Arkansas jobless rate rises to 3.7%, number of jobless up more than 10%

A more than 10% rise in the number of unemployed helped push Arkansas’ May jobless rate to 3.7%, above the 3.4% in May 2024. Jobs in the state’s Education and Health Services sector were up 3.8%, and continue to lead state job gains.

The number of employed in Arkansas during April was an estimated 1,370,386, up 14,459 jobs, or 1.06%, compared with April 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report posted Wednesday (May 21). The April numbers are preliminary and subject to revision.

Arkansas’ labor force, the number of people eligible to work, in April was 1,422,616, up 1.4% from the 1,403,302 in April 2024. The state’s labor force participation rate in April was 58.4%, up from 58.1% in April 2024. Arkansans without jobs in April totaled 52,230, up 10.2% compared with the 47,375 in April 2024. The jobless number is up for four consecutive months.

The biggest year-over-year sector gains were in Education and Health Services (8,100 more jobs), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (4,100 more jobs), and Professional and Business Services (3,300 more jobs).

NATIONAL NUMBERS
Unemployment rates were higher in April in 3 states, lower in 2 states, and stable in 45 states, according to the BLS report. Twenty-six states had jobless rate increases from a year earlier, 1 state had a decrease, and 23 states had little change. The national unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2% but was 0.3 percentage point higher than in April 2024.

South Dakota had the lowest jobless rate in April at 1.8%. Nevada had the highest state rate at 5.6%. In total, 19 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 4.2%, 6 states and the District had higher rates, and 25 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.

Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 16 states and was essentially unchanged in 34 states and the District of Columbia. The largest job gains occurred in Texas (+215,500), Florida (+144,100), and New York (+114,300). The largest percentage increases occurred in Hawaii (+2.7%), South Carolina (+2.4%), and Idaho (+2.3%).

ARKANSAS JOB SECTOR NUMBERS
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
April 2025: 272,500
April 2024: 268,400
February first marked an employment record for the sector with 272,500 jobs.

Education and Health Services
April 2025: 220,200
April 2024: 212,100
April marked an employment record for the sector.

Government
April 2025: 212,800
April 2024: 211,900
Sector employment hit a peak of 224,100 in May 2010.

Manufacturing
April 2025: 163,300
April 2024: 162,500
Manufacturing, once the state’s largest jobs sector, posted record employment of 247,600 in February 1995.

Professional and Business Services
April 2025: 162,600
April 2024: 159,300
January marked an employment record for the sector with 163,500 jobs.

Leisure and Hospitality
April 2025: 128,700
April 2024: 129,200
December 2024 first marked an employment record for the sector with 130,500 jobs.

Financial Activities
April 2025: 71,200
April 2024: 69,400
March marked an employment record for the sector with 71,300 jobs.

Construction
April 2025: 66,500
April 2024: 66,500
August 2024 marked an employment record for the sector with 67,500 jobs.