 Van Buren County should not be confused with the city of Van Buren, which is located approximately 100 miles to the west in Crawford County just north of Fort Smith.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.2%) is water.As of the 2000 census, there were 16,192 people, 6,825 households, and 4,804 families residing in the county.