Schools, health, disaster risk, bridges and federal grants for Drew County, from national public records — each with its source. The same page for every U.S. county is at countycommons.us/us.
How Drew County compares — against the other counties in Arkansas
16,935 — people: 43rd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$12,440 — spending per student in its school districts: 39th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
72.4 years — life expectancy: 38th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
8.7% — share of adults under 65 without health insurance: 62nd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
27.8% — child poverty: 19th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
79.3% — households with broadband internet: 38th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$48,746 — median household income: 51st highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
2.0% — share of bridges rated poor: 65th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$1,248 — federal grant dollars per resident: 9th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$7.1 million — expected yearly losses from natural hazards: 62nd 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 Drew County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
MONTICELLO SCH DIST 181,671 students
Spent $27.4 million — $21.8 million to run schools, about $13,023 per student, plus $4.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.7 million local (mostly property tax), $16.7 million state, $6 million federal. Long-term debt: $21.2 million.
DREW CENTRAL SCH DIST 51,262 students
Spent $18.2 million — $14.7 million to run schools, about $11,667 per student, plus $3.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.9 million local (mostly property tax), $11.8 million state, $3.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $6.5 million.
Overall risk: Very Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Drew County about $7.1 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Moderate; social vulnerability: Very High.
The costliest hazards here
Earthquake$1.6 million a year · Relatively Low
River and inland flooding$1.5 million a year · Very Low
Tornado$1.3 million a year · Relatively Low
Heat wave$864,474 a year · Relatively Low
Drought$684,055 a year · Relatively Moderate
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
149 bridges in Drew County: 87 in good condition, 59 fair, and 3 poor (2.0%). “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
SH 83-02 LM 2.67 over Creek · built 1930
1,149 vehicles a day
SH 138-03 LM 7.59 over Lower Cut-Off Creek · built 1967
1,100 vehicles a day
CR 98/Sullivan Rd over Seven Mile Creek · built 2007
Federal grants — the money that came in, and what's open now
Federal grants paid for $21.7 million of work in Drew County in fiscal 2025, about $1,248 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.