| | Van Buren, AR | West Plains, MO | United States |
| Population | 23,213 | 12,048 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 52.8% | 52.1% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 47.2% | 47.9% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 35.1 | 33.9 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 22,839 | 12,053 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 18,986 | 10,866 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 14,979 | 8,913 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 25.4% | 14.0% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 59.0% | 38.9% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 1,511.1 | 908.1 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 15.4 | 13.3 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.9 | 0.0 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Van Buren, AR | West Plains, MO | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 6.8% | 8.1% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 5.5% | 7.0% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 7.2% | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 3.9% | 3.6% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 2.6% | 4.3% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 5.6% | 5.0% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 18.4% | 17.0% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 9.4% | 12.1% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 13.0% | 10.5% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 5.9% | 4.6% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 5.4% | 5.0% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 9.5% | 8.3% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 5.4% | 4.9% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 1.4% | 3.9% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Van Buren, AR | West Plains, MO | United States |
| White | 74.4% | 95.9% | 59.4% |
| Black | 2.1% | 0.6% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 2.7% | 0.2% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 1.2% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 5.0% | 2.1% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 14.1% | 0.7% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Van Buren, AR | West Plains, MO | United States |
| Married Population | 52.3% | 44.9% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 49.6% | 42.0% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.8% | 2.9% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 47.7% | 55.1% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 24.3% | 31.9% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 16.6% | 13.4% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 6.8% | 9.8% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.57 | 2.42 | 2.60 |
| Households | 8,909 | 4,803 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 6,332 | 2,573 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 24.2% | 29.6% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 42.2% | 37.2% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 2,577 | 2,230 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 22.0% | 23.0% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 11.6% | 10.2% | 10.8% |