Population
Fort Smith
89,496
Lawton
90,662
Median Income
Fort Smith
$52,692
Lawton
$53,588
Home Value
Fort Smith
$168,100
Lawton
$134,200
Rent
Fort Smith
$852
Lawton
$935
Crime Rate
Fort Smith
8.44
Lawton
8.20
Cost of Living
Fort Smith
85.9
Lawton
85.7
Avg Temp
Fort Smith
N/A
Lawton
N/A
Unemployment
Fort Smith
6.7%
Lawton
8.1%
How Similar Are Fort Smith & Lawton?
Lawton is Fort Smith's #13 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Fort Smith
89,496
Lawton
90,662
Both cities have similar populations — Fort Smith at 89,496 and Lawton at 90,662.
Violent Crime
Fort Smith
8.44
Lawton
8.20
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 3% difference.
Property Crime
Fort Smith
36.84
Lawton
26.53
Fort Smith has a 28% higher property crime than Lawton.
Political Leaning
Fort Smith
67.6%
Lawton
60.7%
Both cities lean Republican, but Fort Smith has a stronger Republican lean (10% difference).
Unemployment
Fort Smith
6.7%
Lawton
8.1%
Lawton has a 17% higher unemployment than Fort Smith.
Median Income
Fort Smith
$52,692
Lawton
$53,588
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Fort Smith
$168,100
Lawton
$134,200
Fort Smith has a 20% higher home values than Lawton.
Education
Fort Smith
16.9%
Lawton
14.6%
Fort Smith has a 14% higher education than Lawton.
Demographics
Fort Smith
61.2%
Lawton
53.6%
Fort Smith has a 13% higher demographics than Lawton.
Cost of Living
Fort Smith
85.9
Lawton
85.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 0% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Fort Smith and Lawton share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Fort Smith
0
Lawton
Fort Smith leads in 6 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Fort Smith leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDFort Smith has a fair market rent (1br) of $714 vs $784 in Lawton (9% lower). Lawton scores 70.3 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 75.5 in Fort Smith. Fort Smith has a fair market rent (2br) of $937 vs $1,001 in Lawton (6% lower).
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 — Fort Smith leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFort Smith has a vacancy rate of 9.1% compared to 16.5% in Lawton. Fort Smith has a median home value of $168,100 vs $134,200 in Lawton (25% higher). Fort Smith has a owner-occupied of 53.0% compared to 44.6% in Lawton.
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 ACSLawton has a work from home of 12.4% compared to 7.4% in Fort Smith. Fort Smith has a government sector of 43.8% compared to 33.1% in Lawton. Fort Smith has a private sector of 92.6% compared to 76.6% in Lawton.
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 violent crime clearance of 73.3% compared to 24.9% in Lawton. Fort Smith has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.10 in Lawton. Lawton has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 14.91 compared to 29.04 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 — Fort Smith leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauFort Smith has a bachelor's degree or higher of 16.9% compared to 14.6% in Lawton.
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 ACSLawton has a population of 90,662, about 1x the size of Fort Smith (89,496). Lawton skews younger with a median age of 32.1 vs 36.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Fort Smith
Lawton
Healthcare — Fort Smith leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareFort Smith: 2.5 vs Lawton: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Lawton leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLawton has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.1% in Fort Smith. Lawton has a public transit of 0.6% compared to 0.2% in Fort Smith. Lawton has a work from home of 12.4% 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.