Best Places for Business and Careers 2019

Fort Smith, AR

Fort Smith, AR-OK

Fort Smith, AR

Fort Smith, AR-OK

gross metro product

$11.1B

population

282.3K

median household income

$40,032

median home price

$137,000

cost of living

14% below nat'l avg

college attainment

18.1%

net migration

130 (year: 2018)

unemployment

3.8%

major industries

Manufacturing, Tourism, Health care

job growth

0.2% (year: 2018)

As of October 2019

As the largest city in western Arkansas, Fort Smith offers several events for its residents and tourists in its numerous theatres and venues. Some of the most well-known events include Old Fort Days Rodeo, Fort Smith Riverfront Blues Fest and Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair. Other sites of interest include, Forth Smith National Historic Site, Fort Smith Trolley Museum, Fort Smith Air Museum and the National U.S. Marshals Museum. The city is home to the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, the main public university in the

area.

On forbes lists

#188

Best Places for Business and Careers 2019

In Cost of Doing Business

#188

In Job Growth

#192

In Education

EmploymentHousingEducationQuality of Life

Job Growth

0.2% (year: 2018)

Projected Annual Job Growth

0.3%

Unemployment

3.8%

Median Household Income

$40,032

Household Income Growth

1.1%

High-Tech Employment

0.4%

Data is for the metro area
Sources: Moody's Analytics; Sperling's BestPlaces; U.S. Census.
Numbers as of October 2019
a - Value of 100 means that a family with the median income has exactly enough income to qualify for a typical mortgage on a median-priced single-family home. An index above 100 signifies that the family has surplus income.