Fort Smith, Arkansas Job Growth

There were 109,300 jobs in Fort Smith, Arkansas in February 2021 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 114,190 employed persons for the month. Fort Smith lost 700 jobs in February 2021 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment fell by 66 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Fort Smith job growth to job growth in other cities.

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 12,600 jobs have been lost in Fort Smith according to the employer survey. From a trough of 102,700 in April 2020, Fort Smith has gained 6,600 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 124,089 for Fort Smith in December 2007. 9,899 jobs have been lost in Fort Smith since then according to the household survey. From a April 2020 low of 100,996, Fort Smith has added 13,194 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

Fort Smith, Arkansas Employment History