Arkansas is the 29th Best State for Business 2014

J.P. Donlon

J.P. Donlon

Improving international trade is one way to boost the economy. Recently, a Vietnamese furniture maker opened up a factory in Arkansas, investing $5 million into the local economy and adding 75 jobs, according to the Southwest Times Record.

Previous State: Idaho Next State: New Mexico

No. 29 Arkansas

Taxations & Regulations

Workforce Quality

Living Environment

Key Metrics
State GDP 

  • % Growth ’12-’13: 2.4
  • % Growth ’11-’12 v. Nat’l Avg. (2.5%): -1.2

Unemployment

  • Unemployment Rate Dec. 2013 %: 7.4
  • Comparison with Nat’l Rate (6.70%): 0.7

Domestic Migration

  • Domestic Net Migration 2013: -2,031
  • Rank: 29

State Government

  • State Debt per Capita Fiscal Year ’13 ($): 1,169
  • State & Local Gov’t Employees per 10k Residents: 585.3

State-Local Tax Burden

  • Rate (%): 10.0%
  • Compared to Nat’l Avg. (9.9%): 0.16%
Key Companies
  • Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
  • Dillard’s
  • Tyson Foods
  • Murphy Oil
  • J.B. Hunt Transport
  • Acxiom
Development Trend Indicator: Neutral
Reduces some business taxes and manages to climb in job-growth rankings.


Based on CEO Survey by ChiefExecutive.net

Sources:
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Bureau of Labor Statistics
NewGeography.com
The Tax Foundation


J.P. Donlon

J.P. Donlon is Editor Emeritus of Chief Executive magazine.

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