Where The Jobs Are (And Who Pays the Most) in Arkansas
By Arkansas NEXT Staff on Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Use this guide, compiled with the help of our sister publication, Arkansas Business, to help you choose the right major and path for life after high school!
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The Best Places To Work in Arkansas
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The Most Jobs in Arkansas
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Top 25 Highest-Paying Jobs in Arkansas
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The Arkansas Jobs and Salaries Report
29 Arkansas Companies Employees Love
These employee-focused companies are the most recent winners of Arkansas Business’ “Arkansas’ Best Places to Work” awards. Winners are chosen each year based on surveys completed by employees regarding their satisfaction with their jobs, their happiness with compensation and benefits, how they feel about the work environment, employer flexibility and more. These, as well as past and future winners are great companies to consider when thinking about where you want to land!
| ABC Financial Services | Sherwood |
| Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield | North Little Rock |
| Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation | Little Rock |
| Arkansas Federal Credit Union | Jacksonville |
| Braswell & Son Pawnbrokers | Little Rock |
| C.R. Crawford Construction | Fayetteville |
| Casestack | Fayetteville |
| Clark Contractors | Little Rock |
| Delta Dental | Sherwood |
| Delta Plastics | Little Rock |
| Harrison Energy Partners | Little Rock |
| Kimbel Mechanical Systems | Springdale & Fayetteville |
| Optus | Jonesboro |
| Perks | Little Rock |
| Rainwater, Holt & Sexton | Statewide |
| RevUnit | Bentonville |
| Rockfish | Rogers |
| Rural Sourcing Inc. | Jonesboro |
| Saatchi & Saatchi X | Springdale |
| City of Siloam Springs | Siloam Springs |
| St. Bernards Medical Center | Jonesboro |
| Team SI | Little Rock |
| The Good Earth Garden Center | Little Rock |
| Total Quality Logistics | Fayetteville |
| Travel Nurse Across America | North Little Rock |
| United Federal Credit Union | Statewide |
| Usable Life | Little Rock |
| VCC Construction | Little Rock |
| Welsco | Statewide |
Learn more at ArkansasBusiness.com.
The Most Jobs in Arkansas
These 25 Arkansas-based companies employ the largest number of people in the state—consider majors aimed at landing a gig with one of these major players.
| EMPLOYER | NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN ARKANSAS | |
| 1. | Arkansas State Government | 60,520 |
| 2. | Wal-Mart Stores Inc. | 53,310 |
| 3. | Tyson Foods Inc. | 22,900 |
| 4. | U.S. Government | 20,400 |
| 5. | Baptist Health | 9,168 |
| 6. | Mercy | 4,850 |
| 7. | CHI St. Vincent | 4,721 |
| 8. | Kroger Co. | 4,487 |
| 9. | Arkansas Children's Inc. | 4,253 |
| 10. | Arvest Bank | 3,627 |
| 11. | J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. | 3,604 |
| 12. | Harps Food Stores Inc. | 3,313 |
| 13. | Simmons Foods Inc. | 3,200 |
| 14. | St. Bernards Healthcare | 3,041 |
| 15. | Dillard's Inc. | 2,850 |
| 16. | Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield | 2,843 |
| 17. | Washington Regional Medical System | 2,725 |
| 18. | Entergy Arkansas | 2,567 |
| 19. | Georgia-Pacific LLC | 2,550 |
| 20. | Community Health Systems Inc. | 2,500 |
| 21. | FedEx Corp. | 2,500 |
| 22. | Lowe's Cos. Inc. | 2,500 |
| 23. | AT&T Inc. | 2,240 |
| 24. | USA Truck Inc. | 2,228 |
| 25. | O.K. Industries Inc. | 2,215 |
Source: ArkansasBusiness.com
Top 25 Highest-Paying Jobs in Arkansas
This is just a sampling of jobs you can get in Arkansas. For more options and salary amounts, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. It’s where we found our data – the latest figures from 2016.
| OCCUPATION | AVERAGE SALARY | |
| 1. | Internists, General | $266,980 |
| 2. | Surgeons | $260,950 |
| 3. | Orthodontists | $259,010 |
| 4. | Obstetricians & Gynecologists | $244,290 |
| 5. | Anesthesiologists | $219,640 |
| 6. | Family & General Practitioners | $212,480 |
| 7. | Podiatrists | $190,710 |
| 8. | Pediatricians, General | $188,140 |
| 9. | Dentists, General | $185,170 |
| 10. | Physicians | $181,880 |
| 11. | Nurse Anesthetists | $158,940 |
| 12. | Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $143,110 |
| 13. | Marketing Managers | $134,570 |
| 14. | Compensation & Benefits Managers | $125,100 |
| 15. | Sales Managers | $120,240 |
| 16. | Advertising & Promotions Managers | $119,710 |
| 17. | Purchasing Managers | $117,280 |
| 18. | Pharmacists | $116,960 |
| 19. | Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | $115,120 |
| 20. | Petroleum Engineers | $113,730 |
| 21. | Computer & Information Systems Managers | $112,320 |
| 22. | Architectural & Engineering Managers | $112,050 |
| 23. | Psychiatrists | $110,880 |
| 24. | Actuaries | $108,800 |
| 25. | Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $108,380 |
The Arkansas Jobs & Salaries Report
If you want to be a ________ in Arkansas, you’ll make $_______.
Fill in the blanks with our guide to Arkansas occupations and the average salaries professionals make in that field.
| OCCUPATION | AVERAGE SALARY |
| Accountants | $65,740 |
| Agricultural & Food Science Technicians | $38,430 |
| Aircraft Mechanics & Service Technician | $51,540 |
| Airline Pilots | $98,520 |
| Animal Trainers | $25,210 |
| Applications Software Developers | $86,890 |
| Architects | $70,100 |
| Art Directors | $63,430 |
| Artists (Fine Arts) | $22,850 |
| Athletic Trainers | $39,400 |
| Audiologists | $65,730 |
| Auto Body Repairers | $38,230 |
| Bakers | $23,160 |
| Biomedical Engineers | $63,690 |
| Business Professors | $88,350 |
| Butchers | $25,990 |
| Carpenters | $34,810 |
| Chefs & Head Cooks | $42,130 |
| Chemists | $74,040 |
| Chiropractors | $62,690 |
| Civil Engineers | $80,580 |
| Coaches & Scouts | $49,080 |
| Computer Programmers | $72,040 |
| Conservation Scientists | $46,810 |
| Construction Managers | $76,550 |
| Correctional Officers | $46,650 |
| Court Reporters | $46,810 |
| Dental Hygienists | $65,450 |
| Detectives & Criminal Investigators | $57,550 |
| Dietitians & Nutritionists | $54,790 |
| Economists | $68,400 |
| Editors | $44,740 |
| Electrical Engineers | $82,430 |
| Electricians | $42,540 |
| Elementary School Teachers | $46,950 |
| EMTs & Paramedics | $28,770 |
| Environmental Engineers | $93,790 |
| Event Planners | $38,140 |
| Farmers & Ranchers | $86,200 |
| Film & Video Editors | $41,260 |
| Financial Analysts | $68,590 |
| Financial Managers | $97,940 |
| Firefighters | $35,590 |
| Flight Attendants | $20,590 |
| Floral Designers | $24,830 |
| Food Scientists & Technologists | $79,010 |
| Food Service Managers | $46,950 |
| Forensic Science Technicians | $38,430 |
| Funeral Directors & Undertakers | $41,760 |
| Geographers | $67,390 |
| Graphic Designers | $38,980 |
| Hairdressers, Hairstylists & Cosmetologists | $26,210 |
| High School Teachers | $49,780 |
| High School Special Ed Teachers | $51,630 |
| History Professors | $83,940 |
| Home Appliance Repairers | $35,100 |
| Home Health Aides | $19,820 |
| Hotel & Resort Desk Clerks | $19,080 |
| Human Resources Specialists | $52,790 |
| Information Security Analyst | $80,500 |
| Insurance Sales Agents | $55,600 |
| Interior Designers | $46,200 |
| Interpreters & Translators | $33,770 |
| Janitors & Cleaners | $22,020 |
| Kindergarten Teacher | $45,850 |
| Landscape Architects | $53,580 |
| Legal Secretaries | $33,120 |
| Librarians | $51,780 |
| Lodging Managers | $50,830 |
| Machinists | $39,700 |
| Massage Therapists | $42,780 |
| Mechanical Engineers | $74,380 |
| Microbiologists | $76,950 |
| Middle School Teachers | $48,580 |
| Multimedia Artists & Animators | $44,680 |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologists | $69,080 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $89,440 |
| Occupational Therapists | $80,850 |
| Personal Financial Advisors | $104,410 |
| Pest Control Workers | $31,420 |
| Photographers | $31,140 |
| Physical Therapists | $77,040 |
| Physician Assistants | $73,110 |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | $38,020 |
| Police, Fire & Ambulance Dispatchers | $27,670 |
| Political Science Professors | $85,420 |
| Postal Service Clerks | $44,040 |
| Postsecondary Education Administrators | $97,020 |
| Power Plant Operators | $76,030 |
| Preschool Teachers | $31,700 |
| Private Detectives & Investigators | $34,900 |
| Proofreaders & Copy Editors | $31,390 |
| Prosthetists | $54,750 |
| Psychologists | $82,240 |
| Public Relations Specialists | $50,510 |
| Radiation Therapists | $71,400 |
| Radio & Television Announcers | $27,220 |
| Radiologic & MRI Technologists | $47,750 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | $34,190 |
| Registered Nurses | $57,630 |
| Reporters & Correspondents | $31,410 |
| Secretaries & Administrative Assistants | $29,650 |
| Security Guards | $25,420 |
| Social Workers | $46,240 |
| Sound Engineering Technicians | $48,570 |
| Speech-Language Pathologists | $72,440 |
| Statisticians | $60,760 |
| Tax Examiners & Collectors | $52,510 |
| Taxi Drivers & Chauffeurs | $21,610 |
| Technical Writers | $48,560 |
| Travel Agents | $32,790 |
| Truck Drivers | $39,430 |
| Veterinarians | $69,640 |
| Waiters & Waitresses | $19,300 |
| Web Developers | $57,590 |
| Welders | $37,510 |
| Writers & Authors | $47,280 |
| Zoologists & Wildlife Biologists | $52,550 |
