of the population is Multiracial. Cross County ranks 59th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cross County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 103.5%. Multiracial residents' share of Cross County's population has increased from 3.4% to 7.1%.

Cross County is more Multiracial than neighboring St. Francis County (2.1% Multiracial), Poinsett County (5.9% Multiracial), Crittenden County (6.2% Multiracial), Woodruff County (3.8% Multiracial), and Lee County (2.7% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.