“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.
3 school districts have their office in Ouachita County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $34.1 million — $30.7 million to run schools, about $13,812 per student, plus $3.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $3.5 million local (mostly property tax), $20.6 million state, $9.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $13.2 million.
Spent $11.7 million — $10.8 million to run schools, about $11,801 per student, plus $569,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.2 million local (mostly property tax), $8.5 million state, $2 million federal. Long-term debt: $10 million.
Spent $7.3 million — $7 million to run schools, about $14,616 per student, plus $166,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $748,000 local (mostly property tax), $5 million state, $1.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $4.1 million.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Ouachita County about $10.4 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Low; social vulnerability: Very High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
162 bridges in Ouachita County: 52 in good condition, 93 fair, and 17 poor (10.5%). “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.
| SH7Sec3Lm14.48 over UPRR · built 1976 | 8,800 vehicles a day |
| US 79-B S-4 LM 2.2 over OUACHITA RIVER · built 1947 | 3,700 vehicles a day |
| US 278 S-9 LM 4.57 over TWO BAYOU CREEK · built 1950 | 2,469 vehicles a day |
| Ouachita CR 2 Z-H over GUM CREEK · built 1968 | 1,831 vehicles a day |
| Ouachita CR 2 Z-H over REED CREEK · built 1968 | 1,831 vehicles a day |
| Ouachita CR 2 Z-H over MILL CREEK · built 1968 | 1,831 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $9.2 million of work in Ouachita County in fiscal 2025, about $407 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.
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.
Related: The money trail · Your tax bill, explained · Water · Jails & prisons · Grants. Spot an error? Report it.