Schools, health, disaster risk, bridges and federal grants for Baxter County, from national public records — each with its source. The same page for every U.S. county is at countycommons.us/us.
How Baxter County compares — against the other counties in Arkansas
43,007 — people: 16th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$12,296 — spending per student in its school districts: 43rd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
74.2 years — life expectancy: 11th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
10.8% — share of adults under 65 without health insurance: 16th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
20.6% — child poverty: 56th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
85.5% — households with broadband internet: 15th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$48,804 — median household income: 50th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
0.0% — share of bridges rated poor: 74th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$159 — federal grant dollars per resident: 58th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$21.0 million — expected yearly losses from natural hazards: 21st 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
3 school districts have their office in Baxter County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
MOUNTAIN HOME SCH DIST 93,914 students
Spent $49.9 million — $47.4 million to run schools, about $12,103 per student, plus $958,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $8.3 million local (mostly property tax), $33.1 million state, $9.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $40.9 million.
COTTER SCH DIST 60728 students
Spent $10.5 million — $8.8 million to run schools, about $12,022 per student, plus $1.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1 million local (mostly property tax), $6.8 million state, $2.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $2.7 million.
NORFORK SCH DIST 61470 students
Spent $7.4 million — $6.7 million to run schools, about $14,334 per student, plus $515,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1 million local (mostly property tax), $4.5 million state, $1.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $2 million.
Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Baxter County about $21 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Very High.
The costliest hazards here
River and inland flooding$7.1 million a year · Relatively Low
Tornado$3.9 million a year · Relatively Moderate
Ice storm$2.9 million a year · Very High
Earthquake$2.1 million a year · Relatively Low
Strong wind$1.7 million a year · Relatively High
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
91 bridges in Baxter County: 56 in good condition, 35 fair, and 0 poor (0.0%). “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 $6.6 million of work in Baxter County in fiscal 2025, about $159 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.