Department of Numbers

Fort Smith, Arkansas Job Growth

There were 115,100 jobs in Fort Smith, Arkansas in September 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 115,529 employed persons for the month. Fort Smith lost 300 jobs in September 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment fell by 77 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Fort Smith job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey September 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 115,100 -300 +800
CPS 115,529 -77 +1,338

Note: The CPS survey data is now seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level by with the new BLS SSA series.

Fort Smith, Arkansas Employment Changes

The charts below show the monthly job growth for Fort Smith as measured by the CES and CPS surveys. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green.

CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

Total Employment for Fort Smith, Arkansas

CES employment for Fort Smith peaked in November 2007 at 121,900. Since then 6,800 jobs have been lost in Fort Smith according to the employer survey. From a trough of 103,200 in April 2020, Fort Smith has gained 11,900 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 122,797 for Fort Smith in December 2007. 7,268 jobs have been lost in Fort Smith since then according to the household survey. From a April 2020 low of 104,386, Fort Smith has added 11,143 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through September 2023

Fort Smith, Arkansas Employment History

Date CES
Employment
CES
Month/Month
CPS
Employment
CPS
Month/Month
September 2023 115,100 -300 115,529 -77
August 2023 115,400 700 115,606 -53
July 2023 114,700 -600 115,659 -69
June 2023 115,300 -100 115,728 -28
May 2023 115,400 -200 115,756 59
April 2023 115,600 300 115,697 214
March 2023 115,300 -200 115,483 252
February 2023 115,500 100 115,231 371
January 2023 115,400 0 114,860 329
December 2022 115,400 600 114,531 18
November 2022 114,800 100 114,513 96
October 2022 114,700 400 114,417 226