“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 Miller County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $68.1 million — $60.4 million to run schools, about $15,529 per student, plus $6.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $6.7 million local (mostly property tax), $38.7 million state, $21 million federal. Long-term debt: $47.9 million.
Spent $19 million — $13.2 million to run schools, about $11,175 per student, plus $5.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.6 million local (mostly property tax), $12.3 million state, $2.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $12.2 million.
Spent $13.4 million — $12.4 million to run schools, about $10,770 per student, plus $581,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.7 million local (mostly property tax), $10.8 million state, $1.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $10.6 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 Miller County about $20.3 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Low; social vulnerability: Very High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
217 bridges in Miller County: 134 in good condition, 76 fair, and 7 poor (3.2%). “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.
| US 71SEC.02-14.37 over NIX CREEK · built 1939 | 11,974 vehicles a day |
| SH 237 SEC.01-9.83 over SULPHUR RIVER · built 1963 | 730 vehicles a day |
| SH 134SEC.01-16.55 over MOCCASIN BAYOU · built 1957 | 715 vehicles a day |
| US 71-SEC.01-8.30 over SULPHUR RIVER RELIEF · built 1942 | 680 vehicles a day |
| CO RD 1 - F - 2.67 over BRANCH · built 1969 | 412 vehicles a day |
| SH 134 SEC.01-5.49 over OLD CHANNEL MCKINNEY BAY · built 1956 | 410 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
A modest two-bedroom rental in Miller County runs about $1,118 a month, including utilities. To pay that with no more than 30% of income — the line HUD uses for “affordable” — a household needs about $44,700 a year. The county's median household earns about $50,421, so that rent would take about 27% of its income.
| Size | Rent a month, FY2027 | Change from FY2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $839 | −$20 |
| 1 bedroom | $874 | +$6 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,118 | +$17 |
| 3 bedrooms | $1,403 | +$34 |
| 4 bedrooms | $1,683 | +$26 |
Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents, FY2027 (in effect since Oct. 1, 2026) and FY2026; Miller County is priced as part of the Texarkana, TX-Texarkana, AR HUD Metro FMR Area. A fair market rent is HUD's estimate of rent plus utilities for a standard, modest unit — about the 40th percentile of what recent movers paid. It sets how much a housing voucher (Section 8) will cover. Median income: County Health Rankings 2025. For help with rent, call 211 or find your local public housing agency.
Federal grants paid for $20.8 million of work in Miller County in fiscal 2025, about $487 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.
| Long-term health outcomes of people living with spina bifida Centers for Disease Control - NCBDDD · CDC-RFA-DD-26-0222 | closes 2026-10-26 |
| OJP FY 2026 Special Attorneys Program Round 10 Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172792 | closes 2026-10-28 |
| 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 |
| BJA FY 2026 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR)—Formula Grants Program Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172718 | closes 2026-10-29 |
| OJJDP FY 2026 Strengthening Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Technological Investigative Capacity Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention · O-OJJDP-2026-172753 | closes 2026-10-29 |
| OJJDP FY 2026 Multistate Mentoring Programs Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention · O-OJJDP-2026-172745 | closes 2026-10-29 |
| BJA FY 2026 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement- Competitive Grants Program Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172711 | closes 2026-10-29 |
| OJJDP FY 2026 Community and Schools Youth Drug Prevention Program Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention · O-OJJDP-2026-172734 | closes 2026-10-29 |
| BJA FY 2026 Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172761 | closes 2026-10-30 |
| BJA FY 2026 Adult Treatment Court Program Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172721 | closes 2026-10-30 |
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-19, refreshed weekly. 60 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
The county government was allocated $8.4 million from the federal Fiscal Recovery Fund. As of its latest report it had committed $8.4 million and spent $8.4 million (100%) across 1 project.
Provision of Government Services · Completed — “General government operations for Miller County including road system infrastructure repairs including culvert replacement and installation, bridge repairs, road upgrades and improvements, correctional center ventilation improvements, techn…”
All American Rescue Plan programs together — school, hospital, housing, business and other aid as well — sent $19.6 million to recipients in Miller County (USAspending.gov, by recipient location).
Sources: U.S. Treasury, State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds — April 2026 reporting data (through March 31, 2026) — descriptions are the government's own words in its reports; USAspending.gov.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 places by county. A town listed with other counties crosses county lines.
“Counties like it” means other counties in a metro area with a similar number of people and a similar median household income (about $50,421 here). Comparing with them, instead of the whole country, shows what similar places have managed. Miller County is furthest behind on jail population per 100,000 residents 15–64.
| Measure | Miller County | Typical similar county | Doing best among similar counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drug overdose deaths per 100,000 ahead of similar counties | 19.5 | 37.3 | Maverick County, TX 7.5 Polk County, MO 15.4 Geneva County, AL 16.3 |
| Life expectancy about the same | 71.4 years | 71.5 years | Polk County, MO 74.6 years Valencia County, NM 74.5 years Levy County, FL 74.4 years |
| Adults under 65 without health insurance ahead of similar counties | 8.9% | 11.2% | Brooke County, WV 5.7% Boyd County, KY 6.0% Somerset County, MD 6.1% |
| Residents per primary care doctor ahead of similar counties | 1,471 | 2,888 | Boyd County, KY 998 Washington County, VA 1,095 Forrest County, MS 1,145 |
| Residents per mental health provider ahead of similar counties | 375 | 681 | Lawrence County, OH 123 Boyd County, KY 128 Petersburg city, VA 167 |
| Children in poverty about the same | 27.3% | 24.0% | Geary County, KS 14.6% Washington County, VA 15.7% Brooke County, WV 17.5% |
| Food insecurity about the same | 19.2% | 16.7% | Preston County, WV 12.6% Brooke County, WV 12.7% McDuffie County, GA 13.6% |
| Households with severe housing problems about the same | 13.2% | 12.5% | Belmont County, OH 6.7% Brooke County, WV 7.3% Washington County, VA 8.7% |
| Unemployment about the same | 3.6% | 3.7% | Geneva County, AL 2.4% Bibb County, AL 2.5% Scott County, MS 2.6% |
| Households with broadband internet about the same | 82.0% | 81.6% | Geary County, KS 93.2% Liberty County, GA 93.1% Vermilion Parish, LA 88.6% |
| Jail population per 100,000 residents 15–64 behind similar counties | 1,126 | 463 | Lawrence County, OH 74 Colbert County, AL 201 Polk County, MO 228 |
| Bridges rated poor ahead of similar counties | 3.2% | 5.8% | Dougherty County, GA 0.0% Bibb County, AL 0.8% Maverick County, TX 0.8% |
“Behind” or “ahead” means more than 15% worse or better than the typical (median) similar county; small differences can be noise. Sources: County Health Rankings 2025 (health, money and internet), Vera Institute (jail, latest year from 2015 on), FHWA National Bridge Inventory 2025, HUD (metro areas), Census 2024 population. What has worked elsewhere on each of these.
These are options with a track record, not recommendations. Each one says what evaluations found, who rated the evidence, and where it fell short. Residents and their officials choose. Every measure and every option.
Jail population per 100,000 residents 15–64: Miller County 1,126, typical similar county 463.
Courts send text, phone, or mail reminders about court dates and redesign summons forms so the date and place are easy to see. This cuts missed dates that lead to warrants and jail bookings.
What studies found: Two New York City field experiments found that a redesigned summons and text reminders cut missed court dates by 13 to 21%. Over three years this avoided about 30,000 arrest warrants. A national review of studies found court notifications gave small but real drops in missed court dates.
Who can do it: Courts, county clerk, prosecutors, sheriff · Done in: New York City; the studies in the national review came from Multnomah County, Oregon, and Nebraska.
Limits: The CrimeSolutions effect for notifications is small (effect size -0.07 across 4 studies), and that page is no longer updated. The New York studies were for low-level summonses, not all charges. Reminders do not change arrest rates.
Rating: CrimeSolutions (U.S. Department of Justice), practice: pretrial interventions. Sources: Fishbane, Ouss and Shah, Science 2020 (New York City field experiments) · CrimeSolutions: pretrial interventions for ensuring court appearance
People who are released before trial are monitored and given services, such as check-ins, drug testing, or treatment, instead of staying in jail or paying money bail.
What studies found: A national review of studies found pretrial supervision gave a small but real drop in missed court dates (effect size -0.16 across 3 studies). Overall, pretrial interventions did not change arrest rates.
Who can do it: Courts, county pretrial services office, sheriff, probation · Done in: The page does not name specific places for supervision.
Limits: Only 3 to 8 studies back each strategy. Practices differ widely between places. In most studies the comparison group had lighter conditions, not none. The page is no longer updated. The evidence does not show a drop in jail population.
Rating: CrimeSolutions (U.S. Department of Justice), practice: pretrial interventions. Sources: CrimeSolutions: pretrial interventions for ensuring court appearance
Related: The money trail · Your tax bill, explained · Water · Jails & prisons · Grants. Spot an error? Report it.