266,184 people (2024 Census estimate, +7.9% since 2020)
941 square miles of land · 283 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.
12 active community water systems list Washington County in the area they serve, reporting 287,282 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| FAYETTEVILLE WATERWORKS buys surface water · local government · AR0000569 | 116,398 served |
| SPRINGDALE WATER UTILITIES buys surface water · local government · AR0000575 | 100,795 served |
| WASHINGTON WATER AUTHORITY WWA buys surface water · local government · AR0000574 | 20,140 served |
| MADISON CO WATER FACILITIES BD buys surface water · local government · AR0000349 | 11,435 served |
| PRAIRIE GROVE WATERWORKS surface water · local government · AR0000573 | 9,615 served |
| TONTITOWN WATERWORKS buys surface water · local government · AR0000566 | 7,355 served |
| LINCOLN WATERWORKS buys surface water · local government · AR0000572 | 6,690 served |
| MOUNT OLIVE WATER ASSOCIATION buys surface water · local government · AR0000668 | 6,308 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 777 people were held in Washington County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2023), or 434 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2018 it was about 659.
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.
8 school districts have their office in Washington County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $358.7 million — $276.3 million to run schools, about $12,146 per student, plus $71.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $45.4 million local (mostly property tax), $226.7 million state, $59.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $259.2 million.
Spent $185.6 million — $138.2 million to run schools, about $13,085 per student, plus $39 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $36.7 million local (mostly property tax), $111.1 million state, $15.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $285 million.
Spent $39.1 million — $26 million to run schools, about $9,670 per student, plus $11.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $4.5 million local (mostly property tax), $25.5 million state, $2.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $35.7 million.
Spent $25.4 million — $22 million to run schools, about $9,989 per student, plus $2.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $4.6 million local (mostly property tax), $20.4 million state, $2.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $31.8 million.
Spent $24.7 million — $14.3 million to run schools, about $10,168 per student, plus $9.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.4 million local (mostly property tax), $12.5 million state, $2 million federal. Long-term debt: $24.9 million.
Spent $16.5 million — $15.4 million to run schools, about $13,694 per student, plus $312,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.4 million local (mostly property tax), $11 million state, $4.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $17.3 million.
Spent $11.1 million — $10.4 million to run schools, about $11,903 per student, plus $292,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.7 million local (mostly property tax), $8.3 million state, $1.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $8.9 million.
Spent $13.3 million — $10.3 million to run schools, about $13,378 per student, plus $2.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.8 million local (mostly property tax), $7.6 million state, $2.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $3.3 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 Moderate compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Washington County about $129.6 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Low; social vulnerability: Relatively Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
449 bridges in Washington County: 100 in good condition, 319 fair, and 30 poor (6.7%). “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.
| East Huntsville Rd over Spout Spring Br. - Fay. · built 1940 | 13,000 vehicles a day |
| US 71-Wash Co. over Rock Creek · built 1930 | 5,800 vehicles a day |
| SH 170-Washington over West Fork White River · built 1966 | 4,300 vehicles a day |
| SH 170 - Wash Co. over So. Frk Farmington Brnch · built 1923 | 4,170 vehicles a day |
| State Highway 16 over Illinois River-Wash Co. · built 1972 | 2,900 vehicles a day |
| W. Wheeler Road over Clabber Creek · built 1939 | 2,600 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $110.6 million of work in Washington County in fiscal 2025, about $450 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 Washington 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 Washington County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Arkansas: the state government and every county in Arkansas.
Nearby counties: Adair County, OK (25 mi) · Benton County (25 mi) · Crawford County (27 mi) · Madison County (28 mi) · Franklin County (37 mi) · Delaware County, OK (44 mi).