Census Tract · Ranked #7,456 of 84,120 nationally

Fort Smith Eviction Risk: Elevated

Tract 05131000400 · Sebastian County, AR · pop 3,097

Census tract 05131000400 covers Fort Smith in Sebastian County, home to 3,097 residents. For landlords it grades 4.8/10, a moderate reading. On the national scale it ranks #56,306 of 84,120 for landlord eviction difficulty.

53% of renter households here spend at least 30% of income on rent, a severe level, and 42% are severely burdened at 50% or more. The typical renter pays about $931 a month while the average household earns $29,842 a year, roughly 37% of income at the averages. Renters make up 54% of occupied homes, a renter-majority tract.

Risk score

6.5

Elevated

Confidence 85% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 29% Stable renters 26% Owners 45%

Tract context

Occupied units1,268

Renter share54.1%

SVI overall0.96

Poverty rate35.5%

Median income$29,842

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Fort Smith and the region

Centroid at 35.3932, -94.4057 · click any tract to drill in

Why Fort Smith scores 6.5

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly

Local political climate

Inherited from Fort Smith

3.0

Regional political climate

2024 county presidential margin

3.2

State political climate

Arkansas legislature & governorship

1.5

Economic stress

35.5% poverty · this tract

8.9

Supply constraint

$931 rent vs county FMR

5.2

Rent control risk

Inherited from Fort Smith

1.0

Eviction process difficulty

State law sets the calendar

2.0

Tenant organizing strength

Inherited from Fort Smith

2.0

Housing court bias

Inherited from Fort Smith

1.5

How Fort Smith compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 96

CDC/ATSDR 2022. Higher = more vulnerable. National percentile across 84k tracts.

100%Socioeconomic
93%Household composition
79%Racial/ethnic minority
60%Housing & transportation

Comparable tracts

Census tracts with similar eviction risk

Closest by Eviction Risk Score.

CDC PLACES 2023 · health & economic stress

Eviction-adjacent indicators

Crude prevalence of conditions linked to housing loss. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh), 2023 model-based small-area estimates.

32.3%Housing insecurity
23.8%Utility-shutoff threat
45.6%Food insecurity
34.1%SNAP enrollment
22.2%Transit barriers
30.7%No health insurance
23.6%Frequent mental distress
51.0%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Fort Smith

The heaviest input here is economic stress at 8.9/10. That part is specific to this tract, computed from its own rent, income, and poverty figures. Statewide and court-level factors such as eviction-process speed and rent-control exposure are inherited from Fort Smith eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.

Set against its neighbors, this tract scores above the Sebastian County average of 4.0 and above the Arkansas statewide average of 4.1. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.

In CDC survey modeling, about 32.3% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 23.8% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.

The tract is Hispanic or Latino and White and ranks around the 96th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, a measure of how exposed residents are to housing and economic shocks. High vulnerability tends to track with higher eviction-filing rates when rents climb.

For a landlord, conditions here are middle-of-the-road. Standard screening and prompt, documented notices usually keep cases short.

Frequently asked

About tract 05131000400

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 05131000400?

Census tract 05131000400 in Fort Smith scores 6.5/10 (Elevated tier). The Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty signals.

What is the average rent in tract 05131000400?

Median gross rent is $931/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 53% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 05131000400?

35.5% of residents in tract 05131000400 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 3,097.

How socially vulnerable is tract 05131000400?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 96th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 100th, household 93th, minority 79th, housing 60th.

What share of households in tract 05131000400 struggle to pay rent?

About 32.3% of adults in this tract reported housing insecurity (could not pay rent or mortgage in the past 12 months), per the CDC PLACES 2023 model-based small-area estimate. 23.8% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 05131000400 compare to Fort Smith overall?

Tract 05131000400 scores 6.5/10, higher than the parent city of Fort Smith at 2.4/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Fort Smith eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.

Sibling tracts

Highest-risk tracts in Fort Smith

Top eight tracts in Fort Smith ranked by composite eviction-risk score.