Schools, health, disaster risk, bridges and federal grants for Searcy County, from national public records — each with its source. The same page for every U.S. county is at countycommons.us/us.
How Searcy County compares — against the other counties in Arkansas
7,836 — people: 68th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$14,674 — spending per student in its school districts: 11th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
73.6 years — life expectancy: 20th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
9.2% — share of adults under 65 without health insurance: 44th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
28.1% — child poverty: 17th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
74.8% — households with broadband internet: 62nd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$40,688 — median household income: 71st highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
3.1% — share of bridges rated poor: 52nd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$699 — federal grant dollars per resident: 22nd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$6.4 million — expected yearly losses from natural hazards: 67th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
Public schools — district budgets, fiscal 2023
2 school districts have their office in Searcy County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
SEARCY COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT841 students
Spent $14.5 million — $12.2 million to run schools, about $14,454 per student, plus $2.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.4 million local (mostly property tax), $8.6 million state, $3.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $8.9 million.
OZARK MOUNTAIN SCH DIST 12571 students
Spent $8.9 million — $8.6 million to run schools, about $14,996 per student, plus $229,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1 million local (mostly property tax), $6.9 million state, $2.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $2.4 million.
Overall risk: Very Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Searcy County about $6.4 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Low; social vulnerability: Very High.
The costliest hazards here
Ice storm$2.2 million a year · Very High
River and inland flooding$1.8 million a year · Very Low
Tornado$1 million a year · Relatively Low
Cold wave$389,949 a year · Relatively Low
Earthquake$270,222 a year · Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
Bridges — condition of every public bridge, 2025
65 bridges in Searcy County: 26 in good condition, 37 fair, and 2 poor (3.1%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
Federal grants — the money that came in, and what's open now
Federal grants paid for $5.5 million of work in Searcy County in fiscal 2025, about $699 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
Open now: federal grants county governments can apply for
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.