Van Buren County Demographics

A map of Van Buren County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	14,659	14,319	91.6%	90.6%
Hispanic	551	501	3.4%	3.2%
Multiracial	546	724	3.4%	4.6%
Native American/Other	111	125	0.7%	0.8%
Black	68	71	0.4%	0.4%
Asian	63	56	0.4%	0.4%

Van Buren County, Arkansas has an estimated population of 15,998, a slight increase from the 15,796 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 91.6% White, 3.4% Hispanic, 3.4% Multiracial, 0.7% Native American/Other, 0.4% Black, and 0.4% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Van Buren County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Van Buren has become less 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 Van Buren County, that probability was 17.5% in 2020 and 15.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Van Buren County is ranked the 48th most populous county in Arkansas, out of 75 counties. Van Buren County was ranked the 50th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Van Buren County's White Population

14,659 residents of Van Buren County, or 91.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Van Buren County is significantly higher than in Arkansas overall, where 67.4% of the population is White. Van Buren County ranks 10th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Van Buren County's White population has grown by an estimated 2.4%. White residents' share of Van Buren County's population has increased from 90.6% to 91.6%.

Van Buren County is more White than neighboring Conway County (79.4% White), Searcy County (88.4% White), Stone County (89.8% White), Faulkner County (76.9% White), and Cleburne County (91.5% White).

Van Buren County's Black Population

68 residents of Van Buren County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Van Buren County is considerably lower than in Arkansas overall, where 14.6% of the population is Black. Van Buren County ranks 61st statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Van Buren County's Black population has declined by an estimated 4.2%. Black residents' share of Van Buren County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Van Buren County is more Black than neighboring Searcy County (0% Black), Stone County (0.1% Black), and Cleburne County (0.3% Black). Van Buren County is less Black than neighboring Conway County (11.5% Black), and Faulkner County (11.7% Black).

Van Buren County's Asian Population

63 residents of Van Buren County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Van Buren County is comparable to the share in Arkansas overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Van Buren County ranks 52nd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Van Buren County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 12.5%. Asian residents' share of Van Buren County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Van Buren County is more Asian than neighboring Conway County (0.3% Asian), Stone County (0.1% Asian), and Cleburne County (0.2% Asian). Van Buren County is less Asian than neighboring Searcy County (0.5% Asian), and Faulkner County (1% Asian).

Van Buren County's Hispanic Population

551 residents of Van Buren County, or 3.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Van Buren County is lower than in Arkansas overall, where 9% of the population is Hispanic. Van Buren County ranks 43rd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Van Buren County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 10.0%. Hispanic residents' share of Van Buren County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.4%.

Van Buren County is more Hispanic than neighboring Searcy County (2.2% Hispanic), Stone County (2.2% Hispanic), and Cleburne County (3% Hispanic). Van Buren County is less Hispanic than neighboring Conway County (4.7% Hispanic), and Faulkner County (5.7% Hispanic).

Van Buren County's Native American/Other Population

111 residents of Van Buren County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Van Buren County is comparable to the share in Arkansas overall, where 1% of the population is Native American/Other. Van Buren County ranks 33rd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Van Buren County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 11.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Van Buren County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Van Buren County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Faulkner County (0.6% Native American/Other). Van Buren County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Searcy County (1.6% Native American/Other), Stone County (0.9% Native American/Other), and Cleburne County (1% Native American/Other).

Van Buren County's Multiracial Population

546 residents of Van Buren County, or 3.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Van Buren County is slightly lower than in Arkansas overall, where 6.3% of the population is Multiracial. Van Buren County ranks 31st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Van Buren County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 24.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Van Buren County's population has decreased from 4.6% to 3.4%.

Van Buren County is less Multiracial than neighboring Searcy County (7.3% Multiracial), Stone County (6.9% Multiracial), Faulkner County (4.1% Multiracial), and Cleburne County (4.1% 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.