Arkansas is the 29th Best State for Business 2014

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.

Share
Published by
J.P. Donlon

Recent Posts

From Photo Film Maker To Biopharma Giant

CEO Lars Petersen shares how Fujifilm took advantage of technological competencies to pivot and build…

23 hours ago

Championship Conditions: What Leaders Must Build First To Win Under Pressure

When results wobble, elite teams don’t grit their teeth—they rely on conditions built long before…

2 days ago

OpenClaw: A New Class Of Autonomous AI Requires Attention

The rapidly spreading autonomous agentic AI system highlights how agent-based technologies are advancing faster than…

2 days ago

SailPoint CEO Mark McClain Says A Work-Life Imbalance Should Only Be Temporary

When work swallows everything, it’s not a badge of honor—it’s a warning. In this week’s…

4 days ago

From Restaurant Closure To National Brand

How Shivani Dhamija shut down a failing concept, pivoted to packaged foods and built Shivani’s…

4 days ago

Just How Different Are Public And Private Firms? 

A new survey examines how public and private companies manage short-term demands against long-term strategy—and…

4 days ago