The first Americans that are believed to have settled in White County were John and Nancy Magness.

[3] On May 17, 1862, White County was the site of the Little Red Skirmish between Union Major General Samuel J Curtis and a force of about 100 loosely-organized Confederates, followed by the battle at Whitney Lane in June.

[5] In 1876, a religious cult called the Cobbites existed for a short period south of Searcy.

[6] During the 1960s, the U.S. Department of Defense constructed several Titan II missile silos in the county in the early 1960s.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 76,822 people, 28,621 households, and 18,028 families residing in the county.

As of the 2000 United States Census,[18] there were 67,165 people, 25,148 households, and 18,408 families residing in the county.

The 45th and current White County Judge is Michael Lincoln of Searcy, who assumed office in January 2007.

Over the past few election cycles White County has trended heavily towards the GOP.

Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries.

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

Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications.