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METRO AREA · 2010 ACS

Fort Smith Metro

Fort Smith, AR-OK · 3 counties · 230,083 residents · 1,800 sq mi
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The short version

Fort Smith is home to 230,083 people. 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 28% national rate. Median home value sits at $100,383. 6% of people across the metro were born outside the United States. Renters pay $575 a month at the median. Median household income is $39,099, under the $52,703 national median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $52,703
Mid-age
median age 37.4
US median: 37.2
Less educated
16% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
230,083
+11%since 2000
from 207,290 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
128 / sq mi
+11%since 2000
from 115 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
37.4
+5%since 2000
from 35.6 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
1,800 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
170K187K204K221K238K19902000201020202024Fort Smith
2024230K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 57%(16,199)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 97.1%(16,372)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 147.2%(16,562)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 197.1%(16,348)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 246.3%(14,421)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3412.3%(28,386)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4413%(29,873)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5414.5%(33,448)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6411.9%(27,394)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 747.7%(17,820)
US avg: 7%
75 to 844.2%(9,646)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over1.6%(3,614)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$39,099
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,448 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$20,543
+24%since 2000
from $16,605 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
19.7%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 19.1% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
18.6%
+3.7 ptssince 2000
from 14.9% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.446
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Retail trade21%
US avg: 10.9%
Information11.6%
US avg: 11.5%
Wholesale trade6.6%
US avg: 7.2%
Finance & insurance5.8%
US avg: 5.1%
Professional, scientific, technical4.8%
US avg: 4.2%
Other services4.7%
US avg: 7%
Transportation & warehousing3.3%
US avg: 3.1%
Public administration3.1%
US avg: 4.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing1.5%
US avg: 0.5%
Construction1.4%
US avg: 1.4%
Arts, entertainment, food1%
US avg: 2.4%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$100,383
+17%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $67,689 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$575
+11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $408 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
67.1%
−1.8 ptssince 2000
from 68.9% in 2000
32.9% rent
Vacancy rate
11.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 11.3% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.59 people
−1%since 2009
from 2.62 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
18.3%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 18.9% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
42.5%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 43.2% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
2.6
+3%since 2009
from 2.5 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic80.4%(166,605)
Black4%(8,189)
Hispanic / Latino4.9%(10,246)
Asian2.3%(4,715)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic75.2%(172,989)
Black4%(9,262)
Hispanic / Latino9%(20,643)
Asian2.7%(6,112)
Other9%(20,771)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican6.1%(13,899)
Central American1.3%(2,489)
Salvadoran1.2%(2,142)
Spaniard0.1%(293)
Peruvian0.1%(237)
Guatemalan0.1%(186)
Puerto Rican0.1%(164)
Bolivian0.1%(123)
Cuban0.1%(120)
Honduran0.1%(70)
+ 4 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0.1%(47)
Chilean0%(24)
Colombian0%(15)
Ancestry
Irish13.2%(29,799)
English11.4%(25,888)
German10.9%(24,645)
American8.7%(19,633)
French2.1%(4,846)
Dutch2%(4,599)
Italian1.6%(3,571)
Scotch-Irish1.6%(3,571)
Scottish1.4%(3,133)
Polish0.7%(1,656)
Welsh0.4%(940)
West Indian0.4%(873)
+ 31 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish0.4%(872)
Norwegian0.3%(709)
Hungarian0.3%(609)
Czech0.2%(397)
British0.2%(391)
Swiss0.2%(375)
Danish0.2%(345)
Portuguese0.1%(333)
Russian0.1%(329)
Greek0.1%(277)
Arab0.1%(242)
Iranian0.1%(163)
Canadian0.1%(159)
Austrian0.1%(114)
Croatian0.1%(98)
Finnish0.1%(96)
Syrian0.1%(69)
Jamaican0%(69)
Brazilian0%(67)
Belgian0.1%(66)
Romanian0%(46)
Slovak0%(41)
Lebanese0%(30)
Ukrainian0%(26)
Jordanian0%(25)
Armenian0.1%(22)
Nigerian0%(14)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
15.5%
+1.8 ptssince 2000
from 13.8% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
79.9%
+5.8 ptssince 2000
from 74.1% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
5.1%
+0.2 ptssince 2000
from 4.9% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.9 min
+40%since 2000
from 14.2 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
81.8%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 81.8% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
12.7%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 12.9% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
0.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
3.0%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
1.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.1%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
6.1%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 6.1% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
10.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.6% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
26.6%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 26.1% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
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
6.3%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
11.4%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 11.9% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
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
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
11.0%
−8.7 ptssince 2013
from 19.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
43.6%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 43.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
12.4%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 12.3% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
21.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 21.1% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
27.4%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 26.8% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
4.2%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 4.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
55.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 55.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
45.3%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 44.4% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)27.9%(4,017)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)26.1%(3,758)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era32.3%(4,637)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.2%(753)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.6%(224)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 14,373 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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+48%
Home value$281,000+180%
Population228,102−3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
FORT SMITH VS
Macon-Bibb County
Income$59,225+51%
Home value$186,510+86%
Population238,553+2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
FORT SMITH VS
Las Cruces
Income$56,848+45%
Home value$220,800+120%
Population229,091−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
FORT SMITH VS
Johnson City
Income$58,506+50%
Home value$222,250+121%
Population216,416−8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

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

Fort Smith, AR-OK has about 230,083 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Fort Smith, AR-OK earns about $39,099 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 $100,383, and the typical rent is about $575 a month.

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

About 15.5% 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 18.6% 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 54,172 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 →