Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a teaching assistant make in Fort Smith, AR?

In the Fort Smith, AR-OK metropolitan area, teaching assistants earned a median of $29,370 a year in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 870 of these jobs there. That is 26% below the $39,560 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $23,180 and $39,560; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Arkansas tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $25,179 in take-home pay.

Teaching assistant pay in Fort Smith, AR at a glance

Median salary

$29,370$2,448 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$23,180—
25th percentile$25,070—
75th percentile$34,470—
90th percentile$39,560—
Jobs in this metro870Location quotient 0.99 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here26% belowAll-jobs median $39,560
Against Arkansas2% aboveStatewide median $28,790
Against the U.S.20% belowNational median $36,780

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Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Teaching assistant salary in Fort Smith, AR after taxes

$29,370
$15,000$60,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$29,370
Net 86%
Fed 5%
AR 2%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$25,179After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,098Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$968Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate14.3%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$1,344 / yr
Arkansas state income tax$600 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,247 / yr

Teaching assistants pay range in Fort Smith, AR, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Fort Smith, AR-OK metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What teaching assistants earned in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (AR)
10th percentile—$1,932$23,180$20,312
25th percentile—$2,089$25,070$21,804
MedianMedian—$2,448$29,370$25,179
75th percentile—$2,873$34,470$29,078
90th percentile—$3,297$39,560$32,969

Is $29,370 a good salary in Fort Smith, AR?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for teaching assistants next to both.

Median household income$58,468Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)85.914.1% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household50.2%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Teaching assistant pay in Fort Smith, AR: common questions

What is the median salary for teaching assistants in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

The BLS median annual wage for teaching assistants in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area was $29,370 in May 2025, about $2,448 a month. Statewide, the Arkansas median for this job is $28,790, so the metro pays 2% above the state.

Is there an hourly rate for teaching assistants in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

BLS publishes pay for this job as an annual salary only, because the hours worked in a year vary too much to state a meaningful hourly rate.

How many teaching assistants work in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

BLS estimated 870 jobs for teaching assistants in the metro in May 2025, or 9.1 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.99 means the job is about as common here as in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for teaching assistants in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

BLS wage estimates for teaching assistants in Fort Smith, AR-OK run from $23,180 at the 10th percentile to $25,070 at the 25th, $34,470 at the 75th, and $39,560 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do teaching assistants take home after taxes in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

On a median gross salary of $29,370, an estimated $25,179 lands in net take-home pay per year ($968 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Arkansas in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $4,191 (an effective rate of 14.3%).

How much do teaching assistants make per month in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

On the median annual salary of $29,370, gross monthly income is $2,448. After federal, FICA, and Arkansas state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,098 per month (or $968 every two weeks).

Is $29,370 a good salary in Fort Smith, AR-OK?

At $29,370, the median salary for teaching assistants is 50.2% of the Fort Smith, AR-OK median household income ($58,468). It is 26% below the $39,560 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 85.9, so prices here run 14.1% below the U.S. average.