Rector is a city in southeastern Clay County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,977 at the 2010 census.

Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Originally incorporated as Clayton County, as of the 2020 census, its population was 14,552. The county has two county seats, Corning and Piggott. It is a dry county, in which the sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or prohibited.