72901 ZIP Code — Fort Smith, AR

Sebastian County, Arkansas

ZIP code 72901 is located in Fort Smith, Arkansas, within Sebastian County. It covers approximately 8.74 square miles and serves a population of 20,783 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 479.

About ZIP code 72901

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the 1950s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $112,500. Renters make up the majority at 55%, typical of denser urban areas.

Median household income is $42,361. Poverty affects 24% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 21% of households reflects economic stress in the area.

The dominant occupation class is production, transportation, and material moving, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 16 minutes is near the national average.

College attainment at 19% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Health indicators show elevated rates of smoking (25%) compared to national benchmarks.

Notable community characteristics include disability rates above the national average at 25%.

Overall, ZIP code 72901 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, economic challenges above the national average, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

20,783

population

8.74

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Central (CT)

timezone

72901 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 72901

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 72901. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Fort Smith	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

72919 Fort Smith (0.1 mi) 74901 Arkoma (2.9 mi) 72903 Fort Smith (3.4 mi) 72904 Fort Smith (3.6 mi) 72908 Fort Smith (4.5 mi) 72916 Fort Smith (6.8 mi) 72956 Van Buren (8.6 mi) 74902 Pocola (9.6 mi) 74954 Roland (11.4 mi) 72941 Lavaca (13.1 mi) 72921 Alma (14.1 mi) 74959 Spiro (14.2 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	20,783
Population density	2,378 / sq mi
State FIPS	05
County FIPS	131

Geography
Land area	8.74 sq mi
Water area	0.21 sq mi
Latitude	35.3667
Longitude	-94.4147
Timezone	Central (CT)
Area code	479

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	60.1%	51.9%	50.4%
$50k – $100k	30.0%	29.5%	29.9%
$100k – $200k	8.3%	15.1%	15.7%
Over $200k	1.6%	3.5%	4.0%

Demographics & statistics

20,783

Population

2,378

People per sq mi

36.1

Median age

$42,361

Median household income

$25,275

Per capita income

$112,500

Median home value

$768

Median monthly rent

44.9%

Home ownership

24.2%

Poverty rate

9.5%

Unemployment

5,353

Housing units

19.1%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

753

Under 5

668

617

5–9

548

718

10–14

637

607

15–19

538

887

20–24

787

1,652

25–34

1,466

1,414

35–44

1,254

1,339

45–54

1,188

748

55–59

663

679

60–64

603

1,019

65–74

904

365

75–84

323

215

85+

191

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	4,623	22.2%
18 and over	16,160	77.8%
65 and over	3,017	14.5%
Median age	36.1 years

Race & ethnicity

White 56.3%

Hispanic or Latino 12.3%

Other race 10.6%

Two or more races 8.6%

Black or African American 8.5%

Asian 2.2%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%

Group	Count	%
White	13,334	56.3%
Hispanic or Latino	2,905	12.3%
Other race	2,518	10.6%
Two or more races	2,043	8.6%
Black or African American	2,010	8.5%
Asian	523	2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	213	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	142	0.6%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	60.1%	51.9%	50.4%
$50k – $100k	30.0%	29.5%	29.9%
$100k – $200k	8.3%	15.1%	15.7%
Over $200k	1.6%	3.5%	4.0%

Under $10k 5.1%

$10k–$15k 8.6%

$15k–$25k 11.9%

$25k–$35k 18.6%

$35k–$50k 13.4%

$50k–$75k 16.9%

$75k–$100k 11.2%

$100k–$150k 8.3%

$150k–$200k 3.6%

$200k+ 2.5%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	5.1%
$10k–$15k	8.6%
$15k–$25k	11.9%
$25k–$35k	18.6%
$35k–$50k	13.4%
$50k–$75k	16.9%
$75k–$100k	11.2%
$100k–$150k	8.3%
$150k–$200k	3.6%
$200k+	2.5%
Median income	$42,361

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 10.4%

$50k–$100k 31.4%

$100k–$150k 26.4%

$150k–$200k 13.9%

$200k–$300k 10.0%

$300k–$500k 3.7%

$500k–$1M 3.6%

$1M+ 0.6%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$112,500
Median rent / month	$768
Owner occupied	44.9%
Renter occupied	55.1%
Vacant	13.6%
Single-family detached	63.0%
Large apartment buildings	6.0%
Mobile homes	1.8%
Median rooms	5.1
Avg household size (owned)	2.38

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.3%
2010–2019	5.2%
2000–2009	3.0%
1990–1999	5.1%
1980–1989	8.1%
1970–1979	11.8%
1960–1969	11.3%
1950–1959	20.6%
1940–1949	17.6%
1939 or earlier	17.0%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	4.5%
1 bedroom	16.2%
2 bedrooms	36.7%
3 bedrooms	29.8%
4 bedrooms	10.4%
5+ bedrooms	2.5%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	11.4%
1 vehicle	40.1%
2 vehicles	33.1%
3 or more	15.4%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	45.5%
Electricity	51.9%
Propane / LP gas	1.0%
Fuel oil	0.3%
Wood	0.9%
No fuel used	0.3%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	2,853	32.3%
Cohabiting couple	1,293	14.7%
Male householder, no spouse	2,196	24.9%
Female householder, no spouse	2,482	28.1%
Households with children under 18	2,757	31.2%
Households with seniors (65+)	2,280	25.8%
Average household size	2.31

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	39.6%	30.0%
Married	36.1%	39.2%
Separated	2.7%	2.5%
Widowed	4.5%	8.9%
Divorced	17.1%	19.3%

Education

Less than 9th grade 7.0%

Some HS, no diploma 13.0%

HS graduate 32.0%

Some college, no degree 23.8%

Associate's degree 5.0%

Bachelor's degree 13.1%

Graduate / professional 6.1%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	80.0%
Bachelor's or higher	19.1%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	251	5.9%
Kindergarten	277	6.6%
Elementary school	1,997	47.2%
High school	798	18.9%
College / grad school	906	21.4%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 20.6%

Manufacturing 17.2%

Arts, food & hospitality 11.9%

Retail trade 11.1%

Professional & management 9.8%

Construction 6.7%

Other services 5.7%

Transportation & utilities 5.0%

Finance & real estate 3.9%

Public administration 2.9%

Wholesale trade 2.8%

Agriculture & mining 1.7%

Information 0.7%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	24.7%
Service	21.7%
Sales & office	18.8%
Natural resources & construction	7.7%
Production & transportation	27.1%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	86.8%
Government	7.4%
Self-employed	5.7%
Unpaid family workers	0.1%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	78.2%
Carpool	9.9%
Public transit	0.5%
Walk	2.9%
Work from home	5.8%
Other means	2.8%
Avg commute (minutes)	15.9

Poverty

All people 24.2%

Under 18 years 28.6%

18 and over 23.0%

Married-couple families 9.0%

Female-led households 45.9%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	29.2%
Retirement income	20.1%
Supplemental Security	8.9%
Cash public assistance	2.2%
Food stamps / SNAP	21.4%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	38.2%
High blood pressure	38.9%
High cholesterol	36.3%
Diabetes	12.3%
Heart disease	7.4%
Stroke	3.6%
Asthma	10.9%
Arthritis	24.9%
Kidney disease	3.2%
Pulmonary disease	9.2%
Cancer	5.7%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	24.9%
Binge drinking	14.5%
No physical activity	32.2%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	36.3%
Depression	26.5%
Fair or poor health	22.8%
Poor mental health	18.2%
Poor physical health	14.1%
No health insurance	19.6%
Visited doctor (checkup)	74.8%
Visited dentist	51.5%
Cholesterol screening	84.1%
Teeth loss	20.6%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	1,137	7.0%

Disability	%
Any disability	24.8%
Under 18	8.0%
18–64 years	27.4%
65 and over	39.1%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	44.1%
Public insurance	49.8%
No insurance	14.2%
Uninsured under 19	8.2%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	19,362	93.2%
Spanish	1,288	6.7%
Other Indo-European	1,136	5.9%
Asian & Pacific Islander	9	0.0%
Other languages	124	0.6%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	18,928	91.1%
Born in same state	18,769	90.3%
Born in different state	11,116	53.5%
Foreign born	159	0.8%
Naturalized citizen	1,855	8.9%
Not a US citizen	727	39.2%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
French	1,993	9.6%
Italian	1,954	9.4%
Arab	1,020	4.9%
Polish	72	0.3%

Ancestry	Count	%
English	69	0.3%
German	39	0.2%
Dutch	21	0.1%
Irish	18	0.1%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	42.5%
Internet access	90.9%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 72901

What city is ZIP code 72901 in?

ZIP code 72901 is primarily assigned to Fort Smith, Arkansas.

What county is ZIP code 72901 in?

ZIP code 72901 falls within Sebastian County, Arkansas.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 72901?

24% of residents in ZIP code 72901 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

Is ZIP code 72901 mostly rentals?

55% of occupied units in ZIP code 72901 are renter-occupied.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 72901?

The median home value in ZIP code 72901 is $112,500.

What is the median household income in ZIP code 72901?

The median household income in ZIP code 72901 is $42,361, below the national median of ~$75,000.

What timezone is ZIP code 72901 in?

ZIP code 72901 observes the CST timezone.