Fort Smith, AR vs North Little Rock, AR
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
North Little Rock, AR spends 23% more per resident than Fort Smith, AR: $17,205 against $14,015. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Fort Smith, AR edges North Little Rock, AR on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 69/100 (grade B) to 66/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
North Little Rock, AR reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Fort Smith, AR carries $1,000 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Fort Smith, AR at $549 per resident and in North Little Rock, AR at $1,829.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on other revenue — 13% of total revenue in Fort Smith, AR and 37% in North Little Rock, AR.
Summary
North Little Rock spends 18.5% more per capita than Fort Smith ($3,190/person difference). Fort Smith, AR has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 69/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $143 | $318 |
| Income Tax | $2,263 | $218 |
| Intergovernmental | $40 | $910 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,270 | $0 |
| Other | $3,396 | $4,250 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $295 | $273 |
| Education | $0 | $23 |
| Public Welfare | $788 | $1,282 |
| Health | $375 | $532 |
| Hospitals | $185 | $46 |
| Parks & Recreation | $549 | $1,829 |
| Housing | $2,224 | $4,197 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $195 |
| Utilities | $4,214 | $926 |
| Interest on Debt | $291 | $0 |
| Other | $5,094 | $7,901 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.