Arkansas
#49of 5140C
Above: Louisiana (41). Below: West Virginia (36).
Starting up
How many businesses get founded here, and what the state takes in tax.
58+3 vs median
- Business applications per 1,000 residents1.664 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Census Bureau
- State tax collected per resident$4,06752 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections
Population health
One comparable public-health read, asked the same way of every state.
11-39 vs median
- Adult obesity, 202438.9%6 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsCDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
- Firearm-injury deaths per 100,000 (crude)20.816 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsCDC NCIPC, CDC NCIPC 2024
Productive base
Output per worker and how much of the job base is manufacturing.
46-5 vs median
- Output per worker$136,1074 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Manufacturing share of jobs11.8%88 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Labour market
How tight the market is, and which way it moved last month.
37-12 vs median
- Unemployment rate4.0%48 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Employment change, latest month-0.11%26 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Prosperity
What the average person in the state actually earns.
7-45 vs median
- Per-capita personal income$61,75210 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher27.1%4 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year
Things get built
Housing authorised per worker — a direct read on whether projects clear.
72+14 vs median
- Housing units authorised per 1,000 workers0.754 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsU.S. Census Bureau
- House price index (FHFA)479.290 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsFederal Housing Finance Agency
Fiscal standing
What the bond market thinks of the state as a counterparty.
92+0 vs median
- General-obligation ratingAa1 · Stable92 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsMoody's, indicative 2025
Openness
Whether you can get an answer out of the state without telephoning it.
0-51 vs median
- Open-data portal answers an APIPublished address answers nothing0 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsCEFA probe, 2026-09
- Incentive, permit & finance datasets00 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsCEFA discovery, 2026-09
- Government or agency newsroom feeds10 percentile among the 51 jurisdictionsCEFA probe, 2026-09