Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Sebastian County index 1975–2025
Sebastian County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Sebastian County's FHFA index, with the national index rebased to the same start.
Census Bureau notes: building permit figures cover new privately owned housing units authorised by permit-issuing places; permits do not mean the units were started or completed, and places that report less often than monthly are imputed in monthly totals. FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties.
In the 12 months to August 2026, building permits in Fort Smith, Arkansas, covered 356 housing units (−3.3% year on year); the place lies in Sebastian County.
114 of those units were single-family houses (32%), 146 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 96 in buildings of five or more units. That is 3.9 units per 1,000 residents, close to the county's 3.5 and below the state's 4.7.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 11,056 units, with the busiest year 1995 (710 units). Sebastian County's FHFA house price index rose +80.8% over the ten years to 2025.
356units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−3.3% on the previous 12 months
114single-family units32% of the total
96units in 5+ unit buildings27% of the total
3.9units per 1,000 residentsSebastian County 3.5 · Arkansas 4.7
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Fort Smith by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Fort Smith
Sebastian County
Arkansas
United States
All housing units
356
456
14,741
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
114 (32%)
160 (35%)
9,600 (65%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
146
182
724
34,814
3–4 units
0
0
233
17,298
5 or more units
96 (27%)
114 (25%)
4,184 (28%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
3.9
3.5
4.7
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−3.3%
−4.2%
−4.3%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Fort Smith by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
11,056 units since 1995; the busiest year was 1995. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Sebastian County
FHFA's index for Sebastian County rose +80.8% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.1% a year) and +5.9% in the latest year, against +78.6% and +3.4% for Arkansas. Full county page: decade table, peak-to-low declines, every ZIP code and every permit-issuing place in the county.
Questions and answers
How many homes are being built in Fort Smith, AR?
356 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 368 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Fort Smith?
114 single-family units, 146 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 96 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Fort Smith compare with its county and state?
3.9 units per 1,000 residents in Fort Smith, 3.5 in Sebastian County and 4.7 in Arkansas.
How have home prices moved in Sebastian County?
FHFA's index for Sebastian County rose +80.8% over the ten years to 2025 and +5.9% in the latest year; the county page has the full series.
What does a permit count?
A housing unit authorised by a building permit for new privately owned residential construction, as reported to the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey by the permit-issuing office. Permits are not completions; some permitted units are never built, and places that report only annually are imputed in monthly figures.
Provenance
Permits: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, place-level monthly and annual files through August 2026 (permit office 181000); county and state comparisons from the county and state files. Population: Census Bureau vintage 2025 estimates for incorporated places, matched on FIPS place code where the permit office is one. House price index: Federal Housing Finance Agency. Public domain. Corrections · Building Permits Survey.