“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.
3 school districts have their office in Howard County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $24.2 million — $22.4 million to run schools, about $11,591 per student, plus $1.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.7 million local (mostly property tax), $17.8 million state, $5.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $12.9 million.
Spent $7 million — $6.8 million to run schools, about $12,956 per student, plus $132,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.4 million local (mostly property tax), $4.7 million state, $1.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $3.1 million.
Spent $9.3 million — $8.4 million to run schools, about $22,413 per student, plus $367,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.1 million local (mostly property tax), $6 million state, $1.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $20 million.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Howard County about $9.9 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Very High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
116 bridges in Howard County: 38 in good condition, 74 fair, and 4 poor (3.4%). “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.
| US 278-SEC 2- 4.55 over COSSATOT RIVER · built 1965 | 620 vehicles a day |
| US 278 SEC.02-5.67 over BAKER CREEK · built 1965 | 620 vehicles a day |
| 1ST STREET over DITCH (CITY) · built 1930 | 220 vehicles a day |
| C.R 13 (SILVER RO over PLUM CREEK · built 1965 | 21 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $-1,529,835 of work in Howard County in fiscal 2025, about $-120 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.
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.
Related: The money trail · Your tax bill, explained · Water · Jails & prisons · Grants. Spot an error? Report it.