Population

Jackson

149,827

Fort Smith

89,496

Median Income

Jackson

$43,238

Fort Smith

$52,692

Home Value

Jackson

$108,200

Fort Smith

$168,100

Rent

Jackson

$1,018

Fort Smith

$852

Crime Rate

Jackson

8.19

Fort Smith

8.44

Cost of Living

Jackson

82.5

Fort Smith

85.9

Avg Temp

Jackson

N/A

Fort Smith

N/A

Unemployment

Jackson

9.4%

Fort Smith

6.7%

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How Similar Are Jackson & Fort Smith?

Fort Smith is Jackson's #24 most similar city

3/10

3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Jackson

149,827

vs

Fort Smith

89,496

Different · 40% difference

Jackson has a 40% larger population than Fort Smith.

Violent Crime

Jackson

8.19

vs

Fort Smith

8.44

Match · 3% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 3% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Jackson

45.38

vs

Fort Smith

36.84

Different · 19% difference

Jackson has a 19% higher property crime than Fort Smith.

Political Leaning

Jackson

26.3%

vs

Fort Smith

67.6%

Different · 61% difference
🗳️

Jackson leans Democratic while Fort Smith leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

Jackson

9.4%

vs

Fort Smith

6.7%

Different · 29% difference

Jackson has a 29% higher unemployment than Fort Smith.

Median Income

Jackson

$43,238

vs

Fort Smith

$52,692

Different · 18% difference
💰

Fort Smith has a 18% higher median income than Jackson.

Home Values

🏠

Jackson

$108,200

vs

Fort Smith

$168,100

Different · 36% difference

Fort Smith has a 36% higher home values than Jackson.

Education

Jackson

18.4%

vs

Fort Smith

16.9%

Match · 8% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Jackson

14.5%

vs

Fort Smith

61.2%

Different · 76% difference

Fort Smith's demographics is significantly higher than Jackson's — 76% difference.

Cost of Living

Jackson

82.5

vs

Fort Smith

85.9

Match · 4% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Jackson and Fort Smith differ in most key areas.

At a Glance

0

Jackson

vsof 8

0

Fort Smith

Fort Smith leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Jackson leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Fort Smith has a fair market rent (1br) of $714 vs $1,097 in Jackson (54% lower). Fort Smith has a fair market rent (2br) of $937 vs $1,288 in Jackson (37% lower). Jackson scores 83.0 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 90.3 in Fort Smith.

Overall Cost Index

Jackson82.5
Fort Smith85.9

Housing Index

Jackson89.0
Fort Smith87.3

Food Index

Jackson83.0
Fort Smith90.3

Transportation Index

Jackson76.7
Fort Smith75.5

Healthcare Index

Jackson86.4
Fort Smith92.2

Utilities Index

Jackson87.6
Fort Smith91.6

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Jackson$36,279
Fort Smith$37,789

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Jackson$85,750
Fort Smith$89,319

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Jackson$1,097
Fort Smith$714

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Jackson$1,288
Fort Smith$937

Housing Market — Fort Smith leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Fort Smith has a vacancy rate of 9.1% compared to 17.5% in Jackson. Fort Smith has a median home value of $168,100 vs $108,200 in Jackson (36% higher). Fort Smith has a median property tax of $1,118 vs $1,341 in Jackson (20% lower).

Median Home Value

Jackson$108,200
Fort Smith$168,100

Median Rent

Jackson$1,018
Fort Smith$852

Median Property Tax

Jackson$1,341
Fort Smith$1,118

Owner-Occupied

Jackson48.6%
Fort Smith53.0%

Vacancy Rate

Jackson17.5%
Fort Smith9.1%

Single-Family Homes

Jackson68.2%
Fort Smith68.8%

Jobs & Economy — Fort Smith leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Jackson: 71,313 vs Fort Smith: 43,801 for labor force. Fort Smith has a poverty rate of 18.3% compared to 26.8% in Jackson. Fort Smith has a unemployment rate of 6.7% compared to 9.4% in Jackson.

Median Household Income

Jackson$43,238
Fort Smith$52,692

Per Capita Income

Jackson$26,868
Fort Smith$33,991

Poverty Rate

Jackson26.8%
Fort Smith18.3%

Unemployment Rate

Jackson9.4%
Fort Smith6.7%

Labor Force

Jackson71,313
Fort Smith43,801

Mean Commute

Jackson19 min
Fort Smith16 min

Work from Home

Jackson8.1%
Fort Smith7.4%

Private Sector

Jackson79.8%
Fort Smith92.6%

Government Sector

Jackson36.3%
Fort Smith43.8%

Crime & Safety — Fort Smith leads

Source: FBI UCR

Fort Smith has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.66 compared to 2.93 in Jackson. Fort Smith has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 4.67 compared to 11.06 in Jackson. Fort Smith has a violent crime clearance of 73.3% compared to 19.4% in Jackson.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Jackson8.19
Fort Smith8.44

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Jackson45.38
Fort Smith36.84

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Jackson0.47
Fort Smith0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Jackson2.93
Fort Smith0.66

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Jackson4.13
Fort Smith6.87

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Jackson11.06
Fort Smith4.67

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Jackson28.74
Fort Smith29.04

Violent Crime Clearance

Jackson19.4%
Fort Smith73.3%

Property Crime Clearance

Jackson11.4%
Fort Smith11.7%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

JacksonN/A
Fort SmithN/A

Avg Annual High

JacksonN/A
Fort SmithN/A

Avg Annual Low

JacksonN/A
Fort SmithN/A

Sunny Days per Year

JacksonN/A
Fort SmithN/A

Annual Rainfall

JacksonN/A
Fort SmithN/A

Annual Snowfall

JacksonN/A
Fort SmithN/A

Avg Humidity

JacksonN/A
Fort SmithN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Jackson has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.4% compared to 16.9% in Fort Smith. Fort Smith has a high school diploma or higher of 36.1% compared to 34.7% in Jackson.

Public Schools

Jackson0
Fort Smith0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

JacksonN/A
Fort SmithN/A

Colleges & Universities

Jackson0
Fort Smith0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Jackson18.4%
Fort Smith16.9%

High School Diploma or Higher

Jackson34.7%
Fort Smith36.1%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Jackson has a population of 149,827, about 1.7x the size of Fort Smith (89,496). Jackson skews younger with a median age of 34.7 vs 36.6.

Population

Jackson149,827
Fort Smith89,496

Median Age

Jackson35
Fort Smith37

Avg Household Size

Jackson2.3
Fort Smith2.4

Married Population

Jackson26.0%
Fort Smith38.2%

Foreign Born

Jackson1.5%
Fort Smith11.7%

White

Jackson14.5%
Fort Smith61.2%

Black

Jackson81.8%
Fort Smith7.7%

Hispanic

Jackson2.2%
Fort Smith20.0%

Asian

Jackson0.3%
Fort Smith5.7%

Jackson

Fort Smith

Healthcare — Fort Smith leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Fort Smith: 2.5 vs Jackson: 1.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Jackson5
Fort Smith5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Jackson1.5
Fort Smith2.5

With Emergency Services

Jackson4
Fort Smith4

Transportation & Commute — Jackson leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Jackson has a public transit of 0.6% compared to 0.2% in Fort Smith. Jackson has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.1% in Fort Smith. Fort Smith: 16 min vs Jackson: 19 min for mean commute time.

Mean Commute Time

Jackson19 min
Fort Smith16 min

Drive Alone

Jackson75.1%
Fort Smith77.8%

Public Transit

Jackson0.6%
Fort Smith0.2%

Bicycle

Jackson0.2%
Fort Smith0.1%

Work from Home

Jackson8.1%
Fort Smith7.4%

Airports

Jackson0
Fort Smith0

Cities Similar to Jackson, MS

Compare Jackson 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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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