Fort Smith earns a D, 78th of 123 graded towns in Arkansas, mostly because of safety and health. Its crime rate is higher than 97% of U.S. towns, with 715 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 85% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also has a long history, with 49 places on the National Register. 61% of working residents work locally in Fort Smith, above both Arkansas’ towns (21%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Fort Smith National Historic Site and Fort Smith National Cemetery. Only 14 of Arkansas’ 201 towns score higher on hazard risk.

StrongestA⁻HistoryWeakestD⁻Safety DHealth C⁻Jobs & income

What makes Fort Smith stand out

Where Fort Smith beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

Fort Smith National Historic Site

HistoryA⁻

Settled in 1817

A history going back 209 years.

Including Budge Patty and Hunter Doohan.

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Fort Smith7.9

Arkansas5.4

U.S.3.3

Worth knowing · SafetyD⁻

46% more violent crime than AR

FBI data, 2025. Crimes reported to police.

Fort Smith National Historic Site · National Register of Historic Places

Fort Smith’s story

209 years in pictures

Fort Smith National Historic Site is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its founding year, 1817, is the earliest of any Arkansas town we grade.

Census counts: 144 in 1840, 89,142 in 2020. The archive holds 23 old photos and papers going back to 1848 and 6 maps from 1887 on.

49 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

1817Fort Smith is settled

Explore the history →

How Fort Smith grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Fort Smith is from typical.

How grading works

SafetyD⁻Open →HealthMercy Hospital Fort Smith 1.1 miles awayDOpen →Jobs & income$55K median household incomeC⁻Open →SchoolsB⁺Open →Cost of livingBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8 of 20; 7.6% of households have no car; 1.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 44% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB⁻Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

Outdoors6% conserved landB⁻Open →History69 notable people born hereA⁻Open →Civic life2.4 library visits per resident; 3.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsCOpen →

Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

ClimateMild winters, 93° summer afternoons, 3″ of snow–Open →Housing market44 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 36.5–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Fort Smith: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Fort Smith, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →

PowerOG&E11.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterFort Smith Water UtilitiesNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet7 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Fort Smith’s trash rules yet

SchoolsFort Smith Public Schools Greenwood School District2 districts serve Fort Smith; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES

Register to voteIn personArkansas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.gov

Who runs elections hereSebastian County ClerkSebastian County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2015

ZIP codes72903, 72904, 72901, 7290872903 28% · 72904 25% · 72901 24% · 72908 16%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Fort Smith.

Fort Smith draws workers from Van Buren and beyond and looks healthier within Arkansas than nationally, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.

SafetyD⁻

Fort Smith earns a D− for safety

Reported crimes fell from 4,692 to 3,685 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.

The violent crime rate in Fort Smith is 7.9 per 1,000 residents. Only 7 of the 108 Arkansas towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Fort Smith. Fort Smith reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less.

3%of U.S. towns report more crimeD⁻Safety Grade

	Fort Smith	Arkansas towns	U.S. towns
Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025)	7.9 per 1,000 residents	3.6	1.6
Property crimes per 1,000 (2025)	32.7 per 1,000 residents	13.5	9.9

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Fort Smith7.9

Arkansas5.4

U.S.3.3

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Fort Smith32.7

Arkansas16.7

U.S.15.5

3rd

percentile among U.S. towns we grade

12th

percentile among AR towns

715

violent crimes reported in 2025

2,970

property crimes reported in 2025

Full pageFort Smith’s safety reportOpen the page

Violent crime by type7.9 violent crimes per 1,000 Crime over the yearsDown since 2023 Vs. the neighborsBehind its 2 graded neighbors Questions“Is Fort Smith, AR safe?”

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police

SchoolsB⁺

Fort Smith’s schools rank ahead of 65% of Arkansas districts

Its public schools are run by the Fort Smith School District. Three of its 36 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

65%of AR districts it outscoresB⁺School Grade

School	Level	Students	Letter
Ramsey Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8	Grades 6–8	801	B⁺
Northside High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	2,231	D
John P. Woods Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5	Grades PK–5	514	A⁺

Full pageFort Smith’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsFORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT Vs. the neighborsAhead of 1 of its 2 graded neighbors Every school36 schools · Fairview Elementary School Questions“Are Fort Smith’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C⁻

More than half of Fort Smith’s working residents work in town

60,113 jobs are based in Fort Smith, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.

Fort Smith’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. Since 2013, Fort Smith has added 4,412 jobs, to 60,113 in 2023. 18% of Fort Smith residents live below the poverty line.

61%work in town

	Fort Smith	Arkansas towns	U.S. towns
Average trip to work	17 minutes	21 minutes	25 minutes
Below the poverty line	18%	17%	9.6%
Median household income	$55,000	$55,000	$80,000
Work from home	7.8%	6.1%	11%

Where working residents work

In Fort Smith61%

Van Buren8%

Little Rock3%

Fayetteville2%

Bentonville2%

5 mi

median commute distance

60,113

jobs based in Fort Smith

A job hub

jobs vs. working residents

Walkability grade: more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns

Full pageFort Smith’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here60,113 jobs based here · A job hub Where people work61% work in Fort Smith Commute times17 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 5 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

HealthD

Fort Smith earns a D for health

Within Arkansas it is less healthy than 55% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.

15% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Fort Smith. Fort Smith beats the Arkansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 35% of adults get no exercise outside work in Fort Smith.

15%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade

	Fort Smith	Arkansas towns	U.S. towns
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)	15%	11%	8.1%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)	35%	34%	25%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)	37%	35%	33%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)	27%	25%	19%

32 measures vs. Arkansas

0 better25 too close to call7 worse

What stands out	Fort Smith	AR
More uninsured adults	15.3%	11.3%
More adults facing food insecurity	22.8%	18.5%
More adults without reliable transportation	11.9%	9.7%

Mercy Hospital Fort Smith

1.1 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

45th

percentile among AR towns

Full pageFort Smith’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore adults who get no exercise Hospitals & doctors nearby1.1 miles to an ER · Mercy Hospital Fort Smith How adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than AR on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

OutdoorsB⁻

Conserved land covers 5.9% of Fort Smith

17 miles of trail in 36 parks and preserves. Only 8 of the 111 Arkansas towns we compare have a higher share of conserved land than Fort Smith. The biggest park or preserve is Carol Ann Cross Park, at 93 acres.

#56for trails in AR

	Fort Smith	Arkansas towns	U.S. towns
Conserved land	5.9%	0.8%	4.3%
Miles of trail per square mile	0.3 miles per square mile	0.3	0.4

5.9%

conserved · 2,593 of 43,623 acres

17 mi

of trails · 0.3 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Sunnymede Trail Park	1.4 mi	43
2. Tilles Park	1.2 mi	24
3. Donald W. Reynolds Plaza	1.2 mi	10

Full pageFort Smith’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map17 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk1.4 miles of trail · Sunnymede Trail Park Conserved land5.9% conserved · 2,593 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Fort Smith?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Climate

Mild winters and hot summers in Fort Smith

Fort Smith has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Only 4 of the 123 Arkansas towns we compare have a higher July high than Fort Smith.

3″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter31–53°

Spring49–73°

Summer69–91°

Fall51–74°

Nov 6

typical first frost

Mar 25

typical last frost

+0.9°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageFort Smith’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 93°, January lows 29°Rain & snow3″ of snow a winter · 51 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingBoth heating and cooling Then and now+0.9° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HousingCost of living grade B

A typical Fort Smith home is worth about $193K

The typical Fort Smith home is worth about $193,000, up 2.7% in a year, 14% below the Arkansas typical home.

$193KZillow home value

	Fort Smith	Arkansas towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	53%	60%	73%
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent	42%	45%	48%
Median rent	$884 a month	$875 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Fort Smith$193K

Arkansas$224K

Market temperature

days on market

97.8%

sale-to-list price

+2.7%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in May

Full pageFort Smith’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 2.7% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 3.5 years of income Rents$884 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighborsBehind its 2 graded neighbors

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B⁻

Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Fort Smith

272 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 37 properties have flooded more than once.

Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 272 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fort Smith.

44risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingTornadoesHeat waves

272

paid flood claims since 1979

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageFort Smith’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesModerate risk Flood claims272 paid flood claims · Since 1979 Past disasters6 federal disasters · Paid out in Fort Smith Get ready3.2 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Who lives here

An age mix much like Arkansas’s

No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Arkansas average. 24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 26% across Arkansas.

36.5median age · AR 38.5

	Fort Smith	Arkansas towns	U.S. towns
Median age	36.5 years	36.6 years	40.5 years
Under 18	24%	25%	22%
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+	24%	20%	29%
Aged 65 or older	16%	16%	18%

Fort SmithArkansasUnited States

ARU.S.

Ages · share of residents

15%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma16%

High school31%

Some college21%

Associate’s8%

Bachelor’s14%

Graduate10%

Women and men · all residents

50.5% women, 49.5% men

That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±0.7 points. Across Arkansas, 50.6% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.9, men 35.4.

Ages and education in Fort Smith
	Fort Smith	AR	U.S.
Under 10	13%	12.3%	11.6%
10 to 17	10.7%	10.8%	10.3%
18 to 24	9.4%	9.4%	9.1%
25 to 34	14.7%	13%	13.7%
35 to 44	12.3%	12.7%	13.2%
45 to 54	11.5%	11.8%	12.2%
55 to 64	12.3%	12.5%	12.7%
65 to 74	9.7%	10.3%	10.2%
75 and older	6.3%	7.2%	7%
No diploma	16.3%	11.3%	10.4%
High school	30.7%	34.1%	26%
Some college	21.3%	20.7%	19.1%
Associate’s	7.8%	8.2%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	14%	16.3%	21.6%
Graduate	9.9%	9.5%	14.1%

Full pageFort Smith by the numbersOpen the page

Ages36.5 median age · 16% are 65 or older Schooling24% have a four-year degree Homes53% own their home · Homeowners Income$55K a year · Median household income

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates

Nearby attractions

Spiro Mounds and 5 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fort Smith. Close and well known come first.

All 19 attractions →

11 mi Ancient siteSpiro Mounds

in town National Historic SiteFort Smith National Historic Site107K visitors a year

8 mi National forestOzark–St. Francis National Forest

in town MuseumFort Smith Trolley Museum

31 mi State parkDevil's Den State Park

in town MuseumW.H.H. Clayton House

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

Spiro Mounds: Herb Roe Original uploader was Heironymous Rowe at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Smith National Historic Site: Photolitherland (talk) Chris Litherland, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ozark–St. Francis National Forest: Paul A. Mistretta, USDA Forest Service, CC BY 3.0 us · Fort Smith Trolley Museum: Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Devil's Den State Park: jaystout, CC BY 2.0 · W.H.H. Clayton House: Hakbak, CC BY-SA 3.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Fort Smith

20pages on Fort Smith

The big questions

SchoolsB⁺Beat 65% of AR districts · 36 schools SafetyD⁻7.9 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthDBetter than AR on 0 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingB$193K typical home · up 2.7% in a year Work & commuteC⁻$55K median household income · 60,113 jobs here Natural hazardsB⁻FEMA risk higher than 44% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

OutdoorsB⁻17 mi of trails · 6% conserved land PlacesAttractions19 nearby · Fort Smith National Historic Site under 1 mi LibraryC2.4 library visits per resident CollegesArkansas Colleges of Health Education, in town

The story

HistoryA⁻Settled 1817 · 49 on the National Register Famous people69 born in Fort Smith Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 91 residents Climate93° summer highs · 3″ of snow

Day to day

News1 recent stories about Fort Smith WeatherHandbookZIP code 72901, 72902, 72903 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

2 within 15 miles of the center of Fort Smith

University of Arkansas-Fort SmithUniversity or college · Public · Fort SmithIn town$7,334 in-state tuition Arkansas Colleges of Health EducationUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Fort SmithIn town

About 5 of every 100 Fort Smith residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

College town

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith calls Fort Smith home

2 colleges in town.

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith4,482 students on campus

Admission: 80%
Net price: $10,574
Graduate: 38%

Arkansas Colleges of Health Education826 students on campus

Admission: Open
Net price: —
Graduate: —

College Scorecard · IPEDS

Landmarks

49 places in Fort Smith on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

Fort Smith National Historic SiteNational Historic Landmark

W. H. H. Clayton HouseBuilt 1882

Bonneville House

Knoble, Joseph, BreweryBuilt 1848

Famous people from Fort Smith

69 notable people were born in Fort Smith.

See all 69 →

Budge PattyUS tennis player · 1924–2021

Hunter DoohanAmerican actor · born 1994

Jahlil OkaforNigerian-American basketball player · born 1995

Jaylin WilliamsAmerican basketball player · born 2002

Isaiah JoeAmerican basketball player · born 1999

Katharine AlexanderAmerican actress · 1898–1977

About Fort Smith

City in Arkansas, United States

Official town website ↗

Fort Smith is the third-most populous city in Arkansas, United States, and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents that encompasses the Arkansas counties of Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian, and the Oklahoma counties of LeFlore and Sequoyah. Fort Smith lies on the Arkansas–Oklahoma state border, situated in the Arkansas Valley at the confluence of the Arkansas and Poteau rivers, also known as Belle Point. Fort Smith was established as a western frontier military post in 1817, when it was also a center of fur tr…

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Established: 1817
Area: 68 sq mi
Elevation: 463 ft
ZIP code: 72901, 72902, 72903
Area code: 479

Fort Smith’s neighbors

3 towns share a border with Fort Smith.

Explore the map →

BarlingVan BurenArkomaFort Smith

Barling

Visit

Van Buren

N · 8% of Fort Smith workers commute here

Visit

Arkoma

Visit

How the neighbors grade

Town	AR rank	Overall	Cost	Safety	Schools	Health
Fort Smith	#78	D	B	D⁻	B⁺	D
Barling	#56	C	B	C	B⁻	C
Van Buren	#62	C	B⁺	C⁻	B⁺	C⁻

Compare Fort Smith with a neighbor →

Questions about Fort Smith

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Fort Smith, AR a good place to live?

Fort Smith grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #78 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades D for health, D− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.

Is Fort Smith, AR expensive?

That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($58,468 across the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.

What is Fort Smith, AR known for?

69 notable people were born here, including Budge Patty and Hunter Doohan.

Post to Fort Smith

Check your email

Fort SmithAR

Is Fort Smith a good place to live?

What makes Fort Smith stand out

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

209 years in pictures

How Fort Smith grades

Moving to Fort Smith: who provides what

The data

Fort Smith earns a D− for safety

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Fort Smith’s schools rank ahead of 65% of Arkansas districts

More than half of Fort Smith’s working residents work in town

Where working residents work

Fort Smith earns a D for health

Conserved land covers 5.9% of Fort Smith

Mild winters and hot summers in Fort Smith

Typical low → high °F

A typical Fort Smith home is worth about $193K

Typical home value

Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Fort Smith

An age mix much like Arkansas’s

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

Women and men · all residents

Spiro Mounds and 5 more within 40 miles

Everything we know about Fort Smith

Colleges nearby

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith calls Fort Smith home

Landmarks

Famous people from Fort Smith

About Fort Smith

Fort Smith’s neighbors

Questions about Fort Smith