Fort Smith, Arkansas Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Fort Smith fell 0.2 percentage points in May 2021 to 4.7%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.3 percentage points higher than the Arkansas rate. The unemployment rate in Fort Smith peaked in April 2020 at 11.2% and is now 6.5 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 4.6% in January 2021, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.1 percentage points. You can also compare Fort Smith unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | May 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 5.8% | -0.3 | -7.5 |
| Arkansas | 4.4% | 0.0 | -4.1 |
| Fort Smith | 4.7% | -0.2 | -5.5 |
Unemployment Rate: Fort Smith, Arkansas, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Fort Smith, Arkansas Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Fort Smith peaked in April 2020 at 13,238. There are now 7,623 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 5,490 in January 2021, the number of unemployed has now grown by 125. Fort Smith employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Fort Smith, Arkansas) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | May 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Smith | 5,615 | -252 | -6,535 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Fort Smith, Arkansas Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Arkansas Unemployment Rate |
Fort Smith Unemployment Rate |
Fort Smith Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2021 |
5.9% | — | — | — |
| May 2021 |
5.8% | 4.4% | 4.7% | 5,615 |
| April 2021 |
6.1% | 4.4% | 4.9% | 5,867 |
| March 2021 |
6.0% | 4.4% | 5.1% | 6,133 |
| February 2021 |
6.2% | 4.5% | 5.3% | 6,304 |
| January 2021 |
6.3% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 5,490 |
| December 2020 |
6.7% | 4.9% | 4.7% | 5,647 |
| November 2020 |
6.7% | 5.3% | 5.0% | 5,878 |
| October 2020 |
6.9% | 5.6% | 5.3% | 6,194 |
| September 2020 |
7.8% | 5.9% | 5.6% | 6,588 |
| August 2020 |
8.4% | 6.5% | 6.1% | 7,135 |
| July 2020 |
10.2% | 7.1% | 6.8% | 7,930 |
1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers. ↩
Department of Numbers
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