Question 1

What is the cost of living in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

Accepted Answer

Fort Smith, AR-OK's overall price level (BEA Regional Price Parity) is 85.89, where 100 equals the U.S. average. That means everyday goods, services, and housing cost about 14.1% less than the national average. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom is $937/month.

Question 2

What is the average salary in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

Accepted Answer

Across the 100 BLS-tracked occupation categories with published data in Fort Smith, AR-OK, the average median wage is $82,503. The single highest-paying occupation here is Physicians, All Other at $258,130/year (BLS OEWS).

Question 3

What are the highest-paying jobs in Fort Smith?

Accepted Answer

Based on BLS OEWS data, the top-paying occupations in Fort Smith, AR-OK are: 1) Physicians, All Other at $258,130; 2) Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers at $170,960; 3) Dentists, General at $165,060; 4) Pharmacists at $133,520; 5) Architectural and Engineering Managers at $131,100. Click any occupation above to see the full wage breakdown (10th to 90th percentile).

Question 4

How much does it cost to rent a 2-bedroom apartment in Fort Smith?

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a 2-bedroom unit in Fort Smith, AR-OK is $937/month. FMR is the rent level HUD uses to administer housing assistance and reflects the 40th percentile of standard-quality rentals, updated annually.

Question 5

Where does AffordMap's Fort Smith data come from?

Accepted Answer

Salary figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. Cost of living comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (RPP). Rent comes from HUD Fair Market Rents. All three are federal datasets, updated annually, and free to use. AffordMap pairs them so you can see what a salary actually buys after local costs.

Rank	Occupation	Category	Median salary	Hourly
51	Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians	Healthcare	$74K	$35.71/hr
52	Gas Plant Operators	Production & Manufacturing	$74K	$35.69/hr
53	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	Technology	$74K	$35.39/hr
54	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	Public Safety	$72K	$34.49/hr
55	Therapists, All Other	Healthcare	$71K	$33.9/hr
56	General and Operations Managers	Management	$70K	$33.81/hr
57	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	Repair & Maintenance	$70K	$33.52/hr
58	Instructional Coordinators	Education	$69K	$33.17/hr
59	Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School	Education	$66K	N/A
60	Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors	Community & Social	$66K	$31.86/hr

Top Paying Jobs in Fort Smith, AR-OK

Highest paying careers in Fort Smith

Affordability snapshot: Fort Smith