Neighborhood · Ranked #28,017 of 84,120 nationally

South Fort Smith Eviction Risk: Moderate

Tract 05131001201 · Sebastian County, AR · pop 4,589 · neighborhood within 1.2 mi

The South Fort Smith area of Fort Smith anchors census tract 05131001201, which lands at 3.5/10 on landlord eviction risk. That is riskier than about 6% of US census tracts.

Rent eats 30% or more of income for 34% of renter households, a high level, and 19% are severely burdened at 50% or more. The typical renter pays about $796 a month while the average household earns $58,258 a year, roughly 16% of income at the averages. Renters make up 38% of occupied homes.

Risk score

4.8

Moderate

Confidence 85% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 13% Stable renters 25% Owners 62%

Tract context

Occupied units1,472

Renter share38.2%

SVI overall0.68

Poverty rate12.7%

Median income$58,258

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Fort Smith and the region

Centroid at 35.3444, -94.4144 · click any tract to drill in

Why South Fort Smith scores 4.8

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

12.7% poverty · this tract

3.2

Supply constraint

$796 rent vs county FMR

3.7

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 South Fort Smith compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 68

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

48%Socioeconomic
77%Household composition
37%Racial/ethnic minority
83%Housing & transportation

Comparable tracts

Census tracts with similar eviction risk

Within South Fort Smith. 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.

11.6%Housing insecurity
8.4%Utility-shutoff threat
14.1%Food insecurity
8.0%SNAP enrollment
8.1%Transit barriers
10.1%No health insurance
18.1%Frequent mental distress
35.1%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in South Fort Smith

What moves this score most is supply constraint at 3.7/10. 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 below the Sebastian County average of 4.0 and below the Arkansas statewide average of 4.1. Within its own county it reads on the safer side for landlords.

The tract is predominantly White and ranks around the 68th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, a measure of how exposed residents are to housing and economic shocks. That is a middle-of-the-pack reading for social vulnerability.

In CDC survey modeling, about 11.6% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 8.4% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.

For a landlord, this is among the easier places to operate: faster process, lighter tenant-protection overhead, and shorter typical cases.

Frequently asked

About tract 05131001201

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 05131001201?

Census tract 05131001201 in the South Fort Smith neighborhood scores 4.8/10 (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 05131001201?

Median gross rent is $796/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 34% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 05131001201?

12.7% of residents in tract 05131001201 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 4,589.

How socially vulnerable is tract 05131001201?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 68th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 48th, household 77th, minority 37th, housing 83th.

Is tract 05131001201 considered part of South Fort Smith?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 05131001201 fall within South Fort Smith (neighborhood centroid within 1.2 miles, OSM data).

What share of households in tract 05131001201 struggle to pay rent?

About 11.6% 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. 8.4% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 05131001201 compare to Fort Smith overall?

Tract 05131001201 scores 4.8/10, 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.