Fort Smith, Arkansas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Fort Smith, AR Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Fort Smith | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 85,344 | 3,049,066 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1247.2 | 57.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.14% | 0.32% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.2 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 34,823 | 1,205,703 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Fort Smith grew by 2.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 85,344 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Fort Smith is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 22.3% of residents. That is 0.8 points above Arkansas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 19,017 22.3% +0.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 18,453 21.6% +0.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 16,451 19.3% on par
- Boomers 61–79 13,210 15.5% -2.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Arkansas, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.7% of the people living in Fort Smith and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% Arkansas 50.6%
- Men 49.3% Arkansas 49.4%
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Economy
Fort Smith has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Fort Smith | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,214 | $60,940 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.39% | 4.58% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.8% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Fort Smith is about 13% lower than in Arkansas.
Housing
| Metric | Fort Smith | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $183,485 | $111,957 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $870 | $947 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 53.1% | 66.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Fort Smith is about 17.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $870 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Fort Smith spend about 31 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 130 hours, about 5.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Fort Smith | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 15.5 | 18.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 31.1 | 37.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 130 | 155 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,016 | $4,807 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,011 | 6,306 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,370 | 912 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Fort Smith is 16 minutes, shorter than the 19 minutes in Arkansas.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Fort Smith has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Fort Smith | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22.0% | 22.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.40 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Health
Fort Smith has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Fort Smith | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.0 | 75.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 22.6% | 22.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.0% | 23.3% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Fort Smith, Arkansas.
What is the population of Fort Smith, Arkansas?
About 85,344 people live in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 34,823 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 37.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Fort Smith, Arkansas mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Fort Smith, Arkansas has 1,247 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 14 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Fort Smith, Arkansas?
The median home costs 3.4 times the median household income ($183,485 against $53,214), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $870 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Fort Smith, Arkansas?
Unemployment in Fort Smith, Arkansas is 6.8%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Fort Smith, Arkansas?
22.0% of adults in Fort Smith, Arkansas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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