Schools, health, disaster risk, bridges and federal grants for St. Francis County, from national public records — each with its source. The same page for every U.S. county is at countycommons.us/us.
How St. Francis County compares — against the other counties in Arkansas
21,822 — people: 28th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$13,855 — spending per student in its school districts: 15th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
70.4 years — life expectancy: 63rd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
11.0% — share of adults under 65 without health insurance: 14th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
45.6% — child poverty: 2nd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
81.2% — households with broadband internet: 27th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$41,708 — median household income: 70th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
7.0% — share of bridges rated poor: 26th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$610 — federal grant dollars per resident: 27th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$18.9 million — expected yearly losses from natural hazards: 27th 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 St. Francis County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
FORREST CITY SCH DIST 72,159 students
Spent $42.8 million — $31.1 million to run schools, about $14,410 per student, plus $10.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.5 million local (mostly property tax), $20.7 million state, $17.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $15.4 million.
PALESTINE-WHEATLEY SCH DIST775 students
Spent $12.1 million — $9.5 million to run schools, about $12,311 per student, plus $2.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $747,000 local (mostly property tax), $7.6 million state, $2 million federal. Long-term debt: $6.7 million.
Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost St. Francis County about $18.9 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
Tornado$8.6 million a year · Relatively High
Earthquake$3.2 million a year · Relatively Moderate
River and inland flooding$2.8 million a year · Relatively Low
Heat wave$1.2 million a year · Relatively Moderate
Strong wind$1.1 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
201 bridges in St. Francis County: 64 in good condition, 123 fair, and 14 poor (7.0%). “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.
Busiest bridges rated poor
Us70/Sec18/L17.388 over Drainage Ditch · built 1931
3,300 vehicles a day
Sh306/Sec2/L10.731 over Languille River Relief · built 1979
1,400 vehicles a day
Us-70/Sec-19/L5.17 over St. Francis River · built 1933
1,300 vehicles a day
Sh-261/Sec-3/L0.81 over Languille River · built 1977
Federal grants — the money that came in, and what's open now
Federal grants paid for $14.1 million of work in St. Francis County in fiscal 2025, about $610 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.