Education and Health Services jobs 60% of Fort Smith metro job growth

The Education and Health Services sector continues to drive job growth in the Fort Smith metro, accounting for roughly 60% of the region’s year-over-year job gains in April, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The Fort Smith metro had an estimated 99,199 jobs in April, up 1,345 jobs, or 1.8%, compared with April 2024. Regional employment remains below the peak of 104,228 in June 2008. The metro had 3,227 unemployed, up 3.5% from 3,118 in April 2024. The April numbers are preliminary and subject to revision.

Education and Health Services jobs totaled 17,700 in April, up 4.7% compared with 16,900 in April 2024, and was a new record for the sector. The initial March employment in the sector of 17,700 was revised down to 17,600. The year-over-year gain of 800 jobs is 60% of the region’s total estimated gain of 1,345.

The region’s Mining, Logging, Construction sector continues to hover around 5,000 jobs, with an estimated 5,100 jobs in April, unchanged compared with April 2024. The sector reached a record of 7,400 jobs in August 2008 when the Fort Smith metro was a staging area for some of the real and anticipated Fayetteville Shale Play natural gas drilling and production in north central Arkansas. Employment in the sector would fall below 6,000 in 2012, and has in recent years stabilized around 5,000 jobs.

The metro unemployment rate was 3.2% in April, just above the 3.1% in April 2024. Arkansas’ jobless rate in April was 3.7%, up from 3.4% in April 2024. All seven metro areas in or connected to Arkansas posted job gains in April. Unemployment rates were higher in April than a year earlier in 286 of the 387 metro areas, lower in 72 areas, and unchanged in 29, according to the BLS report.

The 2025 numbers reflect significant revisions to the data and counties included in the estimates. McDonald County, Mo., was removed from the Northwest Arkansas metro, LeFlore County, Okla., was removed from the Fort Smith metro, and Pine Bluff is no longer reported as a metropolitan statistical area.

Following are details on the Fort Smith region’s top job categories.
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
April 2025: 21,900
April 2024: 21,800
The sector posted record employment of 22,700 in November 2022.

Manufacturing
April 2025: 17,800
April 2024: 17,800
The sector posted record employment of 29,200 in June 1999.

Education and Health Services
April 2025: 17,700
April 2024: 16,900
The sector posted record employment in the April report.

Government
April 2025: 12,700
April 2024: 12,800
The sector posted record employment of 15,000 in March 2020.

Professional and Business Services
April 2025: 11,000
April 2024: 10,800
The sector posted record employment of 12,700 in April 2017.

Leisure and Hospitality (tourism)
April 2025: 9,200
April 2024: 9,200
The sector posted record employment of 9,500 in June 2023.

Mining, Logging, Construction
April 2025: 5,100
April 2024: 5,100
The sector first posted record employment of 7,400 in August 2008.