65,304 people (2024 Census estimate, +9.3% since 2020)
843 square miles of land · 78 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.
21 active community water systems list Van Zandt County in the area they serve, reporting 56,357 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| MACBEE SUD surface water · local government · TX2340012 | 8,229 served |
| CITY OF WILLS POINT surface water · local government · TX2340005 | 7,281 served |
| SOUTH TAWAKONI WSC surface water · local government · TX2340019 | 5,205 served |
| CITY OF CANTON surface water · local government · TX2340001 | 5,028 served |
| FRUITVALE WSC groundwater · local government · TX2340010 | 3,747 served |
| BEN WHEELER WSC groundwater · local government · TX2340006 | 3,324 served |
| CITY OF GRAND SALINE groundwater · local government · TX2340003 | 3,219 served |
| CITY OF VAN groundwater · local government · TX2340004 | 2,993 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 122 people were held in Van Zandt County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 149.
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.
7 school districts have their office in Van Zandt County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $32 million — $29.2 million to run schools, about $10,549 per student, plus $2.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $12.8 million local (mostly property tax), $16.7 million state, $5.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $2 million.
Spent $30.9 million — $27 million to run schools, about $11,235 per student, plus $2.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $13.8 million local (mostly property tax), $14 million state, $4 million federal. Long-term debt: $37.1 million.
Spent $25.1 million — $22.3 million to run schools, about $9,689 per student, plus $632,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $17.1 million local (mostly property tax), $11.5 million state, $3 million federal. Long-term debt: $19.1 million.
Spent $17 million — $15.8 million to run schools, about $13,040 per student, plus $901,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $5.8 million local (mostly property tax), $10.4 million state, $3.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $4.2 million.
Spent $15 million — $13 million to run schools, about $12,491 per student, plus $1.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $5.5 million local (mostly property tax), $9.3 million state, $1.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $5 million.
Spent $7.6 million — $6.7 million to run schools, about $13,457 per student, plus $868,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.3 million local (mostly property tax), $4.4 million state, $1.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $2 million.
Spent $8.2 million — $7.1 million to run schools, about $17,839 per student, plus $983,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.1 million local (mostly property tax), $5.7 million state, $1.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $1.7 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 Van Zandt County about $20.1 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.
246 bridges in Van Zandt County: 101 in good condition, 142 fair, and 3 poor (1.2%). “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.
| FM 858 over KICKAPOO CRK TR · built 1949 | 905 vehicles a day |
| CR 4713 over MURCHISON CREEK TRIB · built 1929 | 120 vehicles a day |
| E Tyler St over Mill Creek · built 1922 | 43 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $4.6 million of work in Van Zandt County in fiscal 2025, about $78 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 2026-10-30. Mail ballot application must be received: 2026-10-23. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: Texas Secretary of State, Sept. 28, 2026 · VoteTexas.gov — early voting · VoteTexas.gov
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Van Zandt 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 Van Zandt County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Texas: the state government and every county in Texas.
Nearby counties: Rains County (22 mi) · Henderson County (24 mi) · Kaufman County (26 mi) · Wood County (31 mi) · Smith County (35 mi) · Rockwall County (41 mi).