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METRO AREA

Fort Smith Metro

Fort Smith, AR-OK · 3 counties · 234,140 residents (2025 est.) · 1,800.028 sq mi
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The short version

Fort Smith has notably lower household income than the US average, with a median household income of $58,315. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, below the national rate of 36%. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $171,575.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.8
US median: 38.9
Less educated
21% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 39%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
229,899
+11%since 2000
from 207,290 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
128 / sq mi
+11%since 2000
from 115 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
38.8
+9%since 2000
from 35.6 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:234,140 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
170K187K204K221K238K1990201020202024Fort Smith
2024230K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.2%(14,243)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.9%(15,894)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.4%(14,775)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.6%(15,091)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.2%(14,345)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.9%(29,620)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.3%(28,314)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412%(27,550)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.9%(29,725)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.4%(23,909)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.2%(11,901)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(4,532)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$58,315
−1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,448 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$32,511
+96%since 2000
from $16,605 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
37.8%
+18.7 ptssince 2009
from 19.1% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
16.4%
+1.4 ptssince 2000
from 14.9% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.476
+7%since 2010
from 0.446 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade16.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Information11.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade6.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance5.7%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services5%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical4.7%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration3.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.6%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.5%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$171,575
+39%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $67,689 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$864
+16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $408 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
66.8%
−2.1 ptssince 2000
from 68.9% in 2000
33.2% rent
Vacancy rate
10.3%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 11.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
15.7%
−3.3 ptssince 2009
from 18.9% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
38.3%
−4.9 ptssince 2009
from 43.2% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.9
+18%since 2009
from 2.5 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
45
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Fort Smith on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic80.4%(166,605)
Black4%(8,189)
Hispanic / Latino4.9%(10,246)
Asian2.3%(4,715)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic68.7%(157,984)
Black3.6%(8,189)
Hispanic / Latino12.1%(27,908)
Asian2.8%(6,468)
Other12.8%(29,350)
Diversity Score
60
+27%since 2009
from 47 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
34
−15%since 2020
from 40 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican7.8%(17,941)
Salvadoran2.1%(4,884)
Guatemalan0.6%(1,313)
Honduran0.3%(517)
Puerto Rican0.2%(481)
Spaniard0.2%(366)
Peruvian0.1%(289)
Cuban0.1%(251)
Colombian0.1%(165)
Costa Rican0.1%(147)
+ 4 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0.1%(140)
Argentine0.1%(64)
Asian origin
Vietnamese1%(2,236)
Laotian1%(2,210)
Filipino0.2%(566)
Chinese0.1%(285)
Asian Indian0.1%(240)
Hmong0.1%(225)
Korean0.1%(216)
Pakistani0.1%(174)
Nepalese0%(55)
Sri Lankan0.1%(41)
Thai0%(21)
Japanese0%(13)
+ 3 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(37)
Guamanian0%(36)
Chamorro0%(11)
Ancestry
English11.3%(26,039)
German10.8%(24,784)
Irish10.7%(24,623)
American8.5%(19,440)
Scottish1.7%(4,012)
Italian1.6%(3,689)
French1.5%(3,562)
Scotch-Irish1%(2,390)
Dutch0.8%(1,825)
Welsh0.6%(1,464)
Polish0.6%(1,283)
Swedish0.5%(1,095)
+ 40 more ancestry groups with data
British0.4%(924)
Norwegian0.4%(834)
Czech0.2%(531)
Arab0.2%(381)
West Indian0.1%(327)
Russian0.1%(309)
Hungarian0.1%(296)
Canadian0.1%(281)
Swiss0.1%(265)
Romanian0.2%(228)
Armenian0.3%(203)
Finnish0.1%(200)
Austrian0.1%(145)
Egyptian0.2%(137)
Portuguese0.1%(137)
Danish0.1%(130)
Nigerian0.1%(128)
Australian0.2%(100)
Greek0.1%(100)
Belgian0.1%(51)
Slovak0%(50)
Croatian0%(39)
Bulgarian0.1%(35)
Ukrainian0%(35)
Haitian0%(29)
Israeli0%(24)
Turkish0%(17)
Lebanese0%(16)
Iranian0%(16)
Syrian0%(15)
Latvian0%(7)
Serbian0%(7)
Slovene0%(5)
RANKED:Largest English population · Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest American population · Largest Mexican population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
21.0%
+7.3 ptssince 2000
from 13.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
85.7%
+11.7 ptssince 2000
from 74.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
7.6%
+2.7 ptssince 2000
from 4.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.6 min
+53%since 2000
from 14.2 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
80.3%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 81.8% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
10.3%
−2.5 ptssince 2009
from 12.9% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
6.7%
+3.8 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.1%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.4%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 6.1% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.0%
−2.4 ptssince 2011
from 7.4% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
57.8%
−2.2 ptssince 2011
from 60.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
12.4%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 10.6% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
34.1%
−24.2 ptssince 2009
from 58.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.3%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 49.0% in 2009
Female
50.7%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 51.0% in 2009
Foreign born
6.6%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
8.2%
−40.0 ptssince 2009
from 48.2% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
22.0%
+4.2 ptssince 2012
from 17.8% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
11.0%
−69.3 ptssince 2013
from 80.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
86.1%
+18.5 ptssince 2017
from 67.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
88.2%
−0.8 ptssince 2016
from 89.0% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
8.6%
+1.2 ptssince 2016
from 7.5% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married30.1%(27,240)
Married54.3%(49,135)
Widowed3.4%(3,095)
Divorced12.1%(10,962)
Women 15+
Never married24%(22,695)
Married51.6%(48,767)
Widowed10%(9,443)
Divorced14.4%(13,650)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
In this metro

Largest cities

Fort SmithCENTRAL90,855Van Buren24,556Greenwood9,793Sallisaw8,790Alma6,071Barling5,452Roland4,146Muldrow3,375Lavaca2,528Mulberry1,635Cedarville1,458Vian1,386Kibler1,029Gore996Hackett857Dyer807Brushy777Redbird Smith659Nicut609Bonanza603Brent583Remy580Mountainburg535Hartford499Evening Shade489Huntington486Central City469Long450Akins450Carlisle435

The 30 most populous of 51 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

3 component counties

Sebastian CountyCENTRAL130,641Crawford CountyCENTRAL62,657Sequoyah County40,842
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Fort Smith

Lake Havasu City
Pop 228,102
Macon-Bibb County
Pop 238,553
Las Cruces
Pop 229,091
Johnson City
Pop 216,416
Places similar to Fort Smith
Head to head

Compare Fort Smith side by side

FORT SMITH VS
Lake Havasu City
Income$57,684−1%
Home value$281,000+64%
Population228,102−3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
FORT SMITH VS
Macon-Bibb County
Income$59,225+2%
Home value$186,510+9%
Population238,553+2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
FORT SMITH VS
Las Cruces
Income$56,848−3%
Home value$220,800+29%
Population229,091−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
FORT SMITH VS
Johnson City
Income$58,506same
Home value$222,250+30%
Population216,416−8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

Fort Smith, AR-OK has about 229,899 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

The typical household in Fort Smith, AR-OK earns about $58,315 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Fort Smith, AR-OK expensive?

In Fort Smith, AR-OK, the median home is worth about $171,575, and the typical rent is about $864 a month.

How educated are people in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

About 21.0% of adults age 25 and over in Fort Smith, AR-OK hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

About 16.4% of people in Fort Smith, AR-OK live below the federal poverty line.

Has Fort Smith, AR-OK grown since 1990?

Yes, Fort Smith, AR-OK has grown since 1990. The population has added about 53,988 residents, a change of about 31 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →