In 2018 the Conway Area Chamber analyzed the home ZIP codes for more 3,100 white collar employees in Conway. Their data, shown above, showed that a substantial cluster of white collar professionals commute daily from Pulaski County.
Located just over 30 miles apart, the communities of Conway, Little Rock and North Little Rock are in many ways inseparable, with a shared workforce, resources and overall sense of common purpose.
Bart Castleberry
Mayor, Conway
Frank Scott Jr.
Mayor, Little Rock
Joe Smith
Mayor, North Little Rock
People commute to and from each city for employment, education, recreation and entertainment. And while the cities in the metro region are interrelated, they also have their own identities and personalities.
“I think regionalism means acknowledging the fact that our economic and community futures are linked,” said Jamie Gates, executive vice president of the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce. “Little Rock is our anchor city and metropolitan center. Conway is smaller and more suburban. The only way Conway can meet its full potential is if we’re part of a successful metro. The same could be said of smaller cities to our north and west about Conway.”
If one town within the region doesn’t have what you’re looking for, it’s a sure bet one of the others does. And if one town enjoys economic success it positively affects the others.
“What happens in our neighbor’s yard always has an effect in our yard,” said North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith. “If our neighbor improves their property value, ours goes up as well. Regionalism for all of central Arkansas is critical if we want to progress as a community. Business, residents, and visitors are choosing cities based on the larger communities, not just single cities.”
According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau figures, Conway has a population of 65,782, Little Rock’s population is 198,606 and North Little Rock’s is 65,911.
Close to 3,000 people commute to Conway daily from Pulaski County while close to 7,500, or 20%, of Conway’s residents commute to Little Rock and North Little Rock, plus Maumelle. Around 20,000 Conway citizens work where they live.
“We have a tremendous workforce in Conway but what we do not have are 500-acre sites for development,” Conway Mayor Bart Castleberry said. “By partnering on projects with North Little Rock and Little Rock, we’re better suited to entice companies and businesses with some of our other large employers in central Arkansas.”
Central Arkansas Snapshot
Whether talking diversity of economy and population or the variety of natural landmarks, central Arkansas is competitive with its peers in the state and surrounding metro areas. Take a quick look at the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area.
| Population | 734,381 |
| Workforce | 340,083 |
| Median Household Income | $52,000 |
| White | 67.4% |
| Black | 22.9% |
| Hispanic | 5.1% |
The three communities have mutual interests and needs, but have also forged three separate identities that allow for a sense of civic pride and community spirit.
With multiple high performing universities and colleges resulting in a younger-skewing population, Conway is known as a seat of higher education, Castleberry noted, with a burgeoning office economy represented by Acxiom, among other companies.
North Little Rock is a railroad/military/retail center and Little Rock, as the state capital, is the seat of finance, health care, legal services and trade in addition to being the seat of government and having its own diverse set of higher learning institutions.
Gates noted that people not interested in living in an urban setting might work in Little Rock or North Little Rock, but opt to live in Conway for its attractive neighborhoods, school systems and colleges and its cost of housing. The median home price in Conway is $147,000, compared to $187,000 in Dallas.
Little Rock and North Little Rock offer amenities on a larger scale, with name recognition, Gates said, as well as a full service airport and interstate exchange serving as a gateway to the rest of the nation.
“Conway residents take advantage of what Little Rock can offer more quickly than what residents of Dallas, Houston or Atlanta can in their own cities,” Gates said. “Little Rock connects us to the outside world either by brand or by airplane.”
Linked but distinct, the three cities not only create a diverse metro region, they offer diversity within the population and workforce.
“Diversity of people leads to a diversity of decision making, and that’s good for everyone,” Smith said. “Building and fostering a diverse economy can somewhat insulate a community from the downturns in the financial markets. Relying too heavily on one industry or market leaves a community vulnerable. It’s like having a diverse portfolio — you don’t ever want to put all your eggs in one basket.”
Home Sweet Home
Dream of one day owning a home of your own? It can happen in central Arkansas where the median property value is $151,700. Nearly 68% of locals own their own home, higher than the rates seen in northwest Arkansas; Memphis; Tulsa; Springfield, Mo.; Austin, Texas; and Baton Rouge, La.
Median Property Value Comparison:
| Central Arkansas | $151,700 |
| Birmingham, Ala. | $158,000 |
| Northwest Arkansas | $166,000 |
| Baton Rouge, La. | $172,000 |
| Austin, Texas | $263,300 |
Avoid Gridlock
Time in the car adds up quickly, so you’ll be glad to know the average commute in central Arkansas is less than 22 minutes. And if you prefer to bike to work? Central Arkansas is connected by 88 miles of trail and its cities are becoming increasingly cyclist-friendly.
Average Commute Comparison (In minutes)
| Central Arkansas | 21.8 |
| Memphis | 23.5 |
| Jackson, Miss. | 24.6 |
| Austin, Texas | 24.8 |
| Birmingham, Ala. | 25.0 |
See more about Conway’s economic growth at Outlook Conway.
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