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Census Tract · Ranked #8,912 of 84,120 nationally

Fort Smith Eviction Risk: Elevated

Tract 05131001001 · Sebastian County, AR · pop 4,403

Tract 05131001001 covers Fort Smith in Arkansas. Home to 4,403 residents, it scores 4.2/10 on landlord eviction risk. On the national scale it ranks #70,223 of 84,120 for landlord eviction difficulty.

About 42% of renters carry a rent burden of 30% of income or higher, a severe level, and 26% are severely burdened at 50% or more. The typical renter pays about $867 a month while the average household earns $37,444 a year, roughly 28% of income at the averages. About 63% of occupied units are renter-occupied, a renter-majority tract.

Risk score
6.3
Elevated
Confidence 85% · 1–10 scale
Household mix · 100 hh
Burdened renters 27% Stable renters 37% Owners 36%
Tract context
Occupied units2,100
Renter share63.5%
SVI overall0.85
Poverty rate27.1%
Median income$37,444

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.
Within parent city
77 th percentile
Rank, 77th percentileLowHigh
#6 of 23 tracts In Fort Smith
High
Within county
83 th percentile
Rank, 83rd percentileLowHigh
#6 of 31 tracts In Sebastian County
High
Within state
89 th percentile
Rank, 89th percentileLowHigh
#88 of 823 tracts In Arkansas
High
National
89 th percentile
Rank, 89th percentileLowHigh
#8,912 of 84,120 tracts In U.S.
High
Geographic context

Risk heat across Fort Smith and the region

Centroid at 35.3641, -94.4128 · click any tract to drill in

Why Fort Smith scores 6.3

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
27.1% poverty · this tract
6.8
Supply constraint
$867 rent vs county FMR
4.5
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.
Fort Smith risk score vs. parent city / county / stateThis tract: 6.36.3This tracttract 001001Fort Smith: 2.42.4Fort Smithparent cityCounty: 4.94.9Countyavg tract in countyState: 4.74.7Stateavg tract in state
CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 85

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

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.

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Fort Smith

The score leans hardest on economic stress at 6.8/10. 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 about the same as the Sebastian County average of 4.0 and in line with the Arkansas statewide average of 4.1. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.

The tract is predominantly White and ranks around the 85th 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.

In CDC survey modeling, about 17.2% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 13.3% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.

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

Frequently asked

About tract 05131001001

Q1

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 05131001001?

Census tract 05131001001 in Fort Smith scores 6.3/10 (Elevated tier). The Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty signals.
Q2

What is the average rent in tract 05131001001?

Median gross rent is $867/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 42% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q3

What is the poverty rate in tract 05131001001?

27.1% of residents in tract 05131001001 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 4,403.
Q4

How socially vulnerable is tract 05131001001?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 85th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 81th, household 80th, minority 46th, housing 87th.
Q5

What share of households in tract 05131001001 struggle to pay rent?

About 17.2% 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. 13.3% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.
Q6

How does tract 05131001001 compare to Fort Smith overall?

Tract 05131001001 scores 6.3/10, 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.

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