Census Data for Fort Smith

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Fort Smith a population of 87,798 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Fort Smith a population of 86,209 people.

The city of Fort Smith is located in Sebastian County. The 2010 Census gave Sebastian County; a population of 125,744 people. This means that Fort Smith had 68.6% of the county's total population, making it Sebastian's most populous community.

At the same time, Arkansas had a population of 2,915,918 people, meaning that Fort Smith had 2.96% of the total population of Arkansas - making it the state's 2nd most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Fort Smith has a total area of 65.8 square miles [170.5 km²]. Of this total, 62 square miles [160.5 km²] is land, with the balance (5.88%) being water (3.87 square miles [10 km²]).

Sebastian County has a land area of 531 square miles [1,377.6 km²]. At 62 square miles [160.5 km²], Fort Smith has 11.65% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Fort Smith, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Fort Smith reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Fort Smith might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   35° 20' 57"   (or 35.35°)
  • Lon:   -94° 22' 15"   (or -94.37°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Fort Smith had 37,899 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 86,209 people, this averages 2.27 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Fort Smith had a land area of 62 square miles [160.5 km²]. This translates to 575 Housing Units per square mile [222.3 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Fort Smith had 35,341 Housing Units, a population of 80,268 people and a land area of 50.3 square miles [130.4 km²]. This gives a density of 2.27 people per Housing Unit and 667 Housing Units per square mile [257.8 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Fort Smith and you need to be careful when comparing between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Sebastian County ...

The community of Fort Smith is located in Sebastian County<4> and is the County Seat for Sebastian County.

The county had a population of 125,744 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 86,209 people, Fort Smith represented 68.6% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Fort Smith has a population density of 1,309 people per square mile [505 people/km²], Sebastian County averages 236.4 people per square mile [91.3 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Sebastian County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Fort Smith, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Fort Smith. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Fort Smith or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Fort Smith, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Fort Smith.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   35.349276°   (or 35°20'57" N)
  • Lon:   -94.370883°   (or -94°22'15" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   35.368691°   (or 35°22'7" N)
  • Lon:   -94.398737°   (or -94°23'55" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 2 miles to the southeast<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2403647) to Fort Smith. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Fort Smith. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   35.349318°   (or 35°20'57" N)
  • Lon:   -94.369676°   (or -94°22'10" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 359.3 feet to the west<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Fort Smith. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Fort Smith.

Miscellaneous Information for Fort Smith ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Sebastian County or the city of Fort Smith:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Fort Smith:
  • GNIS ID for Fort Smith: 2403647
  • GNIS ID for Sebastian County: 69181
  • GNIS ID for State of Arkansas: 68085

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 05 (Arkansas)
  • County Code: 131 (Sebastian County)
  • Place Code: 24550 (Fort Smith)
  • State & County Code: 05/131 (Arkansas / Sebastian County)
  • State & Place Code: 05/24550 (Arkansas / Fort Smith)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Fort Smith is located in Census Region #3 (the South Region) and Division #7 (the West South-Central Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used ZIP codes to identify a community, the ZIP codes were actually created to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although a ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Fort Smith, they do identify addresses that are in (or near) the city. It's important to remember that the boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • Our list of ZIP codes for Fort Smith:<7>
  • 72901, 72902, 72903, 72904, 72905, 72908, 72913, 72916, 72917, 72918 & 72919.

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Fort Smith.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Fort Smith: www.fsark.com/

The official website for Sebastian County: www.sebastiancountyonline.com/

The official website for State of Arkansas: https://portal.arkansas.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)