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Welcome to Rector ...

The city of Rector is located in Clay County<1>.

While we don't have a date for the founding of Rector, you might consider that their post office opened  in 1882.

From the  Census Estimates for 2019, Rector has a population of 1,724 people<2> (see below for details).

Rector is 280 feet [85 m] above sea level.<3>.

Time Zone: Rector lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Codes for Rector: 870 & 327<4>

The ZIP code for Rector: 72461<5>

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Rector had an population of 1,724 people. This is a decrease of 12.8% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 14.53% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Rector had a population of 1,977 people (which is 12.32% of the total population of Clay County). This makes Rector the county's 3rd most populous community.

The population of Rector represents 0.07% of the population of Arkansas (which has 2,915,918 people), making it the state's 135th most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 1,977 people, the population of Rector decreased 1.98% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 2,017 people).

More information can be found on the Census Page for Rector.

Communities Also Named Rector ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 4 communities that are also named Rector - they are located in California, Missouri, New York and Pennsylvania.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Rector.

Communities near Rector ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Rector.

  • Paragould
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paragould have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paragould
    • Paragould is located in Greene County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 29,257 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paragould <7>
  • Kennett
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Piggott
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Corning
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corning have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corning
    • Corning is located in Clay County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,019 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corning <7>
  • Campbell
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Campbell have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
    • Campbell is located in Dunklin County (MO)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,792 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Campbell <7>
  • Senath
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Marmaduke
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Oak Grove Heights
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Grove Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove Heights
    • Oak Grove Heights is located in Greene County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,095 people
  • Cardwell
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cardwell have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell
    • Cardwell is located in Dunklin County (MO)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 633 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cardwell <7>
  • Hornersville
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hornersville have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornersville
    • Hornersville is located in Dunklin County (MO)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Rector. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Rector.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Rector. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rector.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Rector. See our Newspapers Page for Rector.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Rector ...

Looking for more information about Rector? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

In addition to the Tourism page for Rector, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Rector.

Adding Rector to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Rector in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.

From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Rector was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>

X2X - From that list, the Rector post office opened in 1882.

We also found Rector on a map titled William Bradley Map (1889).

For more details, see References and Mentions for Rector.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rector. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Arkansas: https://portal.arkansas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Arkansas' counties, including Clay, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Rector.
<3>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Rector - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<4>When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 870 code has been Overlayed with the 327 area code. New phone numbers in the Rector area will be assigned with one of these codes: 870 or 327. As a result, placing a call in the Rector area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<5>ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Rector). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Rector or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<6>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<7>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<8>A copy of their list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 12 Jul 2025