Schools, health, disaster risk, bridges and federal grants for Newton County, from national public records — each with its source. The same page for every U.S. county is at countycommons.us/us.
How Newton County compares — against the other counties in Arkansas
7,026 — people: 70th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$15,080 — spending per student in its school districts: 6th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
73.6 years — life expectancy: 21st highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
9.1% — share of adults under 65 without health insurance: 50th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
27.1% — child poverty: 22nd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
78.5% — households with broadband internet: 48th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$46,307 — median household income: 59th highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
3.1% — share of bridges rated poor: 51st highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$348 — federal grant dollars per resident: 43rd highest of 75 Arkansas counties.
$4.0 million — expected yearly losses from natural hazards: 72nd 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 Newton County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
JASPER SCH DIST888 students
Spent $16.8 million — $13.3 million to run schools, about $15,015 per student, plus $3.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.3 million local (mostly property tax), $9.2 million state, $5.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $6 million.
DEER- MOUNT JUDEA SCH DIST356 students
Spent $5.8 million — $5.4 million to run schools, about $15,242 per student, plus $250,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $563,000 local (mostly property tax), $4.6 million state, $1.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $4.4 million.
Overall risk: Very Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Newton County about $4 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$1.5 million a year · Very Low
Tornado$760,184 a year · Relatively Low
Lightning$540,249 a year · Relatively High
Cold wave$432,149 a year · Relatively Low
Ice storm$298,920 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
65 bridges in Newton County: 31 in good condition, 32 fair, and 2 poor (3.1%). “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.
Busiest bridges rated poor
SH 65 Newton over Circle Dr&MarshallBranch · built 1966
Federal grants — the money that came in, and what's open now
Federal grants paid for $2.5 million of work in Newton County in fiscal 2025, about $348 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.