Skip to main content
Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Fayetteville, AR vs Fort Smith, AR

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Fort Smith spends 10.8% more per capita than Fayetteville ($1,513/person difference). Fort Smith, AR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fayetteville, AR
Pop. 95,022
C
57/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency99
Revenue Diversity11
Trend Direction50
City B
Fort Smith, AR
Pop. 89,315
B
69/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency89
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fayetteville
Fort Smith
Total Spending
$1.2B
$1.3B
Spending / Capita
$12,502
$14,015
Total Revenue
$1.3B
$2.3B
Revenue / Capita
$13,405
$25,787
Total Debt
$87.9M
$89.3M
Debt / Capita
$925
$1,000
Population
95,022
89,315
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fayetteville$423
Fort Smith$295
Parks & Recreation
Fayetteville$599
Fort Smith$549
Education
Fayetteville$32
Fort Smith$0
Health
Fayetteville$800
Fort Smith$375

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

FayettevilleFort Smith
Property Tax
$8
$0
Sales Tax
$293
$143
Income Tax
$1,543
$2,263
Intergovernmental
$7,947
$40
Charges & Fees
$2,512
$3,270
Other
$3,271
$3,396

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

FayettevilleFort Smith
Fire Protection
$423
$295
Education
$32
$0
Public Welfare
$719
$788
Health
$800
$375
Hospitals
$109
$185
Parks & Recreation
$599
$549
Housing
$2,095
$2,224
Sewerage
$156
$0
Utilities
$3,578
$4,214
Interest on Debt
$0
$291
Other
$3,991
$5,094
C
Fayetteville, AR
Fiscal Health Score: 57/100
Average fiscal health
B
Fort Smith, AR
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities