Newport, Arkansas

Newport, Arkansas
City
Current Jackson County Courthouse in Newport
Flag Logo
Location of Newport in Jackson County, Arkansas.
Coordinates: 35°36′43″N 91°15′44″W / 35.61194°N 91.26222°W / 35.61194; -91.26222
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Jackson
Established	1870
Government
• Mayor	Derrick Ratliffe
Area [2]
• Total	13.80 sq mi (35.75 km2)
• Land	13.55 sq mi (35.10 km2)
• Water	0.25 sq mi (0.66 km2)
Elevation [1]	233 ft (71 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,005
• Estimate  (2024)	8,049
• Density	590.7/sq mi (228.08/km2)
Time zone	UTC−06:00 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00 (CDT)
ZIP Code	72112
Area code	870
FIPS code	05-49580
GNIS feature ID	2404372[1]
Website	www.newportarcity.org

Newport is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Arkansas, United States located on the White River, 84 miles (135 km) northeast of Little Rock. As of the 2020 census, Newport had a population of 8,005.^[3]

Newport is home to a campus of the Arkansas State University system, with particular focus on training in transportation careers. Newport is known as the town in which Sam Walton owned a Ben Franklin store prior to starting Wal-Mart.

Newport has ten properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.7 square miles (35.5 km²), of which 13.4 square miles (34.8 km²) is land and 0.27 square miles (0.7 km²), or 1.92%, is water.^[4]

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Newport has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[5]

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	683		—
1890	1,571		130.0%
1900	2,866		82.4%
1910	3,557		24.1%
1920	3,771		6.0%
1930	4,547		20.6%
1940	4,301		−5.4%
1950	6,254		45.4%
1960	7,007		12.0%
1970	7,725		10.2%
1980	8,339		7.9%
1990	7,459		−10.6%
2000	7,811		4.7%
2010	7,879		0.9%
2020	8,005		1.6%
2024 (est.)	8,049		0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

As of the 2020 census, Newport had a population of 8,005. The median age was 39.0 years. 16.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.7 males age 18 and over.^[9][10]

67.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 32.9% lived in rural areas.^[11]

There were 2,534 households in Newport, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 34.1% were married-couple households, 21.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 38.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 1,234 families residing in the city.^[9]

There were 2,915 housing units, of which 13.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.7%.^[9]

As of the census^[13] of 2000, the city's residents comprised 7,811 people in 2,690 households 1,702 families. The population density was 599.2 inhabitants per square mile (231.4/km²). There were 3,118 housing units at an average density of 239.2 per square mile (92.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.57% White, 41.76% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,690 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90.

19.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 16.7% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,853, and the median per capita income was $13,867.^[14] About 23.6% of families and 28.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.6% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.

The Grimes Unit and the McPherson Unit, prisons of the Arkansas Department of Correction, are located in Newport, off Arkansas Highway 384, 4 miles (6 km) east of central Newport.^[15] The prison houses the state's death row for women.^[16]

The United States Postal Service operates the Newport Post Office.^[17]

• Medallion Foods, snack-food producer

Newport is supported with public education from the Newport School District, including Newport High School.

The main campus of the two-year community college, Arkansas State University-Newport is located here.

• Helen Walton, wife of Sam Walton
• Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart
• S. Robson Walton, John T. Walton, Jim Walton and Alice Walton, children of the Wal-Mart founder

• Sonny Burgess, rockabilly artist and a member of Rockabilly Hall of Fame
• Elizabeth Gregg Patterson, short fiction writer
• Mary Steenburgen, Academy Award-winning actress

• Mike Beebe, former Governor of Arkansas
• Les Eaves, member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from White County; businessman in Newport
• Kaneaster Hodges Jr., appointed to succeed John McClellan as United States Senator upon McClellan's death in 1977
• Paul K. Holmes III, federal judge
• Ed Madden, activist, poet, and professor at the University of South Carolina
• J. Fred Parish, Arkansas state senator from 1933 to 1937
• Admiral Charles Ray, Vice Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard
• Harmon L. Remmel, Republican party boss in the early 20th century
• Martha Shoffner, Treasurer of the State of Arkansas from 2007 to 2013
• Robert L. Stanton, born and raised in Newport; he became a dentist and in 1932 the first African American to be elected to the Indiana State House on the Democratic Party ticket, serving two terms
• Dwight Tosh, member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Jonesboro; former Newport resident and former state police officer
• Jim Wood, Arkansas State Auditor from 2003 to 2011

• Auntie Caroline Dye, prominent Hoodoo conjurer and businesswoman

• Dowell Loggains, NFL offensive coordinator, New York Jets
• Julius Pruitt, played for NFL's Miami Dolphins
• Theo Young, played one season with NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and is a college football coach

• Jackson County Courthouse (Arkansas)

• City website
• W.A. Billingsly Jackson County Library
• The Newport Independent, the city's newspaper published since 1901
• Newport Economic Development Commission
• Newport Area Chamber of Commerce
• Arkansas State University-Newport
• History of Newport's Jewish community (from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life)