Located at the intersection of the Ozarks and Arkansas River Valley, the county was sparsely populated for much of its early years.

The college known today as University of Central Arkansas was established in 1907, but population continued to grow slowly.

The growth of Little Rock and the construction of Interstate 40 have made Conway and other parts of Faulkner County into bedroom communities for the state capital.

Today Faulkner County is included in the Central Arkansas metro area, with Conway as a principal city.

Faulkner County was formed from parts of Conway and Pulaski counties on April 12, 1873, and is named after Sandford C. Faulkner, a planter, raconteur, and fiddle player known for his popular folk tale Arkansas Traveler (folklore) from the early-19th century.

Publicly funded education for elementary and secondary school students is provided by:[17] Privately funded education for elementary and secondary school students is provided by: Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county.

However, the United States census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions").