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

Fort Smith, AR vs Little Rock, AR

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

Summary

Little Rock spends 20.5% more per capita than Fort Smith ($3,610/person difference). Little Rock, AR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 87/100).

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
Little Rock, AR
Pop. 202,218
A
87/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency76
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fort Smith
Little Rock
Total Spending
$1.3B
$3.6B
Spending / Capita
$14,015
$17,625
Total Revenue
$2.3B
$4.9B
Revenue / Capita
$25,787
$24,144
Total Debt
$89.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$1,000
$0
Population
89,315
202,218
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fort Smith$295
Little Rock$521
Highways & Roads
Fort Smith$0
Little Rock$55
Parks & Recreation
Fort Smith$549
Little Rock$2,054
Education
Fort Smith$0
Little Rock$39
Health
Fort Smith$375
Little Rock$0

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort SmithLittle Rock
Property Tax
$0
$1
Sales Tax
$143
$1,239
Income Tax
$2,263
$1,234
Intergovernmental
$40
$5,965
Charges & Fees
$3,270
$0
Other
$3,396
$5,700

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort SmithLittle Rock
Fire Protection
$295
$521
Highways & Roads
$0
$55
Education
$0
$39
Public Welfare
$788
$986
Health
$375
$0
Hospitals
$185
$427
Parks & Recreation
$549
$2,054
Housing
$2,224
$3,902
Sewerage
$0
$82
Utilities
$4,214
$1,001
Interest on Debt
$291
$0
Other
$5,094
$8,558
B
Fort Smith, AR
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
A
Little Rock, AR
Fiscal Health Score: 87/100
Excellent fiscal health

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