“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.
3 school districts have their office in Hempstead County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $35.1 million — $32.2 million to run schools, about $14,216 per student, plus $1.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $4.7 million local (mostly property tax), $21.7 million state, $10.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $20.7 million.
Spent $6.7 million — $6.5 million to run schools, about $10,449 per student, plus $76,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $678,000 local (mostly property tax), $5.4 million state, $863,000 federal. Long-term debt: $3 million.
Spent $6.8 million — $6.4 million to run schools, about $14,202 per student, plus $336,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $611,000 local (mostly property tax), $4.4 million state, $2.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $2.1 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 Hempstead County about $11.7 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Very High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
173 bridges in Hempstead County: 64 in good condition, 103 fair, and 6 poor (3.5%). “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 32 - 06 - 2.92 over CANEY CREEK · built 1974 | 3,800 vehicles a day |
| SH 32 - 07- 6.82 over BODCAW REL. · built 1963 | 780 vehicles a day |
| SH 195 -05 - 3.96 over COLLINS BAYOU · built 1930 | 390 vehicles a day |
| SH 332 - 06- 3.00 over CARUSE CREEK · built 1959 | 320 vehicles a day |
| C.R. 155 - F-1.61 over BOIS DARC CREEK · built 1991 | 37 vehicles a day |
| BOWEN BR. C.R. 244 over LITTLE MO RIVER · built 1944 | 9 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $17.7 million of work in Hempstead County in fiscal 2025, about $884 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.