12,387 people (2024 Census estimate, −2.9% since 2020)
587 square miles of land · 21 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.
7 active community water systems list Howard County in the area they serve, reporting 15,243 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| NASHVILLE RURAL WATER AUTHORITY buys surface water · private · AR0000805 | 7,291 served |
| NASHVILLE WATERWORKS surface water · local government · AR0000244 | 4,153 served |
| MINERAL SPRINGS WATERWORKS groundwater · local government · AR0000242 | 1,364 served |
| DIERKS WATER WORKS surface water · local government · AR0000243 | 1,317 served |
| NORTH HOWARD RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION buys surface water · local government · AR0001075 | 710 served |
| TOLLETTE WATER groundwater · local government · AR0000618 | 346 served |
| COTTONSHED WATERWORKS groundwater · private · AR0000620 | 62 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 28 people were held in Howard County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2021), or 367 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2016 it was about 36.
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.
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.
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 Howard 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 Howard County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Arkansas: the state government and every county in Arkansas.
Nearby counties: Sevier County (16 mi) · Pike County (20 mi) · Little River County (30 mi) · Hempstead County (30 mi) · Polk County (31 mi) · Montgomery County (37 mi).