The local economy of Arkansas and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.9%
-0.3 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Madison County 2.8%, highest Phillips County 7.2%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,291
+4.6%vs a year ago
1,305,223 jobs at 109,385 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
14,741
-7.0%this year vs last year
Most in Benton County 5,273, Washington County 3,550.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+11,246
+5.0 per 1,000residents
69,149 moved in and 57,903 moved out. Most newcomers came from Texas.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Arkansas gas price
$3.99
+$1.29vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Greene County $3.81, highest Newton County $4.37. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Arkansas, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
70K
+1.2%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
1.12M
+2.9%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (17.4%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$60.9B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$54,370
Highest sector: Management of Companies and Enterprises $146,971.
Per employee per year
Share of Arkansas's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 95,941 | $20,086 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 61,108 | $74,697 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 39,939 | $146,971 |
| Employment Services | 35,216 | $38,949 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 33,744 | $29,731 |
| Animal Slaughtering and Processing | 30,988 | $41,747 |
| General Freight Trucking | 29,935 | $64,290 |
| Offices of Physicians | 23,143 | $101,608 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 20,723 | $61,092 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 20,540 | $29,921 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 20,104 | $76,715 |
| Grocery Stores | 20,076 | $24,686 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Arkansas, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Arkansas is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Arkansas, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Arkansas was 3.9% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 4.2% a year earlier. 1,401,154 people were employed out of a labor force of 1,458,078. Among its counties, Madison County had the lowest rate (2.8%) and Phillips County the highest (7.2%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Arkansas was $1,291 in Q1 2026, up 4.6% from a year earlier, across 1,305,223 jobs at 109,385 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 884 new homes in Arkansas in August 2026 (738 single-family and 89 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 9,605, down 7.0% from the same months last year, and 14,741 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Benton County (5,273), Washington County (3,550), Pulaski County (1,261) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 69,149 people moved to Arkansas and 57,903 moved away, a net gain of 11,246 (+5.0 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and most people who left went to Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma.
Regular gasoline in Arkansas averaged $3.99 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.29 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $5.92. Among its counties, Greene County had the lowest regular price ($3.81) and Newton County the highest ($4.37).
Health Care and Social Assistance (194,618 employees), Manufacturing (164,240 employees), Retail Trade (144,531 employees) were the largest sectors in Arkansas in 2023. In all, 70,452 business locations employed 1,120,356 people at an average pay of $54,370 a year.