Population
Fort Smith
89,496
Gastonia
81,632
Median Income
Fort Smith
$52,692
Gastonia
$60,554
Home Value
Fort Smith
$168,100
Gastonia
$250,000
Rent
Fort Smith
$852
Gastonia
$1,145
Crime Rate
Fort Smith
8.44
Gastonia
8.49
Cost of Living
Fort Smith
85.9
Gastonia
107.3
Avg Temp
Fort Smith
N/A
Gastonia
N/A
Unemployment
Fort Smith
6.7%
Gastonia
5.2%
How Similar Are Fort Smith & Gastonia?
Gastonia is Fort Smith's #5 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Fort Smith
89,496
Gastonia
81,632
Both cities have similar populations — Fort Smith at 89,496 and Gastonia at 81,632.
Violent Crime
Fort Smith
8.44
Gastonia
8.49
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 1% difference.
Property Crime
Fort Smith
36.84
Gastonia
35.14
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 5% difference.
Political Leaning
Fort Smith
67.6%
Gastonia
62.1%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 8% difference.
Unemployment
Fort Smith
6.7%
Gastonia
5.2%
Fort Smith has a 22% higher unemployment than Gastonia.
Median Income
Fort Smith
$52,692
Gastonia
$60,554
Gastonia has a 13% higher median income than Fort Smith.
Home Values
Fort Smith
$168,100
Gastonia
$250,000
Gastonia has a 33% higher home values than Fort Smith.
Education
Fort Smith
16.9%
Gastonia
18.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.
Demographics
Fort Smith
61.2%
Gastonia
55.2%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 10% difference.
Cost of Living
Fort Smith
85.9
Gastonia
107.3
Gastonia has a 20% higher cost of living than Fort Smith.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Fort Smith and Gastonia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Fort Smith
0
Gastonia
Cost of Living & Affordability — Fort Smith leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDFort Smith has a fair market rent (1br) of $714 vs $1,538 in Gastonia (54% lower). Fort Smith has a fair market rent (2br) of $937 vs $1,686 in Gastonia (44% lower). Fort Smith scores 87.3 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 125.9 in Gastonia.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Gastonia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFort Smith has a median property tax of $1,118 vs $2,355 in Gastonia (53% lower). Gastonia has a median home value of $250,000 vs $168,100 in Fort Smith (33% higher). Fort Smith has a median rent of $852 vs $1,145 in Gastonia (26% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Fort Smith leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFort Smith: 16 min vs Gastonia: 23 min for mean commute. Gastonia has a unemployment rate of 5.2% compared to 6.7% in Fort Smith. Gastonia has a poverty rate of 14.3% compared to 18.3% in Fort Smith.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Fort Smith leads
Source: FBI UCRFort Smith has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.05 in Gastonia. Fort Smith has a violent crime clearance of 73.3% compared to 45.6% in Gastonia. Gastonia has a property crime clearance of 23.8% compared to 11.7% in Fort Smith.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Gastonia leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauGastonia has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.4% compared to 16.9% in Fort Smith. Gastonia has a high school diploma or higher of 37.2% compared to 36.1% in Fort Smith.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFort Smith has a population of 89,496, about 1.1x the size of Gastonia (81,632).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Fort Smith
Gastonia
Healthcare — Gastonia leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGastonia: 3.2 vs Fort Smith: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Gastonia: 5 vs Fort Smith: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGastonia has a public transit of 1.0% compared to 0.2% in Fort Smith. Fort Smith: 16 min vs Gastonia: 23 min for mean commute time. Gastonia has a work from home of 9.8% compared to 7.4% in Fort Smith.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Fort Smith, AR
Compare Fort Smith against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.