U.S. Marshals Museum lays off employees
by June 16, 2025 6:09 pm 4,994 views
The U.S. Marshals Museum recently laid off employees as part of “difficult choices” to respond to a downturn in visitors, according to Benjamin Johnson, museum president and CEO.
Johnson said 2.5 full-time equivalent positions were cut in early June. The museum, located in downtown Fort Smith along the Arkansas River, now has 17 employees, with some of those being part-time and seasonal, he said.
“Like any small business, the museum is at the mercy of a wide variety of economic forces at any given point,” Johnson said in a note to Talk Business & Politics. “Though we’ve seen a great response since opening in July 2023, travel and tourism are down across the country, and we have seen a commensurate dip in traffic so far this year as well. We saw some of this nationally as inflation peaked last year. Though we are in a sound financial position, we always seek to ensure that our expenses keep pace with revenue wherever possible, and sometimes that involves some difficult choices.”
Johnson said he does not expect any more job cuts in 2025. Talk Business & Politics asked for museum visitor numbers through May compared with the same period in 2024, and will update this story when/if the numbers are provided.
The museum opened on July 1, 2023, after 16 years of fundraising, construction and speculation. In January 2007, the U.S. Marshals Service selected Fort Smith as the site for the national museum. The Robbie Westphal family, led by Bennie Westphal and Robin Westphal Clegg, donated the riverfront land for the museum. A ceremonial groundbreaking was held in September 2015.
The museum is a nonprofit that does not receive operating funds from the city, state or federal government.
The museum hosted an estimated 85,000 visitors in 2024 from all 50 states. They also counted visitors from every U.S. territory and from at least a dozen foreign countries. The number of visitors increased by about 20,000 from the previous year.
Statewide 2% tourism tax revenue, a reflection of business and tourism travel, totaled $5.546 million in the first quarter of 2025, down 1.9% compared with the same period in 2024, according to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. March revenue was up 1.36%, and March 2% revenue in Sebastian County was down 16.13% compared with March 2024. The 2% tax set a record in 2024 with annual revenue of $26.66 million.