NWA, Fort Smith metro jobs data compares wages, job sector employment

A look at recently released data from the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services (ADWS) offers insight into Northwest Arkansas and Fort Smith metro jobs and wages. The wage data reflects information through the second quarter of 2024.

Benton County leads the region in average weekly wages at $1,315 per worker. There are 157,229 workers from the county employed in the local labor force. Sebastian County is second regionally, with its 55,531 workers averaging $1,078 per week in wages. Washington County is third in average weekly wages at $1,041 per worker and has 138,924 employed throughout the county.

Weekly wages in Crawford County are $916 per worker, while Madison County averaged $818 and Carroll County averaged $726.

The ADWS data also shows regional employment by sector. The top seven sectors for employment in Northwest Arkansas include:
• 24.1% — Trade, transportation and utilities
• 20.3% — Professional and business services
• 14.8% — Education and healthcare
• 13.3% — Leisure and hospitality
• 13.1% — Manufacturing
• 6.6% — Construction
• 3.8% — Financial

There is more current unemployment data available for the region, particularly on unemployment rates by county. The ADWS data is current through September 2024.

Benton and Washington counties share the lowest unemployment rates in the state, both at 2.1%. Madison County boasts a jobless rate of 2.5% while neighboring Carroll County’s jobless rate stands at 2.7%. Sebastian County’s September unemployment rate is a tick higher at 2.8%, and Crawford County’s unemployment rate sits at 2.9%. Arkansas’ overall jobless rate in September 2024 was 3.3%, while the U.S. rate was 4.1%.

The ADWS data also tracks the number of employed workers in Northwest Arkansas on a monthly basis. For historical perspective, here is a look at the employed labor force growth at key points over the past 30 years.
• September 2024 — 368,423
• September 2023 — 350,773
• September 2022 — 343,780
• September 2019 — 321,436
• September 2014 — 282,124
• September 2009 — 257,785
• September 2004 — 247,037
• September 1999 — 203,444
• September 1994 — 187,635

Since 1994, the active labor force in the region has nearly doubled in its actively employed workers. Year-over-year growth is up 5%. Over the past five years, the region has seen a 14% growth in the workforce.

In the past decade, the number of active workers in Northwest Arkansas is up 30%, while the 20-year increase in the number of employed has grown a staggering 49%.