Rankings/Fort Smith, AR-OK

Fort Smith, AR-OK

NeutralTier 1CBSA 22900Compare

Risk Rank: #64 of 274Month: 2026-06Score change (12m):↑ +15

57score

Composite risk percentile vs 274 metros (higher = higher risk)

Executive Summary

Fort Smith's housing market shows average risk, ranking 64th of 274 metros. The market recently entered Recovery. Current conditions are balanced with stable liquidity. Early signs of stabilization — conditions may favor patient buyers.

Fort Smith experienced a market correction from mid-2025 through late 2025. The market is currently recovering.

Inventory is growing at a moderate +7% pace with homes taking +11% longer to sell — within normal ranges.

Rent growth is roughly keeping pace with price appreciation, suggesting valuations are not stretched.

Cycle Phase

RecoveryExpansionHypersupplyRecession

2 months in current phase·from Recovery

Market conditions are rebuilding after a correction period

Key Dynamics

Risk is primarily driven by permit growth and employment, while price momentum provides the most support.

Top Drivers

Permit Growthp84

YoY permit change

Employmentp70

12-month employment change (risk inverted)

Migrationp68

Net AGI migration (risk inverted)

Market Signals

Inventory is growing at a moderate +7% pace with homes taking +11% longer to sell — within normal ranges.

Liquidity

Stable↓

Active Listings YoY

+7.0%p56

Days on Market YoY

+10.5%p68

Months in status2

Data through Jun 2026

Valuation

Balanced—

Rent vs. Price Growth

+4.2%p96

Months in status2

Data through Jun 2026Rent growth vs price growth (rent support). Note: Affordability and Valuation measure different structural dimensions and can diverge.

Factor Details

Lower riskHigher risk

Low RiskBelow AvgNeutralElevatedHigh Risk

Price MomentumLow Risk

+0.4%p16

12-month HPI change — higher = overheating

Permit GrowthHigh Risk

+27.1%p84

YoY permit change — higher = supply pressure

Permits per CapitaBelow Avg

3.24p39

Permits per 1,000 residents — higher = overbuilding risk

AffordabilityElevated

0.30p64

Mortgage payment / income — higher = more burdened

EmploymentElevated

+0.0%p70

12-month employment change (risk inverted)

MigrationElevated

-$16Kp68

Net AGI migration (risk inverted)

National Context

Credit Conditions

Credit Regime

Stable—

Healthy recovery. Credit is flowing normally and transactions are steady — conditions favor continued rebuilding.

Bank Lending Standards

N/ANormal

Rate Change (YoY)

-5 bpsNormal

Mortgage Risk Premium

+194 bpsElevated

Stable for 10 quartersData through 2026-Q3

Supply Pipeline

Supply Regime

Accumulating—

Supply pipeline is building up while credit remains available. New units are accumulating in the system — watch for delivery pressure in coming quarters.

Pipeline Ratio

0.90Elevated

Completion-Permit Divergence

-3.1 ppNormal

Accumulating for 5 quartersData through 2026-Q2

Local Signals

Metro Permit Activity

Permit Activity

Elevated

YoY Permit Growth

+27.1%Above norm

Raw signal — not the composite percentile

Relative to 2016–2019 norms for this metro

Above-normal building activity with healthy demand. Balanced expansion — the market is absorbing new supply without stress.

Employment Concentration

Employment

Moderate

Largest SectorManufacturing 24.5%

QCEW 2024 annual averages

Internal Structure

Fort Smith's counties diverge significantly — Sebastian County (High Risk) contrasts sharply with Sequoyah County, making the metro average potentially misleading.

High36.8Limited data

3 of 3 counties scored

Fort Smith, AR-OK shows High internal divergence — the metro composite may obscure significant county-level differences. Sebastian County contributes the most structural risk (High Risk, driven by price momentum), while Sequoyah County anchors the lower end (Low Risk).

Within-metro factor percentiles (0 = lowest risk, 100 = highest risk)

County	Score ▼	Band	Pop %	Price	Permits	Afford
Sebastian CountyRisk Driver	100	High Risk	56.1%	100	100	100
Crawford County	38	Below Average	26.6%	50	50	50
Sequoyah CountyStabilizer	12	Low Risk	17.3%	0	0	0

Score History

Month	Phase	Score	Price	Permits	Afford	Employ	Migr
2026-05	Rec	56	7	83	64	74	68
2025-12	Hyp	59	62	81	76	34	68
2025-11	Rec	34	8	18	64	29	57
2025-09	Hyp	40	26	18	64	49	57
2025-07	Ress	43	21	18	64	72	57
2025-05	Ress	46	65	18	68	41	57
2025-04	Hyp	46	72	18	68	35	57
2025-02	Rec	55	98	18	77	52	57
2024-12	Rec	52	64	18	66	77	57
2024-11	Ress	51	60	18	66	77	57
2024-10	Hyp	49	54	18	66	69	57
2024-08	Hyp	54	73	18	67	79	57
2024-06	Ress	52	47	18	64	95	57
2024-04	Ress	50	38	18	64	97	57
2024-01	Ress	46	15	18	63	94	57
2023-11	Hyp	49	46	18	59	84	57
2023-09	Rec	50	55	18	58	87	57
2023-07	Rec	52	67	18	58	81	57
2023-06	Hyp	55	76	18	58	95	57
2023-04	Hyp	51	65	18	58	78	57
2023-02	Ress	56	94	18	64	77	57
2022-12	Ress	56	71	18	78	85	57
2022-10	Hyp	54	64	18	78	78	57
2022-09	Rec	49	47	18	77	69	57
2022-07	Rec	50	49	18	77	71	57
2022-06	Exp	54	59	18	78	82	57
2022-04	Exp	57	65	18	78	94	57
2022-01	Rec	54	49	18	76	98	57
2021-11	Rec	54	57	18	64	96	66
2021-10	Exp	53	53	18	64	92	66
2021-08	Exp	57	65	18	67	99	66
2021-05	Exp	54	59	18	66	86	66
2021-03	Rec	40	33	18	65	29	66
2021-01	Rec	35	20	18	65	17	66
2020-10	Rec	37	19	18	70	22	68
2020-07	Rec	34	5	18	66	17	68
2020-04	Exp	33	2	18	68	14	68
2020-02	Exp	48	11	18	72	91	68
2020-01	Rec	48	18	18	72	87	68
2019-11	Rec	48	33	18	73	72	65
2019-10	Exp	49	39	18	73	72	65
2019-08	Exp	46	16	18	72	82	65
2019-07	Rec	45	12	18	72	79	65
2019-05	Rec	56	61	18	76	89	65
2019-03	Exp	53	39	18	75	96	65
2019-01	Exp	50	18	18	75	96	65

Data Vintages

Price (HPI)2026-Q1

Permits2026-06

Income2024

Employment2026-06

Migration2023