State Ledger
State profile

Arkansas FIPS 05

Population
3,006,309
Median household income
$52,123
Nonfarm employment
1,343,200
Business establishments
70,452

Every figure above traces to a primary source · view data sources & methodology

State Highlights

Largest employer sector
Health care and social assistance
194,618 employees
Business concentration
17.4%
of private employment in Health care and social assistance
Home prices, 1 year
+3.2%
FHFA
Federal outlays per capita
$8,109.57
USASpending.gov

Economy & Labor

Total nonfarm employment

BLS Current Employment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted · persons · 20 months available · latest observation: August 2026
Employment ratio
44.7%
employed ÷ population
Unemployed population (ACS)
73,733
Vs. July
▲ 12,200
Business density
23.5 per 1,000
establishments per capita

Leading Industries

Leading industries by employment

Ranked by private-sector employment, same measure as the Business & Industry tab · see the full breakdown there
1 Health care and social assistance 194,618 employees
2 Manufacturing 164,240 employees
3 Retail trade 144,531 employees
4 Accommodation and food services 114,055 employees
5 Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 75,272 employees

Leading Public Companies

Top 5 by latest reported revenue

SEC EDGAR / XBRL Company Facts · see the full listing on the Public Companies tab
Walmart Inc. · WMT
$713.16B
Retail-Variety Stores
TYSON FOODS, INC. · TSN
$54.44B
Poultry Slaughtering and Processing
DILLARD'S, INC. · DDS
$6.56B
Retail-Department Stores
ARCBEST CORP /TX/ · ARCB
$4.01B
Trucking (No Local)
Uniti Group Inc. · UNIT
$2.23B
Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone)

Population & People

Homeownership rate
66.1%
765.3K of 1.16M occupied homes are owner-occupied

Population by age

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimate (table B01001) · reconciles to total population
0–17
705.8K · 23.5%
18–24
279.2K · 9.3%
25–34
388.5K · 12.9%
35–44
376.4K · 12.5%
45–54
364.7K · 12.1%
55–64
386.3K · 12.8%
65–74
300.3K · 10.0%
75+
205.1K · 6.8%

Housing & Real Estate

Median home value
$142,100
Median gross rent
$803 / month
Vacancy rate
14.9%
Total housing units
1.36M
Owner-occupied homes
765.3K
Renter-occupied homes
393.2K
Home prices, 1 year
+3.2%
Home prices, 5 years
+45.4%
Latest FHFA period
2026 Q2

ACS: 2021 ACS 5-year · FHFA: 2026 Q2

ACS housing estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau — median home value reflects owner-reported value, not a current sale price. House-price changes are from the FHFA All-Transactions House Price Index, a measure of price appreciation over time, not a home-value estimate.

Federal Spending

Total federal outlays
$24.36B
Outlays per capita
$8,109.57
Total prime award value
$29.82B

Source: USASpending.gov · specific reporting period not published in this dataset