Tennessee · county 47159

Smith County, Tennessee: public records at a glance

What national public records say about Smith County — people, schools, health, drinking water, bridges, disaster risk, the jail, federal grants and how to vote — each with its source. A full County Commons site (the budget line by line, your tax bill, audits, local offices) isn't built for Smith County yet — not gathered, never hidden.

20,783 people (2024 Census estimate, +4.1% since 2020)
314 square miles of land · 66 people per square mile

How Smith County compares — against the other counties in Tennessee

20,783 — people: 67th highest of 95 Tennessee counties.
$10,329 — spending per student in its school districts: 82nd highest of 95 Tennessee counties.
72.0 years — life expectancy: 44th highest of 95 Tennessee counties.
11.9% — share of adults under 65 without health insurance: 45th highest of 95 Tennessee counties.
16.5% — child poverty: 80th highest of 95 Tennessee counties.
86.5% — households with broadband internet: 24th highest of 95 Tennessee counties.
$72,153 — median household income: 16th highest of 95 Tennessee counties.
9.4% — share of bridges rated poor: 7th highest of 95 Tennessee counties.
$3,432 — federal grant dollars per resident: 3rd highest of 95 Tennessee counties.
$9.6 million — expected yearly losses from natural hazards: 66th highest of 95 Tennessee counties.

“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.

Drinking water — public water systems serving Smith County

7 active community water systems list Smith County in the area they serve, reporting 23,120 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).

SMITH UTILITY DISTRICT surface water · local government · TN0000636	8,466 served
SOUTH SIDE U.D. #1 buys surface water · local government · TN0000904	4,431 served
CARTHAGE WATER SYSTEM surface water · local government · TN0000095	3,950 served
CORDELL HULL UTILITY DISTRICT buys surface water · local government · TN0000096	3,220 served
TWENTY FIVE UTILITY DISTRICT buys surface water · local government · TN0000718	2,159 served
SOUTH SIDE U.D. #2 buys surface water · local government · TN0000910	702 served
SOUTH SIDE U.D. #3 buys surface water · local government · TN0000953	192 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.

The jail — people held in the county jail

About 113 people were held in Smith County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2024), or 855 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2019 it was about 143.

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.

Public schools — district budgets, fiscal 2023

1 school district has its office in Smith County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.

SMITH CO SCH DIST3,061 students

Spent $34.8 million — $31.6 million to run schools, about $10,329 per student, plus $2.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $9.6 million local (mostly property tax), $20.7 million state, $5.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $2.8 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.

Health, money and internet at home — Smith County beside Tennessee

Life expectancy72.0 years · Tennessee 73.5 years

Adults under 65 without health insurance11.9% · Tennessee 11.1%

Children in poverty16.5% · Tennessee 18.9%

Households without enough food (food insecurity)15.7% · Tennessee 14.0%

Households with broadband internet86.5% · Tennessee 87.4%

Households with severe housing problems14.4% · Tennessee 13.3%

Drug overdose deaths per 100,00057.4 · Tennessee 51.0

Residents per primary care doctor2,522 · Tennessee 1,437

Residents per mental health provider3,423 · Tennessee 500

Unemployment3.0% · Tennessee 3.3%

Median household income$72,153 · Tennessee $67,651

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.

Disaster risk — FEMA's National Risk Index

Overall risk: Very Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Smith County about $9.6 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Moderate; social vulnerability: Very Low.

The costliest hazards here

River and inland flooding$5.1 million a year · Very Low

Tornado$1.7 million a year · Relatively Low

Cold wave$1.1 million a year · Relatively Low

Strong wind$699,433 a year · Relatively Low

Earthquake$391,772 a year · Very Low

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.

Bridges — condition of every public bridge, 2025

202 bridges in Smith County: 114 in good condition, 69 fair, and 19 poor (9.4%). “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.

Busiest bridges rated poor

I40 349207A over CSX RR & COUNTY ROAD · built 1962	44,898 vehicles a day
I40 over BOLLING BRANCH & PRIV. R · built 1962	44,898 vehicles a day
I40 over CANEY FORK RIVER · built 1962	44,898 vehicles a day
I40 over CANEY FORK RIVER · built 1962	44,898 vehicles a day
I40 over CANEY FORK RIVER · built 1962	44,898 vehicles a day
FAU 5696 over CUMBERLAND RIVER · built 1934	6,931 vehicles a day

Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.

Federal grants — the money that came in, and what's open now

Federal grants paid for $68.3 million of work in Smith County in fiscal 2025, about $3,432 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.

Open now: federal grants county governments can apply for

F26AS00062: Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act FY 2026 Fish and Wildlife Service · F26AS00062	closes 2026-10-13
OVC FY 2026 Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking Office for Victims of Crime · O-OVC-2026-172699	closes 2026-10-14
BJA FY 2026 Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Program Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172661	closes 2026-10-15
FY26 Bureau of Land Management Youth Conservation Corps - Bureau wide Bureau of Land Management · L26AS00064	closes 2026-10-16
FY 2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) FAA Contract Tower (FCT) Competitive Grant Program Airport Improvement Program Discretionary Grants · DOT-FAA-26-0117-002	closes 2026-10-19
Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Service Area Competition (SAC) Health Resources and Services Administration · HRSA-27-005	closes 2026-10-19
Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Competition AmeriCorps · AC-08-20-2026	closes 2026-10-20
DOJ FY 2026 Assisting Neighborhoods and Governments with Enforcement of Laws (ANGEL) Grant Program Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172778	closes 2026-10-20
Long-term health outcomes of people living with spina bifida Centers for Disease Control - NCBDDD · CDC-RFA-DD-26-0222	closes 2026-10-26
OJJDP FY 2026 Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Program Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention · O-OJJDP-2026-172741	closes 2026-10-29
BJA FY 2026 Veterans Treatment Court Program Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172714	closes 2026-10-29
BJA FY 2026 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172708	closes 2026-10-29

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.

Voting

General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-05. Early voting: 2026-10-14 to 2026-10-29. Mail ballot request deadline: 2026-10-24. Election Day: 2026-11-03.

Source: Tennessee Secretary of State: elections calendar · Tennessee Secretary of State: registration deadline FAQ · Tennessee Secretary of State: GoVoteTN

Not here yet

The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Smith 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 Smith County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.

More of Tennessee: the state government and every county in Tennessee.

Nearby counties: Trousdale County (15 mi) · Jackson County (16 mi) · Macon County (20 mi) · DeKalb County (20 mi) · Wilson County (21 mi) · Putnam County (26 mi).