City · Arkansas
Lavaca, Arkansas
Lavaca, city, in Sebastian County, Arkansas. Lavaca had 2,528 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 3.4% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 2,450 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 2,489 (±18). GEOID 0538890.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
2,528
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 2,450 · ACS 2020-2024: 2,489 ±18
Median household income
$80,924
±$14,935 (90% margin)
Arkansas: $60,773
Median home value
$162,300
±$13,892 (90% margin)
Arkansas: $188,000
Median gross rent
$923
±$45 (90% margin)
Arkansas: $947
Where is Lavaca and what county is it in?
Lavaca is a city in Sebastian County, Arkansas. It covers 2.2 square miles of land, 1,102 residents per square mile in 2020.
Lavaca is in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 3 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Lavaca, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 2,528 people lived in Lavaca on July 1, 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in line with Arkansas (+3.4%). The 2020 Census counted 2,450 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 2,489 (±18).
| Measure | Lavaca | Sebastian County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 2,489 ±18 | 128,900 | no clear change |
| Households | 907 ±107 | 52,181 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.74 ±0.32 | 2.43 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 1,041 ±134 | 57,470 | no clear change |
Lavaca's population since 2000
From 1,825 in 2000 to 2,528 in 2025: up 38.5%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Lavaca as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Lavaca?
The median resident of Lavaca is 32.3 years old; 31.9% are under 18 and 10.0% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 87.5%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 8.2%.
| Measure | Lavaca | Sebastian County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.3 ±6.3 | 38.0 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 31.9% ±5.7 pts | 23.8% | – |
| 65 years and over | 10.0% ±3.1 pts | 17.0% | – |
| Male | 45.2% ±5.7 pts | 49.2% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.1% ±2.4 pts | 16.0% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 87.5% ±5.4 pts | 66.2% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 1.1% ±1.3 pts | 5.1% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.6 pts | 4.3% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.2% ±0.2 pts | 0.7% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.6 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 8.2% ±4.2 pts | 7.4% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.6 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.2% ±0.4 pts | 9.0% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 0.0% ±1.7 pts | 15.8% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 6.2% ±2.9 pts | 7.5% | – |
| With a disability | 21.3% ±6.4 pts | 22.4% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 3.2% ±2.0 pts | 10.5% | −5.2 pts |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 97.4% ±1.7 pts | 85.6% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 23.4% ±7.3 pts | 23.3% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 6.7% ±3.3 pts | 9.3% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 89.9% ±5.3 pts | 85.0% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 1.7% ±1.8 pts | 3.5% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Lavaca earn?
Half of Lavaca's 907 households earn less than $80,924 a year (±$14,935), against $57,790 in Sebastian County and $60,773 in Arkansas. In 2015-2019 it was $74,256 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 5.9% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Lavaca | Sebastian County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $80,924 ±$14,935 | $57,790 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $88,485 ±$12,109 | $87,364 | – |
| Per capita income | $32,273 ±$5,239 | $34,992 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 5.9% ±3.6 pts | 16.0% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 3.5% ±4.4 pts | 19.5% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 4.2% ±3.3 pts | 11.6% | – |
| Households with a computer | 98.1% ±1.8 pts | 94.1% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 94.0% ±5.5 pts | 86.0% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Lavaca?
Owners occupy 72.2% of Lavaca's occupied homes and renters 27.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $162,300 by its owner (±$13,892). The median renter pays $923 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Lavaca | Sebastian County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $162,300 ±$13,892 | $176,200 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $923 ±$45 | $886 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 19.2% ±17.3 pts | 35.4% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,135 ±$89 | $1,255 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 72.2% ±10.1 pts | 61.4% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 27.8% ±10.1 pts | 38.6% | – |
| Housing units | 1,041 ±134 | 57,470 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 2.8% ±4.7 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 25.7% ±19.7 pts | 6.9% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 72.4% ±9.2 pts | 70.0% | – |
| Mobile homes | 15.9% ±7.3 pts | 3.6% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 2.2% ±3.0 pts | 2.4% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 10.5% ±4.9 pts | 9.0% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 0.4% ±0.7 pts | 4.9% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 2.0% ±3.3 pts | 6.0% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How many new homes is Lavaca building?
Builders took permits for 2 new housing units in Lavaca in 2025 (2 in single-family houses), 0.8 per 1,000 residents against 5.0 across Arkansas.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in Lavaca work and get to work?
84.1% of Lavaca's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 24.2 minutes.
| Measure | Lavaca | Sebastian County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 71.7% ±5.4 pts | 60.6% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 3.0% ±2.7 pts | 5.5% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 84.1% ±5.9 pts | 78.9% | – |
| Carpooled | 11.7% ±5.3 pts | 10.8% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±3.1 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Walked | 0.4% ±0.7 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Worked from home | 3.8% ±2.8 pts | 7.6% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 24.2 min ±3.7 | 19.3 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Lavaca?
No census tract lies mostly in Lavaca; 3 tracts reach into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 101.01Sebastian County | 6,085 | $71,123 |
| Tract 101.02Sebastian County | 5,761 | $79,808 |
| Tract 102.01Sebastian County | 5,001 | $63,973 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Lavaca) · Census block assignment files
How does Lavaca compare with other places in Arkansas?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Lavaca is the 6,871st-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 114th-most populous of 500 in Arkansas.
Lavaca ranks 26th of 194 places in Arkansas with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 114th | 500 |
| Growth 2020-2025 (PEP) | 66th | 182 |
| Residents per square mile | 34th | 197 |
| Median household income | 26th | 194 |
| Per capita income | 58th | 197 |
| Median home value | 86th | 193 |
| Median gross rent | 63rd | 186 |
| Poverty rate | 163rd | 172 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 55th | 189 |
| Median age | 172nd | 196 |
| Owner-occupied share | 50th | 197 |
| Travel time to work | 64th | 197 |
Lavaca's figures with every place in Arkansas (CSV)
Every place in Arkansas, sortable · Compare Lavaca with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Lavaca?
21 of the 57 figures for Lavaca on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Lavaca are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Lavaca.