Census: Towns closest to Fort Smith gained population; those further away decreased

Except for Charleston in Franklin County, every city in Logan, Franklin and Scott counties with more than 1,000 residents lost population from 2010 to 2020.

Every county surrounding Sebastian County -- which holds Fort Smith -- lost population. Franklin and Scott counties' populations shrunk more than 5%, while Crawford County lost 2.9%, according to the census.

Scott County led the region in population decrease at 12.4%, data shows.

The census results for every city and county throughout the United States help determine how hundreds of billions of federal dollars in grants, and support for schools, roads and hospitals will be appropriated over the next decade.

[CENSUS DATA: Map not showing up above? Click here » arkansasonline.com/2020censusdata/]

Mervin Jebaraj, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, said the decline in the state's rural communities fits with the nationwide trend of migration out of such areas.

"That has been true for a long time, with the younger generation wanting to live in more metropolitan areas," he said.

Leaders in some nearby towns that grew in population pointed to their proximity to Fort Smith and Van Buren as reasons for their population growths.

Cedarville Mayor Mark Isenhower, whose city increased from 1,394 to 1,424 people, said his residents generally work in the larger city but don't want to live there. They drive to Fort Smith or Van Buren for work.

"We're the only town that doesn't have a millage in the whole Crawford County, and we only have one penny sales tax. And our school millage for Cedarville is the lowest in the county," Isenhower said.

The same is true in Lavaca just east of Fort Smith.

Charleston -- also east of Fort Smith -- grew from 2,494 people to 2,588 in the census. South of Fort Smith, Greenwood grew from 8,952 to 9,516, census data shows.

Bedroom community growth also happened in Barling, which is east of Fort Smith. The town's population grew from 4,649 to 4,782, the data shows.

Barling borders Fort Smith and is near the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education in Fort Smith. It's also near Fort Smith Public Schools' coming Peak Innovation Center.

"If you look at the census data, one of the big clues is that education brings jobs and skills," said Steve Core, Barling city administrator.

Van Buren's population also grew from 22,791 to 23,218, data shows. It's the second-largest city in the region and sits across the Arkansas River from Fort Smith.

But, census data shows that western Arkansas towns of more than 1,000 people generally saw population decreases the farther away from Fort Smith they are.

Mansfield, Ozark, Paris and Booneville all lost population, the census shows. The towns are all more than a 40-minute drive from downtown Fort Smith.

Amanda Faconer, Waldron finance director, said people are looking for jobs and entertainment options that larger cities can afford to offer. Waldron's population fell from 3,618 to 3,386 in the past 10 years.

"I see it slowly dying if things don't change," she said.

However, she questioned the accuracy of 2020 census data for her town. She said multiple census takers showed up at her house after she had already submitted her information. She also believes covid-19 complicated the counting process.

Mayor Buddy Black of Mansfield said there are "no empty houses" to rent in his town, yet Mansfield's count decreased from 1,139 to 1,053, the data shows.

"I don't think it was a good count," he said.

Booneville City Clerk Gayleene West also questioned the accuracy of Booneville's dip from 3,990 people to 3,809 in the census, noting that the Booneville School District has grown.

Fort Smith Mayor George McGill said the U.S. Census Bureau is establishing a process to allow governments to request recounts. Black and Waldron Mayor David Millard said they would like to request a recount. West said she suspects the Booneville mayor also would like one.

In Paris in Logan County, the population fell from 3,532 to 3,176 in the census. Mayor Daniel Rogers said the decrease isn't necessarily a bad thing. Law enforcement in recent years has increased efforts to get drug traffickers out of the city -- people he'd rather not have in town, he said.

He noted the town's loss of an American Axle & Manufacturing plant that decreased the population.

"We've done some to try to bring some business back. We've put a smaller company in that building, and hopefully, they will grow over the years, and we've added an industrial park that's about to expand their business."

Rogers also said he's spoken with the City Council about annexing land surrounding the city as a way of increasing the number of residents.