Medical Assistants salary in Fort Smith, AR
Median pay for medical assistants in Fort Smith, AR: $33,440/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $30,020 – $40,820 · about 420 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($39,165) by −$5,725 (-15%).
What it's really worth in Fort Smith
With Fort Smith's cost of living at 85 (US=100), that $33,440 has the buying power of about $39,198 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $53,224 · median home $205,554 · median rent $1,021/mo.
How Fort Smith ranks for this job
On raw pay, Fort Smith, AR is 178th of the 186 metros we hold medical assistants wages for. Once Fort Smith's cost of living is applied, it ranks 140th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Fort Smith is one of the places where medical assistants gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Fort Smith
A median home in Fort Smith, AR costs $205,554 — about 6.1× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,021/mo works out at 37% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where medical assistants earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Fort Smith.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Fort Smith | Rent vs Fort Smith |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | $74,750 | +124% | 2.4× |
| San Jose, CA | $60,500 | +81% | 3.6× |
| San Francisco, CA | $59,770 | +79% | 3.2× |
| Sacramento, CA | $59,520 | +78% | 2.2× |
Same job elsewhere in AR
| Metro | Median pay | vs Fort Smith | Rent vs Fort Smith |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville, AR | $36,050 | +8% | 1.6× |
| Little Rock, AR | $34,780 | +4% | 1.2× |
Staying in AR keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires medical assistants around Fort Smith
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Mercy Hospital Fort Smith · Healthcare
- Sparks Health System · Healthcare
- Fort Smith School District · Education
Other jobs in Fort Smith
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.