10,321 people (2024 Census estimate, −8.8% since 2020)
741 square miles of land · 14 people per square mile
“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.
10 active community water systems list Desha County in the area they serve, reporting 12,982 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| DUMAS WATERWORKS groundwater · local government · AR0000171 | 6,338 served |
| MC GEHEE WATERWORKS groundwater · local government · AR0000170 | 3,849 served |
| PENDLETON-PEA RIDGE WATER ASSN buys groundwater · local government · AR0000649 | 845 served |
| KELSO-ROHWER WATER ASSOCIATION groundwater · private · AR0000168 | 563 served |
| ARKANSAS CITY WATERWORKS groundwater · local government · AR0000167 | 360 served |
| WKMM RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION buys groundwater · private · AR0000700 | 310 served |
| MITCHELLVILLE WATERWORKS groundwater · local government · AR0000169 | 293 served |
| REED WATERWORKS buys groundwater · local government · AR0000173 | 209 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 39 people were held in Desha County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2019), or 556 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2014 it was about 26.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
2 school districts have their office in Desha County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $18.7 million — $14.6 million to run schools, about $13,341 per student, plus $3.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.2 million local (mostly property tax), $11.3 million state, $5.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $11.6 million.
Spent $17.7 million — $16.6 million to run schools, about $16,612 per student, plus $745,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.7 million local (mostly property tax), $10.8 million state, $4.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $12.8 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: Very Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Desha County about $6.5 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Moderate; social vulnerability: Very High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
83 bridges in Desha County: 50 in good condition, 30 fair, and 3 poor (3.6%). “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.
| SH 278-16 LM 4.38 over Union Pacific R/R · built 1969 | 6,600 vehicles a day |
| US 278-16 LM 0.38 over Bayou Bartholomew · built 1956 | 2,400 vehicles a day |
| CR 42/Gould Rd over Canal #81 · built 1964 | 20 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $10.9 million of work in Desha County in fiscal 2025, about $956 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.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-05. Early voting: 2026-10-19 to 2026-11-02. Absentee application due (by mail, email, or fax): 2026-10-27. Absentee ballot hand-delivered by you: last day: 2026-10-30. Election Day — and mailed absentee ballots must arrive: 2026-11-03. Provisional ballot: show your ID by noon: 2026-11-09. General runoff (only where a race needs one): 2026-12-01.
Source: Arkansas Secretary of State, 2026 election calendar · Fayetteville Flyer, Oct. 5, 2026 · sos.arkansas.gov — voting in Arkansas
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Desha County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Desha County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Arkansas: the state government and every county in Arkansas.
Nearby counties: Bolivar County, MS (21 mi) · Lincoln County (30 mi) · Drew County (32 mi) · Arkansas County (33 mi) · Chicot County (39 mi) · Sunflower County, MS (40 mi).