Arkansas Job Growth Driven by Central and Northwest Metro Areas

Northwest and central Arkansas generated the vast majority of the state’s job growth this fall, carrying statewide employment numbers upward even as other regions experienced slower movement or minor pullbacks. The two economic hubs were responsible for 85.5% of net job gains statewide in September, according to federal data.

All seven metropolitan areas in or connected to Arkansas posted lower jobless rates in September compared with September 2025. Northwest Arkansas held the lowest rate in the state at 3.1%, while five of the seven metro areas tracked below Arkansas’ overall September jobless rate of 3.9%, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Northwest Arkansas, serving as the state’s second-largest metro area, added an estimated 6,800 nonfarm jobs to reach 311,600 in September. That 2.2% increase over September 2025 marked a new record high for the region. Meanwhile, the local unemployed population dropped to 10,062, down from 10,857 a year prior.

Central Arkansas—encompassing Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Conway—recorded 397,100 nonfarm jobs in September. That figure represents an increase of 0.8%, or 3,200 jobs, compared with 393,900 in September 2025. The region previously hit a nonfarm jobs record of 397,400 in December 2025. Unemployed residents in the central metro fell to 14,186, improving upon the 15,652 recorded the previous year.

Performance Across Remaining Metro Areas

Gains tapered off outside the two major anchors, revealing a more mixed picture across the rest of the state’s economic centers. The Fort Smith metro, Arkansas’ third-largest, reached an estimated 102,100 nonfarm jobs in September, edging just above the 101,700 reported in September 2025. Regional employment in Fort Smith remains below its peak of 108,700, which was first set in September 2007. Unemployment there decreased to 3,944 from 4,347.

The Jonesboro metro reported an estimated 64,800 nonfarm jobs in September, a slight dip from 64,900 in September 2025, though down from its record of 65,500 set in December 2025. Unemployed residents in Jonesboro dropped to 2,448 from 2,710.

Hot Springs recorded 40,400 nonfarm jobs in September compared to 40,700 a year earlier, with unemployment dropping to 1,641 from 1,941. The Memphis/West Memphis metro area, spanning Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi, saw nonfarm employment tick up to 657,400 from 656,300, while unemployed individuals decreased to 26,013. In Texarkana, straddling Arkansas and Texas, nonfarm employment stood at 59,700, down slightly from 60,100 in September 2025, with 2,671 unemployed residents.

Statewide Totals and Evolving Metrics

Across the entire state, estimated nonfarm payroll jobs reached a record high of 1,350,800 in September, climbing 1% or 11,700 jobs compared to 1,339,100 in September 2025. Arkansas’ tourism industry set another jobs record in September. Total unemployment statewide fell to 56,194, marking an 8.3% decline from the 61,273 unemployed individuals recorded in September 2025.

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These figures reflect significant methodological shifts and boundary adjustments implemented by federal agencies. In 2025, McDonald County, Missouri, was removed from the Northwest Arkansas metro, LeFlore County, Oklahoma, was removed from the Fort Smith metro, and Pine Bluff is no longer reported as a metropolitan statistical area.

Nationwide, the U.S. jobless rate stood at 4.2% in September, down from 4.4% in September 2025. The preliminary September numbers released by federal statisticians remain subject to revision.