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

Fort Smith, AR vs Fayetteville, AR

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

Summary

Fort Smith spends 12.1% 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
Fort Smith, AR
Pop. 89,315
B
69/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency89
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Fayetteville, AR
Pop. 95,022
C
57/100
Budget Balance82
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency99
Revenue Diversity11
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

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

Per Capita Spending by Department

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

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

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