“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 Polk County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $24.6 million — $22.8 million to run schools, about $13,089 per student, plus $1.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $3 million local (mostly property tax), $15.3 million state, $6.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $22.1 million.
Spent $16.1 million — $14.1 million to run schools, about $16,377 per student, plus $1.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.6 million local (mostly property tax), $9.5 million state, $4.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $7.9 million.
Spent $10.3 million — $9.2 million to run schools, about $11,566 per student, plus $836,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $955,000 local (mostly property tax), $7.4 million state, $2.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $2.3 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 Polk County about $9.8 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Very High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
222 bridges in Polk County: 47 in good condition, 146 fair, and 29 poor (13.1%). “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.
| US 71 - Polk Co over Six Mile Creek · built 1940 | 5,100 vehicles a day |
| State Highway 88 over Ouachita River - Polk Co · built 1955 | 3,700 vehicles a day |
| State Highway 88 over Gap Creek-Polk County · built 1950 | 2,250 vehicles a day |
| State Highway 88 over Irons Fork Creek Polk Co · built 1955 | 2,250 vehicles a day |
| County Road 31 over Six Mile Creek - Polk Co · built 1992 | 901 vehicles a day |
| County Road 35 over Mike Creek Polk Co. · built 1991 | 672 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $9.3 million of work in Polk County in fiscal 2025, about $486 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.