Independence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,938. The county seat is Batesville. Independence County is Arkansas's ninth county, formed on October 20, 1820, from a portion of Lawrence County and named in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. It is an alcohol prohibition or dry county. The Batesville, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Independence County.