Fort Smith at a glance
- Population: roughly 89,770 people; 3rd of 500 places in Arkansas (Census Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate).
- 2020 Census base: the 2020 count put the population at 89,141 (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: an increase of about 0.7% since the 2020 count (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Arkansas places: 3rd of 500 by population (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- Size percentile: it is larger than about 99% of the places in Arkansas (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: latitude 35.3493, longitude -94.3709 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities (within 120 miles): Fayetteville, AR (51 mi); Broken Arrow, OK (92 mi); Tulsa, OK (101 mi) (US Census Bureau populations).
- Smaller towns nearby: Arkoma, OK (5 mi); Barling, AR (6 mi); Moffett, OK (6 mi) (US Census Bureau).
What a personal loan costs in Fort Smith
With an installment loan the payment is fixed for the life of the loan, so the schedule is predictable from the first month to the last.
The advertised interest rate leaves out fees that the APR captures, which is why APR is the number to weigh; try the personal loan calculator before you apply.
Lenders weigh your credit history, income and debts when they set the rate, and the term you choose then determines how that rate compounds into total cost.
Work out the payment you can comfortably carry each month first, then borrow no more than that figure supports.
Arkansas lending rules that apply in Fort Smith
Every figure in the table below is sourced to a publisher with a date; where a state does not publish a number, we say so rather than estimate.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 17% per annum for loans not made by or to governmental units or by federally insured depository institutions (Amendment 89, effective January 1, 2011) Source says: "shall not exceed seventeen percent (17%) per annum". | Arkansas Legislature — Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 89, § 3 (proposed by H.J.R. 1004 of 2009) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Not permitted — all storefront payday lending eliminated; the Attorney General has worked to eliminate all forms of payday lending since 2008 Source says: "the Attorney General's office has worked to eliminate all forms of payday lending in Arkansas"; "all storefront payday loan operations in Arkansas have been shut down". | Arkansas Attorney General — Consumer Protection Division as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | See the latest published figure value_text left null: the State Bank Department does not publish a consumer small-loan license rate schedule that could be verified; storefront payday lending has been eliminated (see Payday lending status). See the linked regulator page for the licensee categories it supervises. | Arkansas State Bank Department as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | Arkansas State Bank Department Source says: "The Department is charged with regulating state-chartered commercial banks with main offices in Arkansas". | Arkansas State Bank Department as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Fort Smith
The steps below are worth completing first when you borrow in Fort Smith:
- Pull your free credit reports and dispute any error — it is the cheapest way to improve the rate you are offered.
- Run your figures through the personal loan calculator on this site so you know the payment before a lender quotes one.
- Pre-qualify with at least three lenders and compare the APR, not the interest rate.
- Check that the lender is licensed in Arkansas using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.