“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.
5 school districts have their office in Pope County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $79.7 million — $74.2 million to run schools, about $13,246 per student, plus $2.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $15.3 million local (mostly property tax), $55.2 million state, $12.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $81.4 million.
Spent $21.4 million — $19.2 million to run schools, about $10,323 per student, plus $1.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.9 million local (mostly property tax), $16.5 million state, $2.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $8.8 million.
Spent $16.2 million — $14.8 million to run schools, about $11,773 per student, plus $698,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.8 million local (mostly property tax), $11.4 million state, $2.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $15.9 million.
Spent $12.6 million — $11.7 million to run schools, about $11,803 per student, plus $460,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.3 million local (mostly property tax), $9.3 million state, $2.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $10.6 million.
Spent $9.2 million — $8.2 million to run schools, about $13,142 per student, plus $749,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $895,000 local (mostly property tax), $6.1 million state, $1.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $5 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 Pope County about $38.7 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Moderate; social vulnerability: Relatively Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
191 bridges in Pope County: 74 in good condition, 115 fair, and 2 poor (1.0%). “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 124 over Clear Creek · built 1962 | 887 vehicles a day |
| East Gumlog Rd - B over Gumlog Creek · built 1970 | 385 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $35.2 million of work in Pope County in fiscal 2025, about $555 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.