“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.
7 school districts have their office in Benton County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $268.8 million — $231.1 million to run schools, about $12,377 per student, plus $22.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $53.3 million local (mostly property tax), $193.1 million state, $22.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $359 million.
Spent $211.4 million — $183.9 million to run schools, about $11,519 per student, plus $18.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $35.5 million local (mostly property tax), $151.5 million state, $27.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $198.6 million.
Spent $60.7 million — $53.1 million to run schools, about $11,517 per student, plus $6.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $7.7 million local (mostly property tax), $43.9 million state, $8.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $50.7 million.
Spent $28.9 million — $25.7 million to run schools, about $10,298 per student, plus $2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $4.1 million local (mostly property tax), $23.3 million state, $2.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $37 million.
Spent $28 million — $24.1 million to run schools, about $11,609 per student, plus $2.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $5.2 million local (mostly property tax), $18.7 million state, $3.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $43.2 million.
Spent $21.7 million — $20.2 million to run schools, about $12,477 per student, plus $987,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $5.1 million local (mostly property tax), $15.4 million state, $3.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $23.5 million.
Spent $9.5 million — $7.8 million to run schools, about $12,528 per student, plus $1.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.1 million local (mostly property tax), $6.1 million state, $1.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $9.3 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 Benton County about $91.9 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Moderate; social vulnerability: Very Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
409 bridges in Benton County: 203 in good condition, 196 fair, and 10 poor (2.4%). “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.
| US 412 Benton 2 over Illinois River/West Crsg · built 1995 | 10,000 vehicles a day |
| Sprdle/Silent Grve over SPRING CREEK · built 2003 | 4,400 vehicles a day |
| SH 12 Benton 2 over LITTLE FLINT · built 1955 | 4,000 vehicles a day |
| SH 43 Benton 2 over TOWN CREEK · built 1958 | 3,090 vehicles a day |
| SH 59 Benton 2 over ILLINOIS RIVER · built 1963 | 3,000 vehicles a day |
| SH 43 Benton 2 over FLINT CREEK · built 1958 | 2,799 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $48.5 million of work in Benton County in fiscal 2025, about $170 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.