What percentage of people rent in Fort Smith, AR?

Name: Renters and owners in Fort Smith, AR, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

46.6% (±2.2 points) of the occupied homes in Fort Smith, AR are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 17,151 renting households against 19,624 that own their home.

In Fort Smith, the share of households that rent went from 49.4% in 2015–2019 to 46.6% in 2020–2024 (−2.8 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 46.6% (±2.2 points)
Renting households: 17,151 (±898)
Median renter income: $40,042 (±$2,956)

Who rents and who owns in Fort Smith

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Fort Smith	Sebastian County	Arkansas	United States
Renter-occupied share	46.6% (±2.2 points)	38.6% (±1.5 points)	33.6% (±0.4 points)	34.8%
Renting households	17,151 (±898)	20,147 (±875)	405,123 (±3,925)	45,017,354
Owning households	19,624 (±845)	32,034 (±796)	800,864 (±6,305)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.2 (±0.1)	2.2 (±0.1)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.6 (±0.1)	2.6 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$40,042 (±$2,956)	$40,047 (±$2,778)	$39,315 (±$589)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$75,551 (±$4,379)	$74,384 (±$3,666)	$75,473 (±$657)	$100,009

In Fort Smith, the renter share is higher than in Sebastian County (38.6%).

It is also higher than in Arkansas (33.6%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Sebastian County, Fort Smith ranks 4 of 11 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 75 of 515.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Fort Smith has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	49.4% (±1.8 points)	46.6% (±2.2 points)	−2.8 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$685 (±$15)	$884 (±$32)	+29.1%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$41,724 (±$2,246)	$54,816 (±$2,402)	+31.4%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Fort Smith

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Fort Smith
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Fort Smith	—	46.6% (±2.2 points)	—
Arkoma	4.6 mi	37.6% (±5.4 points)	Lower
Barling	5.5 mi	27.6% (±8.9 points)	Lower
Moffett	6.1 mi	7.1% (±14.3 points)	Lower
Van Buren	7.1 mi	34.4% (±4.7 points)	Lower
Central City	7.5 mi	9.6% (±7.3 points)	Lower
Bonanza	8.5 mi	20.9% (±15.6 points)	Lower
Pocola	8.7 mi	29.9% (±5.1 points)	Lower
Roland	8.9 mi	45.5% (±5.6 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Arkoma, OK (37.6%), Barling, AR (27.6%), Moffett, OK (7.1%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Sebastian County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Midland	58.0% (±38.5 points)
2	Huntington	47.1% (±12.4 points)
3	Hackett	46.7% (±19.8 points)
4	Fort Smith	46.6% (±2.2 points)
5	Mansfield	44.0% (±9.2 points)
6	Hartford	36.9% (±19.3 points)
7	Lavaca	27.8% (±10.1 points)
8	Barling	27.6% (±8.9 points)
9	Greenwood	25.6% (±5.1 points)
10	Bonanza	20.9% (±15.6 points)

Showing 10 of 11 places in Sebastian County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Fort Smith

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Questions about Fort Smith

How many renters are there in Fort Smith?

Fort Smith has an estimated 17,151 (±898) renting households, 46.6% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Fort Smith?

In Fort Smith, the share of households that rent went from 49.4% in 2015–2019 to 46.6% in 2020–2024 (−2.8 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Fort Smith?

A renting household in Fort Smith has 2.2 people on average, against 2.6 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Fort Smith?

The median renting household in Fort Smith, AR has an income of $40,042 (±$2,956) a year, against $75,551 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Fort Smith city, Arkansas (place:24550, in state:05).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.