“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.
8 school districts have their office in Smith County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $276.9 million — $205 million to run schools, about $11,184 per student, plus $53.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $151 million local (mostly property tax), $66.4 million state, $46.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $440.7 million.
Spent $59.7 million — $52.8 million to run schools, about $10,741 per student, plus $1.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $34.6 million local (mostly property tax), $21.9 million state, $8.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $101.7 million.
Spent $53.2 million — $46.1 million to run schools, about $10,322 per student, plus $4.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $28.2 million local (mostly property tax), $24.7 million state, $7 million federal. Long-term debt: $63.7 million.
Spent $44 million — $41.2 million to run schools, about $12,442 per student, plus $2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $18.6 million local (mostly property tax), $21.2 million state, $9.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $12.6 million.
Spent $19.4 million — $14.1 million to run schools, about $12,792 per student, plus $4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $9.8 million local (mostly property tax), $6.7 million state, $2.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $24.4 million.
Spent $14.7 million — $13.6 million to run schools, about $12,503 per student, plus $974,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $6.1 million local (mostly property tax), $8.4 million state, $2.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $5.1 million.
Spent $13.8 million — $12.6 million to run schools, about $12,787 per student, plus $654,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $6.6 million local (mostly property tax), $7.1 million state, $1.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $16.3 million.
Spent $9.6 million — $9.5 million to run schools, about $10,883 per student. Money in: $157,000 local (mostly property tax), $8.4 million state, $502,000 federal.
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 Smith County about $43.1 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively High; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
428 bridges in Smith County: 207 in good condition, 218 fair, and 3 poor (0.7%). “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.
| SH 64 over LAKE TYLER - E MUD CREEK · built 1937 | 7,260 vehicles a day |
| CR 452 over MILL CREEK · built 1985 | 380 vehicles a day |
| CR 363 over SIMPSON CREEK · built 2001 | 280 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $59.3 million of work in Smith County in fiscal 2025, about $254 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.
Related: The money trail · Your tax bill, explained · Water · Jails & prisons · Grants. Spot an error? Report it.