Census Tract · Ranked #18,240 of 84,120 nationally

Fort Smith Eviction Risk: Moderate

Tract 05131000502 · Sebastian County, AR · pop 2,761

Eviction risk in Fort Smith eviction risk centers on tract 05131000502, which scores 4.2/10 (Moderate tier) and is home to 2,761 residents. It lands near the 17th percentile nationally for landlord eviction risk.

Rent eats 30% or more of income for 48% of renter households, a severe level, and 17% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average rent runs $865 a month against an average household income of $50,333 a year, roughly 21% of income at the averages. About 41% of occupied units are renter-occupied.

Risk score

5.5

Moderate

Confidence 85% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 20% Stable renters 21% Owners 59%

Tract context

Occupied units1,006

Renter share41.0%

SVI overall0.84

Poverty rate21.1%

Median income$50,333

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Fort Smith and the region

Centroid at 35.3945, -94.3752 · click any tract to drill in

Why Fort Smith scores 5.5

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

21.1% poverty · this tract

5.3

Supply constraint

$865 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.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 84

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

89%Socioeconomic
100%Household composition
79%Racial/ethnic minority
16%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.

23.1%Housing insecurity
16.5%Utility-shutoff threat
32.7%Food insecurity
21.6%SNAP enrollment
15.7%Transit barriers
22.5%No health insurance
20.4%Frequent mental distress
44.4%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Fort Smith

The heaviest input here is economic stress at 5.3/10. 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.

In CDC survey modeling, about 23.1% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 16.5% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.

The tract is Hispanic or Latino and White and ranks around the 84th 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 05131000502

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 05131000502?

Census tract 05131000502 in Fort Smith scores 5.5/10 (Moderate 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 05131000502?

Median gross rent is $865/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 48% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 05131000502?

21.1% of residents in tract 05131000502 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 2,761.

How socially vulnerable is tract 05131000502?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 84th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 89th, household 100th, minority 79th, housing 16th.

What share of households in tract 05131000502 struggle to pay rent?

About 23.1% 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. 16.5% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 05131000502 compare to Fort Smith overall?

Tract 05131000502 scores 5.5/10, 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.