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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Fort Smith, AR vs Bentonville, AR

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

Summary

Bentonville spends 3.0% more per capita than Fort Smith ($431/person difference). Bentonville, AR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 73/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Fort Smith, AR
Pop. 89,315
B
69/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency89
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Bentonville, AR
Pop. 54,513
B
73/100
Budget Balance41
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency86
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fort Smith
Bentonville
Total Spending
$1.3B
$787.5M
Spending / Capita
$14,015
$14,446
Total Revenue
$2.3B
$884.3M
Revenue / Capita
$25,787
$16,221
Total Debt
$89.3M
$13.4M
Debt / Capita
$1,000
$246
Population
89,315
54,513
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fort Smith$295
Bentonville$226
Parks & Recreation
Fort Smith$549
Bentonville$1,751
Health
Fort Smith$375
Bentonville$352

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort SmithBentonville
Property Tax
$0
$10
Sales Tax
$143
$752
Income Tax
$2,263
$1,252
Intergovernmental
$40
$2,248
Charges & Fees
$3,270
$2,597
Other
$3,396
$3,321

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort SmithBentonville
Fire Protection
$295
$226
Public Welfare
$788
$890
Health
$375
$352
Hospitals
$185
$0
Parks & Recreation
$549
$1,751
Housing
$2,224
$2,628
Sewerage
$0
$177
Utilities
$4,214
$3,488
Interest on Debt
$291
$0
Other
$5,094
$4,935
B
Fort Smith, AR
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
B
Bentonville, AR
Fiscal Health Score: 73/100
Good fiscal health

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