Swifton, Arkansas
10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1935 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Glass Township. It lies in ZIP code area 72471. The Survey maps it on the Swifton West quadrangle. 733 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 249 feet above sea level.
On record in Swifton
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
- New Home School Buildinglisted 1992
Population over time
2 figuresSwifton fell from 798 to 733 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 798 | |
| 2020 | 733 | -65 (-8%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 10 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1935 USGS Alicia quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1953 USGS Memphis quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1956 USGS Memphis quadrangle1:250000
- 1980 USGS Swifton West quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Batesville quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
9 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 9 fires within 5 miles of Swifton between 1999 and 2017, burning about 157 acres in total. None started naturally. 6 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 6 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 4.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 30 August 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 22 August 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 22 August 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 17 April 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 27 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 9 December 2006 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 30 November 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 30 November 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 40 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
40 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Swifton in 40 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 21 thunderstorm wind, 9 hail, 4 flash flood, 4 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2011 | Flood | Swifton | $1,500,000 | Parts of Arkansas Highways 14, 18, 37, 42, 69, 69S, 224, 226, and 384 were closed due to flooding. Jacksonport and areas to the north of town were evacuated; Jacksonport State Park was closed. Flooding in Jackson County continued into June. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | $250,000 | Damaging thunderstorm winds blew through Swifton. At the fire department administrative building (old City Hall), a bay door blew in. Once the wind was inside the building, it blew out much of the rear of the building and took off a large part of the roof. Rain poured in, leaving more than an inch of water on the floor of the offices. Across the street, a large tree fell on a garage. Nearby, a huge tree fell into a house, causing large limbs to jut through the ceilings of several rooms. |
| April 2011 | Flood | Swifton | $125,000 | Widespread areal flooding occurred. A portion of Arkansas Highway 14 was closed from the afternoon of the 26th through the end of the month. Part of Arkansas Highway 224 was closed from the morning of the 27th through the end of the month. Parts of Arkansas Highways 37, 69, and 226 were closed from the morning of the 28th through the end of the month. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed some trees and power lines. |
| April 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | $30,000 | A roof was removed from a home in Swifton. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | $25,000 | A roof was blown off a night club. |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | $25,000 | A hay barn was blown down. |
| December 2013 | Flash Flood | Swifton | $20,000 | Sections of Arkansas 224 and Arkansas 226 near Swifton flooded, as did several county roads. |
| December 2013 | Flood | Swifton | $15,000 | Sections of Arkansas 224 and Arkansas 226 were flooded for a week. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | $10,000 | A few trees were uprooted, and a fence and a farm shop wall were blown down. |
| March 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | $2,000 | Trees and fence were blown over in Swifton. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | $500 | Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees. |
| January 2025 | Flash Flood | Swifton | - | Arkansas Highway 224 was closed in both directions due to high water from Cattail Creek over the roadway near the community of Swifton. |
| April 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | - | Trees and powerlines were down in Swifton. Gusts were estimated at 60-70 mph. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | - | Winds were measured at 68 mph in Swifton, in addition to quarter sized hail. Numerous trees were uprooted. |
| January 2020 | Flash Flood | Swifton | - | ARDOT reported Hwy 224 south of Swifton was closed due to high water. Time was estimated from radar. |
| May 2020 | Hail | Swifton | - | The public reported golf ball size hail in Swifton. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | - | Trees were blown down and large limbs were down as well. Winds gusted to an estimated 60 mph. |
| May 2019 | Tornado (EF0) | Swifton | - | This tornado was observed by Law Enforcement in rural areas of Jackson County southeast of Swifton, just north of Arkansas Hwy 226. Damage was minimal due to staying mainly in open fields. |
| February 2018 | Flood | Swifton | - | State Highway 226 was closed south of Swifton due to high water on the road. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | - | There was damage to several outbuildings. |
| January 2017 | Hail | Swifton | - | Hail 1.00 inch in diameter fell in Swifton. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | - | Trees and power lines were blown down. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | - | Thunderstorm winds knocked down some highway signs. |
| April 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Swifton | - | A weak tornado moved from Independence County into Jackson County about 5.5 miles west of Swifton. The tornado traveled to the northeast for approximately 4.5 miles before lifting 5 miles northwest of Swifton. The tornado continued to track along the Black River bottoms. Several trees were pushed over. Also, the tops of some trees along with other large limbs were twisted and broken. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | - | Several trees were blown down at Swifton. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | - | Thunderstorm winds uprooted a large tree and knocked down some large limbs. |
| October 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | - | Some trees were blown down. |
| February 2024 | Hail | Swifton | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Swifton | - | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Swifton | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Flash Flood | Swifton | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Swifton | - | no account filed |
| October 2004 | Hail | Swifton | - | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | - | no account filed |
| February 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | - | no account filed |
| April 2000 | Hail | Swifton | - | no account filed |
| November 2000 | Hail | Swifton | - | no account filed |
| November 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | - | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Swifton | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vance | 3.6 miles | 10 | |
| Centerville | 5.0 miles | 10 | |
| Kenyon | 5.4 miles | 10 | |
| Tuckerman | 7.3 miles | 11 | |
| Tuscany (historical) | 8.7 miles | 10 | |
| Amith Addition | 8.8 miles | 11 | |
| Elgin | 9.6 miles | 12 | |
| Grubbs | 12.2 miles | 10 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Swifton | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q79493 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 58723. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.




