Fort Smith vs Fort Worth
The short version
- Fort Smith is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 17% lower than in the Fort Worth area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $178,100 in Fort Smith and $303,000 in Fort Worth.
- Households earn more in Fort Worth ($79,507 vs $54,816 median).
- Fort Worth has the warmer winter: January highs of 56°F vs 51°F.
- Fort Worth has more scorching days: 106 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 78.
- Fort Worth is growing faster: +11.9% since 2020 vs +1.9%.
- Commutes are shorter in Fort Smith (17 vs 27 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; Arkansas's top rate is 3.9%.
Side by side
| Fort Smith, AR | Fort Worth, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 90,855 | 1,028,117 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.9% | +11.9% |
| People per square mile | 1,415 | 2,921 |
| Median age | 36.5 | 33.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24% | 32% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $54,816 | $79,507 |
| Median home value | $178,100 | $303,000 |
| Home value to income | 3.2× | 3.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $884 | $1,509 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 85.9 | 103.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 53.4 | 117.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $64,400 | $77,300 |
| Homeowners | 53% | 57% |
| Top state income tax | 3.9% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.48% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 16.8 | 27.1 |
| Work from home | 8% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.5% | 4.8% |
| Poverty rate | 18.3% | 13.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 51° / 30° | 56° / 35° |
| July high / low | 94° / 72° | 96° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 47 in | 35 in |
| Snowfall per year | 3 in | 2 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 78 | 106 |
| Nights below freezing | 63 | 33 |
| Comfortable months | 1 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 86.8 | 99.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 72% | 28% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.2% | +0.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +47.7% | +34.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Fort Smith: October. Fort Worth: March to May and October to November.
Full monthly tables: Fort Smith weather by month and Fort Worth weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $64,400 in Fort Smith and $77,300 in Fort Worth. Moving from Fort Smith to Fort Worth, you would need about $90,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Fort Smith and Fort Worth
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Fort Smith and Fort Worth.
Which would you pick?
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