Fayetteville, AR vs Fort Smith, AR

Fort Smith, AR and Fayetteville, AR spend within 12.1% of each other per resident — $14,015 versus $12,502 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.

Fort Smith, AR holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 69/100 (grade B) against 57/100 (grade C) for Fayetteville, AR — a 12-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

On debt, Fayetteville, AR carries the lighter load at $925 per resident versus $1,000 for Fort Smith, AR. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Fayetteville, AR leads with health at $800 per resident, while Fort Smith, AR leads with parks and recreation at $549.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Fayetteville, AR at 59% of total revenue, whereas Fort Smith, AR relies most on other revenue at 13%.