Schools, health, disaster risk, bridges and federal grants for Sharp County, from national public records — each with its source. The same page for every U.S. county is at countycommons.us/us.
How Sharp County compares — against the other counties in Arkansas
18,130 — people: 38th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$12,851 — spending per student in its school districts: 32nd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
73.0 years — life expectancy: 31st highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
10.9% — share of adults under 65 without health insurance: 15th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
25.4% — child poverty: 31st highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
74.1% — households with broadband internet: 65th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$45,258 — median household income: 63rd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
5.4% — share of bridges rated poor: 32nd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$124 — federal grant dollars per resident: 63rd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$15.7 million — expected yearly losses from natural hazards: 31st 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 Sharp County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
HIGHLAND SCH DIST1,612 students
Spent $28.1 million — $20.7 million to run schools, about $12,860 per student, plus $6.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.4 million local (mostly property tax), $14.5 million state, $6.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $2.9 million.
CAVE CITY SCH DIST 2 A1,235 students
Spent $18 million — $15.9 million to run schools, about $12,840 per student, plus $1.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.6 million local (mostly property tax), $12.4 million state, $5.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $6.3 million.
Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Sharp County about $15.7 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$6.6 million a year · Relatively Low
Ice storm$2.3 million a year · Very High
Tornado$1.9 million a year · Relatively Moderate
Earthquake$1.9 million a year · Relatively Low
Cold wave$1.3 million 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
111 bridges in Sharp County: 41 in good condition, 64 fair, and 6 poor (5.4%). “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
US 63/Sharp Co. over MARTIN CREEK · built 1961
6,300 vehicles a day
W Main ASH FLAT over NORTH BIG CREEK · built 1977
830 vehicles a day
CR 1048/Griffin Rd over S FORK SPRING RIVER · built 1965
569 vehicles a day
SH 58 Sharp County over BIG CREEK · built 1934
550 vehicles a day
Cammack Rd SHARP over TOWN BRANCH · built 1975
91 vehicles a day
CR/31 Sharp County over Strawberry River · built 1935
Federal grants — the money that came in, and what's open now
Federal grants paid for $2.1 million of work in Sharp County in fiscal 2025, about $124 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.