21,684 people (2024 Census estimate, −4.1% since 2020)
733 square miles of land · 30 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 Ouachita County in the area they serve, reporting 24,726 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CAMDEN WATERWORKS surface water · local government · AR0000404 | 13,275 served |
| BEARDEN WATERWORKS groundwater · local government · AR0000401 | 2,511 served |
| HARMONY GROVE WATER ASSOC buys surface water · private · AR0000402 | 2,192 served |
| HWY 4 24 WATER ASSOCIATION buys surface water · private · AR0000765 | 2,135 served |
| FRENCHPORT WATER ASSOCIATION buys surface water · private · AR0000636 | 1,793 served |
| STEPHENS WATERWORKS groundwater · local government · AR0000405 | 1,100 served |
| WIRE ROAD WATER SYSTEM buys surface water · private · AR0000783 | 830 served |
| BUENA VISTA-OGEMAW WATER ASSOCIATION buys surface water · private · AR0000737 | 384 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 145 people were held in Ouachita County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2021), or 1,070 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2016 it was about 156.
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 Ouachita County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $34.1 million — $30.7 million to run schools, about $13,812 per student, plus $3.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $3.5 million local (mostly property tax), $20.6 million state, $9.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $13.2 million.
Spent $11.7 million — $10.8 million to run schools, about $11,801 per student, plus $569,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.2 million local (mostly property tax), $8.5 million state, $2 million federal. Long-term debt: $10 million.
Spent $7.3 million — $7 million to run schools, about $14,616 per student, plus $166,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $748,000 local (mostly property tax), $5 million state, $1.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $4.1 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 Ouachita County about $10.4 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Low; social vulnerability: Very High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
162 bridges in Ouachita County: 52 in good condition, 93 fair, and 17 poor (10.5%). “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.
| SH7Sec3Lm14.48 over UPRR · built 1976 | 8,800 vehicles a day |
| US 79-B S-4 LM 2.2 over OUACHITA RIVER · built 1947 | 3,700 vehicles a day |
| US 278 S-9 LM 4.57 over TWO BAYOU CREEK · built 1950 | 2,469 vehicles a day |
| Ouachita CR 2 Z-H over GUM CREEK · built 1968 | 1,831 vehicles a day |
| Ouachita CR 2 Z-H over REED CREEK · built 1968 | 1,831 vehicles a day |
| Ouachita CR 2 Z-H over MILL CREEK · built 1968 | 1,831 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $9.2 million of work in Ouachita County in fiscal 2025, about $407 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 Ouachita 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 Ouachita County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Arkansas: the state government and every county in Arkansas.
Nearby counties: Calhoun County (21 mi) · Nevada County (25 mi) · Dallas County (29 mi) · Columbia County (33 mi) · Union County (33 mi) · Clark County (36 mi).