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

Fort Smith, AR vs Jonesboro, AR

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

Summary

Fort Smith spends 54.8% more per capita than Jonesboro ($4,959/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
Jonesboro, AR
Pop. 78,379
D
39/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden0
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity0
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fort Smith
Jonesboro
Total Spending
$1.3B
$709.8M
Spending / Capita
$14,015
$9,056
Total Revenue
$2.3B
$245.3M
Revenue / Capita
$25,787
$3,130
Total Debt
$89.3M
$228.8M
Debt / Capita
$1,000
$2,919
Population
89,315
78,379
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fort Smith$295
Jonesboro$80
Highways & Roads
Fort Smith$0
Jonesboro$121
Parks & Recreation
Fort Smith$549
Jonesboro$523
Education
Fort Smith$0
Jonesboro$42
Health
Fort Smith$375
Jonesboro$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort SmithJonesboro
Property Tax
$0
$25
Sales Tax
$143
$97
Income Tax
$2,263
$12
Intergovernmental
$40
$4,523
Charges & Fees
$3,270
$1,640
Other
$3,396
$1,377

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort SmithJonesboro
Fire Protection
$295
$80
Highways & Roads
$0
$121
Education
$0
$42
Public Welfare
$788
$632
Health
$375
$0
Hospitals
$185
$108
Parks & Recreation
$549
$523
Housing
$2,224
$2,058
Sewerage
$0
$122
Utilities
$4,214
$1,520
Interest on Debt
$291
$191
Other
$5,094
$3,659
B
Fort Smith, AR
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
D
Jonesboro, AR
Fiscal Health Score: 39/100
Below average fiscal health

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