Best Urban Planning Schools Near Fort Smith, AR (2026)

Fort Smith, Arkansas is home to about 89,496 residents. Median household income is $52,692 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area, the top-earning urban planning-related role is Managers, All Other at a median $98,500 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Urban Planning Schools to Fort Smith

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer urban planning programs near Fort Smith, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Fort Smith city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

No school data available.

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Arkansas schools on the Arkansas urban planning page.


Urban Planning Wages Near Fort Smith

Fort Smith is part of the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area (BLS area code 22900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Arkansas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Urban and Regional Planners $63,530 AR statewide $73,958
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health $57,220 AR statewide $66,612
Surveyors $51,800 AR statewide $60,303
Geographers N/A AR statewide
Social and Community Service Managers $55,450 Fort Smith, AR-OK $64,552
Management Analysts $65,170 Fort Smith, AR-OK $75,867
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists N/A AR statewide
Managers, All Other $98,500 Fort Smith, AR-OK $114,668

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Fort Smith at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 89,496 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $52,692 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 25.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 85.9 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Fort Smith-Area Cities With Urban Planning Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

What are the highest-paying urban planning roles near Fort Smith?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying urban planning-related roles near Fort Smith are: Managers, All Other ($98,500), Management Analysts ($65,170), Urban and Regional Planners ($63,530). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Arkansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Van Buren instead of Fort Smith?

Van Buren, AR is 6.9 miles from Fort Smith and has its own set of local urban planning programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Fort Smith an affordable place to study urban planning?

Fort Smith’s median household income of $52,692 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fort Smith while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Arkansas public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Urban Planning Programs

Other Programs Available in Fort Smith

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Fort Smith:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.