Salaries · United States · Arkansas
Salaries in Arkansas 2026
The median pay for all jobs in Arkansas is $43,630 a year ($20.98 an hour), 14% below the US median of $50,980 (BLS, May 2025): the 50th highest of the 50 states and DC. Full-time workers living in Arkansas earn a median of $50,075 (Census ACS 2020 to 2024).
By Dominic Roworth · From BLS, Census and BEA data, checked 31 October 2026
Pay in Arkansas: the key figures
| Figure | Arkansas | United States | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, all jobs | $43,630 | $50,980 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Average (mean) pay | $54,890 | $69,770 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Lowest-paid 10% earn under | $27,020 | $31,200 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Highest-paid 10% earn over | $94,740 | $128,560 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Jobs counted | 1,303,630 | 155,495,730 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Full-time workers living here, median | $50,075 ± $286 | $61,657 | Census ACS 2020-2024, B20018 |
| Median household income | $60,773 ± $467 | $80,734 | Census ACS 2020-2024, B19013 |
| Price level (US = 100) | 86.9 | 100.0 | BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 |
| Minimum wage | $11.00 | $7.25 | State labor department |
Take-home pay on the median
On $43,630, a single person keeps about $36,081 a year ($3,007 a month) after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, Arkansas income tax. With prices 13% below the US average, $43,630 here buys what $50,200 buys at average US prices.
| Median pay | $43,630 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | -$3,056 |
| Social Security | -$2,705 |
| Medicare | -$633 |
| Arkansas income tax | -$1,156 |
| Take-home a year | $36,081 |
What drives pay in Arkansas
Arkansas is home to big corporate head offices, but many of its jobs are in the plants, trucks and stores around them. Management of companies, BEA's category for head offices, made up 5.4% of the state's GDP in 2025, three times the US share of 1.8%. Walmart, which began as a small discount store in Rogers, employs 60,383 people in Arkansas. Tyson Foods is headquartered in Springdale, and the state is also home to J.B. Hunt, a Fortune 500 transportation company (Arkansas Economic Development Commission).
Those businesses shape the work below the head office. Food and beverage manufacturing is 3.4% of GDP (US 1.2%), and the commission counts more than 59,000 Arkansans at over 460 food and beverage companies. Truck transportation is 2.4% (US 0.8%), and heavy truck drivers, 32,220 of them, earn a median of $51,550. Steel is growing too: the commission says Mississippi County is now the largest steel-producing county in the nation, home to Big River Steel, Nucor and Hybar, and more than 20,000 people work in the state's metals industry.
The result is a low median: $43,630 for all jobs, 14% below the US and 50th of the 50 states and DC. The most common jobs are fast food and counter workers (35,660 jobs, median $26,250) and retail salespersons ($29,270). Walmart puts the average wage of its full-time hourly field associates in Arkansas at $18.65 an hour. Growth was slow in 2025, when real GDP rose 0.9% against 2.3% nationally.
The highest-paid jobs in Arkansas
Median annual pay, for jobs with at least 1,000 workers in the state (BLS, May 2025).
| Job | Workers | Median a year |
|---|---|---|
| Dentists, General | 1,210 | $178,930 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 1,220 | $140,600 |
| Physicians, All Other | 4,290 | $136,880 |
| Marketing Managers | 1,860 | $136,520 |
| Pharmacists | 2,900 | $136,060 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 3,420 | $127,220 |
| Nurse Practitioners | 3,970 | $125,660 |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 2,080 | $124,890 |
| Chief Executives | 3,550 | $119,990 |
| Industrial Production Managers | 2,560 | $118,120 |
| Financial Managers | 7,120 | $116,570 |
| Computer Programmers | 1,050 | $111,840 |
| Human Resources Managers | 1,290 | $108,580 |
| Sales Managers | 3,710 | $108,330 |
| Occupational Therapists | 2,160 | $106,360 |
The most common jobs in Arkansas
The jobs with the most workers, and what they pay.
| Job | Workers | Median a year | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 35,660 | $26,250 | $12.62 |
| Retail Salespersons | 35,510 | $29,270 | $14.07 |
| General and Operations Managers | 34,570 | $74,050 | $35.60 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 32,220 | $51,550 | $24.79 |
| Office Clerks, General | 29,940 | $37,050 | $17.81 |
| Registered Nurses | 29,400 | $78,940 | $37.95 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 28,350 | $34,700 | $16.68 |
| Cashiers | 28,270 | $27,670 | $13.30 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 21,430 | $35,920 | $17.27 |
| Customer Service Representatives | 20,680 | $37,840 | $18.19 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 19,840 | $27,660 | $13.30 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 19,490 | $29,750 | $14.30 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 17,880 | $24,680 | $11.86 |
| Nursing Assistants | 17,260 | $34,430 | $16.55 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 13,630 | $58,100 | $27.93 |
Pay for careers we cover, in Arkansas
Official BLS medians for Arkansas; each links to the full salary guide with pay by state.
| Career | Workers | Median a year |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetist | $224,280 | |
| Dentist | 1,210 | $178,930 |
| Pharmacist | 2,900 | $136,060 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 3,970 | $125,660 |
| Physician Assistant | 850 | $118,430 |
| Air Traffic Controller | 80 | $109,760 |
| Data Scientist | 530 | $109,390 |
| Software Engineer | 6,050 | $104,490 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | 1,460 | $103,490 |
| Aerospace Engineer | 180 | $102,040 |
| Lawyer | 3,430 | $98,880 |
| Commercial Pilot | 460 | $94,410 |
| Dental Hygienist | 1,740 | $86,760 |
| Financial Analyst | 1,390 | $81,110 |
| Registered Nurse | 29,400 | $78,940 |
| Project Manager | 5,510 | $77,170 |
| Accountant | 7,870 | $66,330 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | 720 | $65,420 |
| Compliance Officer | 3,120 | $64,680 |
| Elevator Technician | 60 | $61,530 |
| Electrician | 7,500 | $49,070 |
| Plumber | 3,370 | $48,660 |
| HVAC Technician | 4,960 | $48,110 |
| Welder | 6,150 | $47,970 |
| Paralegal | 1,610 | $47,420 |
Arkansas and its neighbors
| State | Median pay | Price level | At US prices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | $43,630 | 86.9 | $50,200 |
| Louisiana | $45,520 | 88.2 | $51,600 |
| Missouri | $47,800 | 90.8 | $52,600 |
| Mississippi | $40,120 | 87.0 | $46,100 |
| Oklahoma | $45,600 | 87.8 | $51,900 |
| Tennessee | $47,380 | 91.9 | $51,600 |
| Texas | $48,620 | 97.1 | $50,100 |
Limits
BLS figures cover jobs located in Arkansas, not the self-employed; Census figures cover people who live here. Take-home assumes a single filer with the standard deduction. More in our methodology.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state file)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024 (tables B20018 and B19013)
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state (table SARPP), 2024
- Take-home pay: Paygrade's 2026 federal and state tax engine, see the methodology.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis: GDP by state and industry, 2025 (industry shares and growth rates are our calculation), data last updated 30 Sep 2026
- Walmart: Walmart in Arkansas (Location Facts; figures loaded from the page's data file locations.js), figures as of 25 Jul 2025, accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Arkansas Economic Development Commission: Food and Beverage, undated page, accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Arkansas Economic Development Commission: Transportation and Logistics, undated page, accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Arkansas Economic Development Commission: Metals, undated page, accessed 31 Oct 2026
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