County outline
Where Ashley County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.4% of Ashley County’s measured area and water for 1.6%. Its combined area converts to 2,435.7 square kilometers or approximately 601,867 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 925.492 | 2,397.013 | 592,314.9 |
| Water | 14.925 | 38.656 | 9,552 |
| Total | 940.417 | 2,435.669 | 601,866.9 |
How Ashley County compares
By original Census land area, Ashley County ranks #6 of 75 in Arkansas and #785 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.43 times the Arkansas county-equivalent median of 647.2 square miles. It accounts for 1.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Arkansas ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Ashley County
The Census Bureau estimates that 17,831 people lived in Ashley County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,011 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #40 of 75 in Arkansas. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 19,060, the population has declined by 1,229 (−6.4%), compared with +3.4% for Arkansas as a whole.
With 925.5 square miles of land, that is 19 people per square mile (7.4 per km²), placing Ashley County #2,350 nationally for density and #56 in Arkansas. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Arkansas median is 28. Put another way, there are about 33 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 18,959 | 18,642 | 18,308 | 18,254 | 18,024 | 17,831 |
| Change | — | −317 | −334 | −54 | −230 | −193 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Ashley County
7 incorporated places lie at least partly in Ashley County. Together they are home to 8,007 people (44.9%); the other 9,824 (55.1%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Crossett city, with 4,454 residents in the county. The county seat, Hamburg city, has 2,364 residents.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crossett city | 4,454 | −7.5% | 7.159 |
| Hamburg cityCounty seat | 2,364 | −6.7% | 3.435 |
| Wilmot city | 395 | −7.1% | 1.769 |
| Portland city | 302 | −6.5% | 1.071 |
| Montrose city | 227 | −7.3% | 0.379 |
| Parkdale city | 163 | −7.4% | 1.02 |
| Fountain Hill town | 102 | −5.6% | 0.568 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Ashley County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Ashley County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Ashley County; 6 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
71635716427164671658716617166371676
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Ashley County
Ashley County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents, including 1 in Louisiana. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Union County (1,039.1 mi²) and the smallest is Chicot County (637 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Ashley County forms a block of 4,874.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 19%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Ashley | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County | 1,039.1 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Drew County | 828.7 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Morehouse ParishLouisiana | 795 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Bradley County | 649.2 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
| Chicot County | 637 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Ashley County compared with U.S. states?
Ashley County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.1 times as much. Arkansas’s county land could hold about 56 areas the size of Ashley County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 30.4 miles (49 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Ashley County?
Ashley County has more land than 2,437 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Ashley County at #860 nationally by total area, 75 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 1.6%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.4 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Ashley County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #784 | Gray County, Texas | 926 | Compare |
| #785 | Ashley County, Arkansas | 925.5 | This county |
| #786 | Tyler County, Texas | 924.3 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 33.190835, -91.772267. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 2,397,012,342 m²; AWATER: 38,656,003 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Ashley County?
Ashley County, Arkansas has 925.5 square miles (2,397 km²) of land and 14.9 square miles of water, for a total area of 940.4 square miles. It ranks #785 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Ashley County the largest county in Arkansas?
No. Ashley County ranks #6 of 75 in Arkansas by land area. The largest is Union County, with 1,039.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Ashley County?
Ashley County shares a land border with Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, Drew County, Chicot County, Bradley County, and Union County.
What is the population of Ashley County?
The Census Bureau estimates Ashley County had 17,831 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,011 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 19 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Ashley County?
The county seat of Ashley County is Hamburg.
What cities and towns are in Ashley County?
Ashley County has 7 incorporated places. The most populous five are Crossett city, Hamburg city, Wilmot city, Portland city, and Montrose city; 9,824 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Ashley County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Ashley County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Ashley County?
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Ashley County, and 6 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Ashley County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.1 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Ashley County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 592,315 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 601,867 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.