Fort Smith, AR-OK

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

2024 Population

229,899

2024 Poverty Rate

16.4%

4.42% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$58,468

3.09% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$171,200

6.93% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

99,127

1.17% 1-year growth

Population & Diversity

Fort Smith, AR-OK is home to a population of 230k people, from which 96.6% are citizens.

As of 2024, 6.53% of Fort Smith, AR-OK residents were born outside of the country (15k people).

In 2024, there were 9.56 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (158k people) in Fort Smith, AR-OK than any other race or ethnicity. There were 16.5k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 15k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.6%

2024 Citizenship

96.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.6% of Fort Smith, AR-OK residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Fort Smith, AR-OK was 96.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Fort Smith, AR-OK compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Fort Smith, AR-OK

White (Non-Hispanic)
158k ± 834
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
16.5k ± 888
Other (Hispanic)
15k ± 1.17k

12.1%

Hispanic Population

27.9k people

12.1% of the people in Fort Smith, AR-OK are hispanic (27.9k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Fort Smith, AR-OK as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Arkansas.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
172,732 ± 10,079 people
El Salvador
21,157 ± 3,566 people
India
20,082 ± 3,474 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Arkansas was Mexico, the natal country of 172,732 Arkansas residents, followed by El Salvador with 21,157 and India with 20,082.

Foreign-Born Population

6.53%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

15k people

6.31%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

14.4k people

As of 2024, 6.53% of Fort Smith, AR-OK residents (15k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Fort Smith, AR-OK was 6.31%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Fort Smith, AR-OK compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
4,465 ± 442
Gulf War (2001-)
4,017 ± 560
Gulf War (1990s)
2,217 ± 361

Fort Smith, AR-OK has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.11 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Fort Smith, AR-OK.

Economy

The economy of Fort Smith, AR-OK employs 99.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Fort Smith, AR-OK were Manufacturing (16,364 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (14,230 people), and Retail Trade (11,652 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($64,524), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($59,065), and Transportation & Warehousing ($57,596).

Employment

Occupations

99.1k

2024 Value

± 2,510

1.17%

1 Year growth

± 3.56%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fort Smith, AR-OK grew at a rate of 1.17%, from 98k employees to 99.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Fort Smith, AR-OK, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (10,937 people), Sales & Related Occupations (10,267 people), and Production Occupations (9,995 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Fort Smith, AR-OK.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Oklahoma.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Oklahoma (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

99.1k

2024 Value

± 2,510

1.17%

1 Year growth

± 3.56%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fort Smith, AR-OK grew at a rate of 1.17%, from 98k employees to 99.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Fort Smith, AR-OK, are Manufacturing (16,364 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (14,230 people), and Retail Trade (11,652 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Fort Smith, AR-OK, though some of these residents may live in Fort Smith, AR-OK and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$46,945

Median earning men ± $1,851

$33,888

Median earning women ± $1,043

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($65,360), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,106), and Information ($57,125).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($46,630), Information ($46,212), and Wholesale Trade ($43,611).

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

328
Retail Trade
309
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
306
Health Care and Social Assistance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$1.02M
Manufacturing
$752k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$344k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

The student population of Fort Smith, AR-OK in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 2,660 male students and 3,853 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Fort Smith, AR-OK are White (1,259 and 56.8%), Hispanic or Latino (455 and 20.5%), Two or More Races (212 and 9.57%), and Asian (146 and 6.59%).

The largest universities in Fort Smith, AR-OK by number of degrees awarded are University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (1,922 and 86%), Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (200 and 8.94%), and Designer Barber & Stylist School (57 and 2.55%).

The most popular majors in Fort Smith, AR-OK are Liberal Arts & Sciences (309 and 13.8%), General Studies (295 and 13.2%), and Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy (145 and 6.48%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $4,752 for in-state students and $9,600 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Fort Smith, AR-OK, the percentage of applicants admitted was 80.5%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 40.2%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 6,513 (40.8% men and 59.2% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 6,513 students enrolled in Fort Smith, AR-OK, 40.8% men and 59.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,698 records, of which 59.8% were women and 40.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
309 degrees awarded
General Studies
270 degrees awarded
Pre-Engineering
39 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Fort Smith, AR-OK was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 309 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Fort Smith, AR-OK according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith
1,922 degrees awarded
Arkansas Colleges of Health Education
200 degrees awarded
Designer Barber & Stylist School
57 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Arkansas-Fort Smith with 1,922 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 1,037 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Fort Smith, AR-OK, which is 0.865 times less than the 1,199 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,259 degrees mean that there were 2.77 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 455 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($4,752) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,582) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,368) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Fort Smith, AR-OK was $171,200 in 2024, which is 0.515 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $160,100 to $171,200, a 6.93% increase. The homeownership rate in Fort Smith, AR-OK is 66.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Fort Smith, AR-OK have an average commute time of 21.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Fort Smith, AR-OK is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$171,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$3,507

$60,605

Median Property Taxes

±$1,835

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Fort Smith, AR-OK the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Fort Smith, AR-OK compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

66.6%

Homeownership

2024

67.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 66.6% of the housing units in Fort Smith, AR-OK were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 66.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Fort Smith, AR-OK compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$58,468

Median Household Income

± $1,723

91k

Number of Households

± 2,387

In 2024, the median household income of the 91k households in Fort Smith, AR-OK grew to $58,468 from the previous year's value of $56,717.

The following chart displays the households in Fort Smith, AR-OK distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Fort Smith, AR-OK is from Arkansas.

0.448

2024 Wage GINI in Arkansas

0.45

2023 Wage GINI in Arkansas

In 2024, the income inequality in Arkansas was 0.448 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.629% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Arkansas was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Arkansas in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Arkansas across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (80.2%)
Carpooled (10.4%)
Worked At Home (6.77%)

In 2024, 80.2% of workers in Fort Smith, AR-OK drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.4%) and those who worked at home (6.77%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

21.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Fort Smith, AR-OK have a shorter commute time (21.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.68% of the workforce in Fort Smith, AR-OK have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Fort Smith, AR-OK compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Fort Smith, AR-OK distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Fort Smith, AR-OK have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

16.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Fort Smith, AR-OK (37k out of 226k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Fort Smith, AR-OK is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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