Fort Smith, Arkansas Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Fort Smith fell 0.1 percentage points in January 2023 to 3.3%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage points lower than the Arkansas rate. The unemployment rate in Fort Smith peaked in April 2020 at 10.9% and is now 7.6 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 3.0% in January 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.3 percentage points. You can also compare Fort Smith unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.4% | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| Arkansas | 3.4% | 0.0 | +0.2 |
| Fort Smith | 3.3% | -0.1 | +0.3 |
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 12,897. There are now 9,039 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 3,450 in February 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 408. Fort Smith employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Fort Smith, Arkansas) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Smith | 3,858 | -128 | +348 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Fort Smith, Arkansas Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Arkansas Unemployment Rate |
Fort Smith Unemployment Rate |
Fort Smith Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2023 |
3.6% | — | — | — |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 3,858 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3,986 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 4,111 |
| October 2022 |
3.7% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 4,122 |
| September 2022 |
3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 4,090 |
| August 2022 |
3.7% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3,966 |
| July 2022 |
3.5% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 3,897 |
| June 2022 |
3.6% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3,785 |
| May 2022 |
3.6% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3,656 |
| April 2022 |
3.6% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3,593 |
| March 2022 |
3.6% | 3.1% | 3.0% | 3,470 |
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. ↩
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