The Arkansas economy has traditionally been powered by manufacturing and agriculture. In recent years, new jobs in Arkansas have also been produced in such sectors as aviation and biotechnology. Tourism, forestry and mining are important industries for the state. Arkansas’s most famous corporate resident is Wal-Mart, which is headquartered in Bentonville. The Natural State is also home to Alltel, Dillard’s, Tyson Foods and J.B. Hunt. The northwest portion of the state is the premier location for Arkansas careers in business; the NW metro region has been named in the Forbes top 10 list of Best Places for Business and Careers in the U.S.

State government has been a primary source of jobs in Little Rock, Arkansas, the state capital. However, Little Rock, AR also has one of the most dynamic and highly diverse economies in the country, and healthcare, finance, telecommunications and aeronautics are all important economic contributors. In the state’s second-largest city, Fort Smith, Arkansas, jobs in manufacturing have been lost to overseas competition, but it remains the state’s primary manufacturing hub, with Weyerhauser, Whirlpool Corporation and Rheem among the city’s leading employers. In coming years, the Arkansas jobs market should benefit from continued biotech research and the state’s rapidly growing aerospace industry.