County outline
Where St. Francis County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.8% of St. Francis County’s measured area and water for 1.2%. Its combined area converts to 1,664.1 square kilometers or approximately 411,208 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 634.784 | 1,644.083 | 406,261.8 |
| Water | 7.729 | 20.018 | 4,946.6 |
| Total | 642.513 | 1,664.101 | 411,208.3 |
How St. Francis County compares
By original Census land area, St. Francis County ranks #41 of 75 in Arkansas and #1504 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.981 times the Arkansas county-equivalent median of 647.2 square miles. It accounts for 1.2% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Arkansas ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of St. Francis County
The Census Bureau estimates that 21,800 people lived in St. Francis County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,784 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #28 of 75 in Arkansas. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 23,092, the population has declined by 1,292 (−5.6%), compared with +3.4% for Arkansas as a whole.
With 634.8 square miles of land, that is 34 people per square mile (13 per km²), placing St. Francis County #1,888 nationally for density and #27 in Arkansas. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Arkansas median is 28. Put another way, there are about 19 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 23,019 | 22,711 | 22,360 | 22,080 | 21,939 | 21,800 |
| Change | — | −308 | −351 | −280 | −141 | −139 |
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 St. Francis County
9 incorporated places lie at least partly in St. Francis County. Together they are home to 15,636 people (71.7%); the other 6,164 (28.3%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Forrest City city, with 12,308 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forrest City cityCounty seat | 12,308 | −5.4% | 20.2 |
| Hughes city | 976 | −7.6% | 2.263 |
| Madison city | 713 | −6.4% | 2.484 |
| Palestine city | 476 | −6.1% | 3.405 |
| Caldwell town | 419 | −5.8% | 3.186 |
| Colt city | 283 | −5.4% | 1.258 |
| Wheatley city | 259 | −6.8% | 3.071 |
| Widener town | 202 | −4.3% | 0.545 |
| Jennette townAlso in 1 other county | 0 | — | 2.265 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside St. Francis County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
St. Francis County is a central county of the Forrest City, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area. St. Francis County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 634.8 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #333 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #500 by population. It belongs to the Memphis-Clarksdale-Forrest City, TN-MS-AR Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
13 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in St. Francis County; 9 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
72021723227232672335723407234672348723597237272376723927239472396
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 St. Francis County
St. Francis County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Cross County (616.3 mi²) and the smallest is Woodruff County (586 mi²). Together with its neighbors, St. Francis County forms a block of 3,656.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 17.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. St. Francis | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross County | 616.3 | about the same | Compare |
| Crittenden County | 611.8 | about the same | Compare |
| Monroe County | 607.5 | about the same | Compare |
| Lee County | 599.8 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Woodruff County | 586 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
How big is St. Francis County compared with U.S. states?
St. Francis County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.6 times as much. Arkansas’s county land could hold about 82 areas the size of St. Francis County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 25.2 miles (40.5 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 St. Francis County?
St. Francis County has more land than 1,718 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 St. Francis County at #1,600 nationally by total area, 96 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 1.2%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2%. The two percentages are within 0.1 percentage points of each other. 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 St. Francis County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1503 | Bourbon County, Kansas | 635.5 | Compare |
| #1504 | St. Francis County, Arkansas | 634.8 | This county |
| #1505 | Columbia County, New York | 634.7 | 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 35.022838, -90.751506. 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: 1,644,082,954 m²; AWATER: 20,017,603 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 St. Francis County?
St. Francis County, Arkansas has 634.8 square miles (1,644.1 km²) of land and 7.729 square miles of water, for a total area of 642.5 square miles. It ranks #1504 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is St. Francis County the largest county in Arkansas?
No. St. Francis County ranks #41 of 75 in Arkansas by land area. The largest is Union County, with 1,039.1 square miles of land.
What counties border St. Francis County?
St. Francis County shares a land border with Lee County, Cross County, Crittenden County, Woodruff County, and Monroe County.
What is the population of St. Francis County?
The Census Bureau estimates St. Francis County had 21,800 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,784 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 34 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of St. Francis County?
The county seat of St. Francis County is Forrest City.
What cities and towns are in St. Francis County?
St. Francis County has 9 incorporated places. The most populous five are Forrest City city, Hughes city, Madison city, Palestine city, and Caldwell town; 6,164 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is St. Francis County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Forrest City, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in St. Francis County?
13 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in St. Francis County, and 9 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does St. Francis County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.6 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in St. Francis County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 406,262 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 411,208 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.