Metro FMR · CBSA 22900 · HUD FY2026

Fort Smith, AR-OK MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Fort Smith, AR-OK MSA metro area - 26% below the US average.

$714
1-bedroom FMR
$937
2-bedroom FMR
+2.9%
YoY change
-26%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Fort Smith, AR-OK MSA area rents at $937 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 20% below the US average, lower than 98% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#9
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-20%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$37,480
income to afford it (30% rule)
+2.9%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Fort Smith: #9 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $56,717, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 15.1% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Fort Smith in the lowest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 228,315 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Its 2-bedroom FMR is in the lowest national tenth (#9 most affordable of 387 metros), though the household budget still depends on local income.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

Observed renter burden: 39.0% of the 30,476 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$683/mo

14.5% of median income

1 Bedroom

$714/mo

15.1% of median income

2 Bedroom

$937/mo

19.8% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,266/mo

26.8% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,532/mo

32.4% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·22900

Fort Smith: $714/mo 1BR · #9 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 22900

  • CBSA 22900
  • 1BR-FMR $714
  • 2BR-FMR $937
  • RANK-LOW #9
  • YOY-UP +2.9%
  • VSUS-LOW -26%
  • IN-ST-LOW #2 AR
  • INC-ROOM 15%
  • POP-MID 228K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Fayetteville-Sprin
  • VOUCH-90-110 $643–$785
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers ($401 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Where Fort Smith sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$937 higher than 2% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). This entry sits in this band. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Above this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Above this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

CBSA 22900

Counties inside Fort Smith

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 22900, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($937–$937, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Sebastian County 2BR $937 · 128K Crawford County 2BR $937 · 61K Sequoyah County 2BR $937 · 40K

Fort Smith studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #9 most affordable

1BR $714 (-26% vs US, +2.9% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 22900.

Studio
$683
US avg $893
↓0.9% YoY -24% vs US
1 Bedroom
$714
US avg $959
↑2.9% YoY -26% vs US
2 Bedroom
$937
US avg $1,175
↑3.0% YoY -20% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,266
US avg $1,525
↑2.4% YoY -17% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,532
US avg $1,756
↑2.4% YoY -13% vs US

How Fort Smith compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other AR metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Fort Smith highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Fort Smith: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Fort Smith with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside AR (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside AR

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Parkersburg-Vienna
WV · 2 BR $928/mo
Gadsden
AL · 2 BR $927/mo
Dothan
AL · 2 BR $950/mo
Benton County
IA · 2 BR $956/mo

Burden % · outside AR

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Canton-Massillon
OH · 19.8% of income · 2 BR $1,086/mo
Omaha-Council Bluffs
NE · 19.8% of income · 2 BR $1,368/mo
Kalamazoo-Portage
MI · 19.8% of income · 2 BR $1,162/mo
Kansas City
MO · 19.9% of income · 2 BR $1,358/mo

Fort Smith: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Fort Smith, AR-OK MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Fort Smith, AR-OK MSA is $714 per month. A 2-bedroom is $937 and a studio is $683.
How does Fort Smith, AR-OK MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Fort Smith, AR-OK MSA metro area is 26% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $714 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Fort Smith rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $937 ranks #9 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the lowest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Fort Smith metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 22900, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $937–$937 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Fort Smith vs Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers →

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $714/mo · 1BR AR

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.