Jobs, pay and daily life in Fort Smith, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Fort Smith is a city in Arkansas with 89,805 residents. The median household earns $54,816 a year and the median rent is $884 a month, which is 19.4% of the median household income. It is part of the Fort Smith, AR-OK metropolitan area, where BLS counts 95,560 jobs.
How Fort Smith compares. Among the 60 largest places in Arkansas, Fort Smith is #3 by population, #12 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #42 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #25 for remote work (#1 = most). Its county, Sebastian County, is #8 of 75 counties for average pay ($55,173).
Fort Smith has 89,805 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 2.9% of the population of Arkansas. It covers 64 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,399 people per square mile. The median age is 36.5, 5% younger than the state median (36.5 against 38.5).
The median gross rent is $884 a month (rent plus utilities), 7% below the state median ($884 against $947). Over a year that is 19.4% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $178,100, which is 3.2 times the median household income ($54,816); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 53.4% of households own their home, 20% below the state average (53.4% against 66.4%).
The Fort Smith, AR-OK metropolitan area has 95,560 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $39,560 a year, 22% below the national median ($39,560 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are production (12,400 jobs, median $40,880); office and administrative support (10,980 jobs, median $38,750); transportation and material moving (10,020 jobs, median $37,270). The area is most specialised in production (2.4 times) and transportation and material moving (1.2 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($83,320) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($70,360). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Sebastian County was 3.6%. 61.7% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Sebastian County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 77.4% drive alone, 0.1% use public transit, 1.2% walk, 7.8% work from home. 4.4% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 61% below the state average (4.4% against 11.4%).
23.9% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 7% below the state share (23.9% against 25.7%). 11.9% of residents were born outside the United States, 118% above the state share (11.9% against 5.4%). The poverty rate is 18.3%, 14% above the state rate (18.3% against 16.0%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 83°F (28.2°C), and the coolest is Jan at 37°F (2.8°C). About 1,219 mm (48 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; May is the wettest month (154 mm) and Jan the driest (68 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Van Buren (7 miles, rent 4% lower); Greenwood (12 miles, rent 5% lower); Poteau (24 miles, rent 4% lower); Sallisaw (26 miles, rent 7% lower). Rent differences are against Fort Smith; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Arkansas (242) →State guide: ArkansasCountry guideSebastian CountyArkansas rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 242 federal postings open in Arkansas (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Arkansas →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 2,880 | 1.20 | $28,350 | $23,180 | $38,850 | -20% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,760 | 1.16 | $23,760 | $22,880 | $29,230 | -24% |
| General and Operations Managers | 2,320 | 1.08 | $70,330 | $35,690 | $163,760 | -34% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 2,240 | 0.85 | $28,410 | $24,630 | $30,780 | -21% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 2,240 | 1.29 | $32,050 | $28,570 | $44,060 | -14% |
| Cashiers | 2,180 | 1.15 | $27,480 | $23,000 | $34,090 | -16% |
| Registered Nurses | 2,180 | 1.05 | $79,870 | $58,540 | $98,500 | -18% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 2,030 | 1.60 | $47,580 | $35,700 | $74,000 | -19% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,900 | 1.26 | $37,100 | $25,270 | $53,050 | -18% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,860 | 1.16 | $37,500 | $30,150 | $50,720 | -16% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,760 | 0.97 | $34,810 | $25,570 | $44,120 | -13% |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,580 | 1.77 | $32,020 | $25,040 | $36,960 | -24% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,410 | 1.01 | $23,680 | $22,880 | $38,090 | -33% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 1,220 | 1.41 | $36,930 | $30,160 | $51,410 | -17% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,150 | 0.84 | $31,200 | $24,960 | $37,880 | -15% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | 1,100 | 2.65 | $62,260 | $42,550 | $92,720 | -16% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 960 | 1.13 | $45,010 | $31,740 | $61,930 | -11% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 960 | 1.09 | $57,130 | $40,040 | $87,800 | -18% |
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | 960 | 2.41 | $55,880 | $47,950 | $61,140 | -13% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 940 | 1.25 | $30,780 | $27,620 | $46,870 | -30% |
These figures are for the whole Fort Smith, AR-OK metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $39,560 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.8% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 21.8% |
| Manufacturing | 18.4% |
| Retail trade | 10.6% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 10.3% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 9.3% |
| Other services | 5.7% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 5.6% |
| Construction | 5.5% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 4.8% |
| Public administration | 3.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.1% |
| Information | 1.2% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 1.2% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Fort Smith lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian County | 128,900 | $9,255 million | $71,802 | 67,665 | 3,751 | $55,173 | +1.2% | 3.6% | 60,441 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 12,904 | 21.4% | $61,573 | 2.32 |
| Health care and social assistance | 11,740 | 19.4% | $63,377 | 1.21 |
| Retail trade | 7,700 | 12.7% | $34,540 | 1.14 |
| Accommodation and food services | 6,050 | 10.0% | $22,306 | 0.98 |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,295 | 7.1% | $36,672 | 1.08 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,915 | 4.8% | $67,049 | 1.09 |
| Construction | 2,789 | 4.6% | $55,406 | 0.79 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,332 | 3.9% | $72,490 | 0.81 |
| Professional and technical services | 1,551 | 2.6% | $62,769 | 0.33 |
| Management of companies | 1,551 | 2.6% | $124,593 | 1.36 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,494 | 2.5% | $75,184 | 0.54 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,224 | 2.0% | $41,373 | 0.60 |
| Real estate and rental | 969 | 1.6% | $55,616 | 0.92 |
| Information | 885 | 1.5% | $102,363 | 0.70 |
| Utilities | 681 | 1.1% | $89,781 | 2.65 |
| Educational services | 618 | 1.0% | $63,717 | 0.44 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 504 | 0.8% | $20,630 | 0.44 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 205 | 0.3% | $97,132 | 0.80 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 9 | 0.0% | $37,092 | 0.02 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 77.4% |
| Public transit | 0.1% |
| Walk | 1.2% |
| Work from home | 7.8% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 4.4% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $54,816 |
| Income per person | $34,413 |
| Median gross rent per month | $884 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 19.4% |
| Median home value | $178,100 |
| Homeowners | 53.4% |
| Poverty rate | 18.3% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 85.9 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $39,560 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 3.90%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 36.5 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 83.7% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 23.9% |
| Born abroad | 11.9% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 61.7% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.8 | 37 | 68 |
| Feb | 5.0 | 41 | 75 |
| Mar | 10.3 | 51 | 108 |
| Apr | 15.4 | 60 | 125 |
| May | 20.2 | 68 | 154 |
| Jun | 25.4 | 78 | 105 |
| Jul | 28.2 | 83 | 96 |
| Aug | 27.7 | 82 | 112 |
| Sep | 23.3 | 74 | 100 |
| Oct | 16.2 | 61 | 111 |
| Nov | 9.7 | 49 | 82 |
| Dec | 4.3 | 40 | 83 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren | AR | 7 mi | 23,763 | $61,149 | $847 |
| Greenwood | AR | 12 mi | 9,616 | $66,844 | $836 |
| Poteau | OK | 24 mi | 8,959 | $50,511 | $853 |
| Sallisaw | OK | 26 mi | 8,605 | $48,036 | $826 |
| Prairie Grove | AR | 44 mi | 7,798 | $70,701 | $968 |
| Farmington | AR | 48 mi | 9,094 | $90,469 | $1,321 |
| Clarksville | AR | 51 mi | 9,526 | $37,373 | $760 |
| Fayetteville | AR | 51 mi | 99,319 | $62,695 | $1,065 |
| Tahlequah | OK | 52 mi | 16,935 | $49,581 | $835 |
| Tontitown | AR | 57 mi | 6,425 | $85,603 | $1,346 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
89,805 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$884 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 19.4% of the median household income.
$54,816 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.6% (BLS county, Sebastian County (latest month 2026M09)).
Arkansas. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.