Beauty and personal care · Metro area · Arkansas
Barbershops in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area
How the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for barbershops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #336 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Arkansas
- Listings
- 49
- 14 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $72M
- On personal care products and services · $791 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.4
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 234,140
- +3.1% since 2020
See the barbershops around any address in the Fort Smith metro area
The site report maps the barbershops on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Fort Smith metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
The Fort Smith metro area scores 29 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for barbershops, ranking #336 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 49 barbershops in the Fort Smith metro area. Of those, 14 are chain locations, or 29%, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 5.4 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 5.3.
Households in the Fort Smith metro area spend about $72M a year on personal care products and services, or $791 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.5M per shop, 22% below the U.S. figure of $1.9M. That spending covers all personal care products and services, which barbershops share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in the Fort Smith metro area was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 15,165 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $50K have gone to businesses classed as barber shops in the Fort Smith metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Fort Smith metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.1%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Fort Smith metro area compares
The same measures for Arkansas and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all personal care products and services by the barbershops counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Fort Smith metro area | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $1.6M | $1.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 15,165 | 33,500 | 16,589 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +56.5% | +28.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.1% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $791 | $815 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $58,468 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6
- Employees, 2023
- 23
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $619K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 77Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4914 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 38The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as barber shops in the Fort Smith metro area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Fort Smith metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 234,140+3.1% since 2020
- Households
- 90,992
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,800 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 128
- Median household income
- $58,468
- Average household income
- $82,344
- Median home value
- $171,200
- Jobs located here
- 98,120
- Daytime population
- 234,865Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fort Smith metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the barbershops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Fort Smith metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardBarbershops across Arkansas
Every Arkansas market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Arkansas for barbershops, numbered among those based in Arkansas (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Fort Smith metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Arkansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | 53 | 99 | 4.6 | $2.1M | +13.1% | #166 of 387 |
| 2Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | 47 | 211 | 6.8 | $1.3M | +3.8% | #230 of 387 |
| 3Jonesboro, AR | 38 | 24 | 4.5 | $1.8M | +3.6% | #296 of 387 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 37 | 326 | 6.2 | $1.4M | −0.3% | #301 of 387 |
| 4Fort Smith, AR-OK | 29 | 49 | 5.4 | $1.5M | +3.1% | #336 of 387 |
| 5Hot Springs, AR | 10 | 29 | 6.6 | $1.2M | −0.6% | #382 of 387 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | 8 | 41 | 7.3 | $1.1M | −0.4% | #385 of 387 |
Other business types in the Fort Smith metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
- Salons, barbers and spas34
- Hair salons35
- Barbershops29
- Nail salons32
- Spas and skin care34
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many barbershops are in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area?
There are 49 barbershops on map listings in the Fort Smith metro area as of September 2026. 14 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count barbershops. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in 2023. Official counts also show 77 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area spend on personal care products and services?
About $72M a year, or $791 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 49 barbershops on map listings, it comes to $1.5M per shop. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only barbershops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 90,992 households in the Fort Smith metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area compare with the U.S. for barbershops?
The Fort Smith metro area has 5.4 barbershops per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 5.3. Spending per shop is $1.5M, 22% below the U.S. figure of $1.9M. At the national ratio of barbershops to household spending, the Fort Smith metro area would have about 38, against 49 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 15,165 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S.
How fast is the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Fort Smith metro area at 234,140 people in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 90,992 households. Median household income in the Fort Smith metro area is $58,468, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Fort Smith metro area scores 29 for barbershops (lower middle), #336 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fort Smith metro area. It maps the barbershops on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for barbershops · All 56 business types in the Fort Smith metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fort Smith metro area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Fort Smith metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.