The Town Files

Desha County, Arkansas

10,786 people. The median home is worth $90,900 (typical Arkansas town: $128,600) and the median household earns $37,662.

Towns in Desha County

Towns in Desha County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Dumas4,001$84,400$34,78741.2
McGehee3,849$98,800$36,87536.4

People and housing

Desha CountyTypical Arkansas town
Median home value$90,900$128,600
Median rent$718$792
Median household income$37,662$50,408
Median age41.637.8
Bachelor's degree or higher12.6%16.5%
Below the poverty line28.3%19.7%

Jobs and pay

4,132 jobs in 2024, average pay $47,354 a year.

Largest industries in Desha CountyManufacturing927 jobs · $69,265Health care & social assistan…464 jobs · $37,414Retail453 jobs · $28,014Hotels & restaurants298 jobs · $17,402Agriculture, forestry & fishi…271 jobs · $46,863Wholesale trade204 jobs · $68,016
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Desha County0%2%4%6%8%10%12%2000200420082012201620202023 4.6%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 287 storm events in Desha County from 1996 to 2026.

Storm events in Desha County by type since 1996Hail46Heat9Flood12Drought22Tornado12Ice Storm4Heavy Rain11Flash Flood37Strong Wind7Winter Storm12
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Desha County has been included in 21 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
January 24, 2026Winter StormEM-3636: Severe Winter Storm
May 21, 2025FloodDR-4873: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
April 5, 2025Severe StormEM-3627: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
April 4, 2023Winter StormDR-4700: Severe Winter Storm
August 27, 2020HurricaneEM-3541: Hurricane Laura
July 10, 2020TornadoDR-4556: Severe Storms And Straight-Line Winds
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).