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

Fort Smith, AR vs Rogers, AR

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

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Fort Smith, AR spends 28% more per resident than Rogers, AR: $14,015 against $10,936. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Fort Smith, AR edges Rogers, AR on the Fiscal Health Score by 2 points — 69/100 (grade B) to 67/100 (grade B). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

On debt, Rogers, AR carries the lighter load at $533 per resident versus $1,000 for Fort Smith, AR. 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 Rogers, AR at $1,039.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Fort Smith, AR at 13% of total revenue, whereas Rogers, AR relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 49%.

Summary

Fort Smith spends 28.2% more per capita than Rogers ($3,079/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
Rogers, AR
Pop. 69,961
B
67/100
Budget Balance66
Debt Burden43
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity66
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Fort Smith
Rogers
Total Spending
$1.3B
$765.1M
Spending / Capita
$14,015
$10,936
Total Revenue
$2.3B
$1.7B
Revenue / Capita
$25,787
$24,524
Total Debt
$89.3M
$37.3M
Debt / Capita
$1,000
$533
Population
89,315
69,961
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Fort Smith$295
Rogers$473
Highways & Roads
Fort Smith$0
Rogers$38
Parks & Recreation
Fort Smith$549
Rogers$1,039
Education
Fort Smith$0
Rogers$24
Health
Fort Smith$375
Rogers$326

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort SmithRogers
Property Tax
$0
$3
Sales Tax
$143
$262
Income Tax
$2,263
$47
Intergovernmental
$40
$11,941
Charges & Fees
$3,270
$2,584
Other
$3,396
$2,887

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

Fort SmithRogers
Fire Protection
$295
$473
Highways & Roads
$0
$38
Education
$0
$24
Public Welfare
$788
$1,032
Health
$375
$326
Hospitals
$185
$0
Parks & Recreation
$549
$1,039
Housing
$2,224
$1,969
Sewerage
$0
$94
Utilities
$4,214
$1,452
Interest on Debt
$291
$0
Other
$5,094
$4,488
B
Fort Smith, AR
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health
B
Rogers, AR
Fiscal Health Score: 67/100
Good fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.