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Bentonville Retains Top Spot on ATBI

2 min read

Bentonville retains its spot atop the Arkansas Tech Business Index, while eight of the 18 cities listed on the index finished the second quarter of 2015 with a rating greater than 100.

The ATBI encompasses a labor index, housing market index, construction index and retail sales index, all based around a rating of 100. A city rating above 100 indicates that a city is doing better than the state average from 2009 to the present.

The index, created by the ATU College of Business and sponsored by Arvest Bank, is intended to provide a snapshot of economic activity around Arkansas.

The latest ATBI, released Tuesday and measuring results for the second quarter of 2015, is again dominated by cities in northwest Arkansas which took the top five spots:

  1. Bentonville, 106.34
  2. Fayetteville, 104.74
  3. Springdale, 104.53
  4. Rogers, 104.32
  5. Fort Smith, 103.17

“The major cities in northwest Arkansas continue the pattern of leading the state in the economic recovery at a steady pace,” said Mike Willard, president and chief executive officer of Arvest Bank in Prairie Grove, in a news release. “We have seen this growth echoed in construction, business expansion and general consumer optimism throughout the region. Arvest Bank has seen demand in mortgage, consumer and commercial loan activity to match this economic recovery.”

Conway was the leading performer in central Arkansas, coming in sixth with an index listing of 101.90. Other cities rating above 100 were Hot Springs at 100.38 and Mountain Home at 100.01. Little Rock was rated 16th for the second quarter with a rating of 93.76.

Bentonville also led monthly ratings with a June score of 105.60, the fourth time in the first 18 months of the ATBI it has led the monthly index.

See the full list at ATU.edu/ATBI

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