Regional News
Urban Density Ticks Upward in Central Arkansas
In 2020, for the second decade in a row, central Arkansas cities slightly grew in urban density, or people per square mile, according to Metroplan, the area’s planning agency.
Like the rest of the United States, the ethnic mix in the Little Rock metropolitan statistical area saw substantial change between 2010 and 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The 2020 U.S. Census showed the three largest cities in central Arkansas all grew, with Little Rock passing the 200,000 mark to reach 202,591.
Population growth in the United States, Arkansas and central Arkansas slowed from 2010-2020 compared with the previous decade, U.S. Census Bureau tallies and the accompanying chart show.
Unemployment Rates in Arkansas Reach Pre-Pandemic Levels
Just as unemployment fell statewide in October, to 3.7%, unemployment rates in all eight Arkansas metro areas also declined, with rates falling by 0.2 to 0.4 percentage points. read more >
Arkansas Deaths Rise 15.8% in 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed deaths in Arkansas up 15.8% in 2020 compared with 2019, according to Metroplan, the planning agency for central Arkansas. read more >
Pandemic’s Effects on Central Arkansas Jobs Varied
The COVID-19 pandemic hit job sectors in central Arkansas unevenly, Metroplan, the region’s planning area, reports. read more >
Structurlam’s Conway Facility Ready to Log In
Mass timber production in Conway is on schedule and ready to deliver for Walmart and other customers. read more >
by Marty Cook -
Recommended MSA Change Upsets Some Arkansas Cities
Four Arkansas cities and their surrounding areas face demotion and possible economic repercussions if a proposed statistical change is adopted by the federal Office of Management & Budget. read more >
by Marty Cook -
Arkansas Metro Housing Costs Trend Lower Than U.S.
Housing costs in central Arkansas compare favorably with those in other metropolitan areas, a recent report by planning agency Metroplan shows. read more >
Income Growth in Central Arkansas Lags Nation’s
While the unemployment rate remains low in central Arkansas, income growth in the region has lagged behind that of the rest of the United States, notes the Metroplan report “Metro Trends: Economic Review and Outlook.” read more >
Central Arkansas Demographics Trend Toward Cities
Almost half — 46% — of the four-county Metroplan region in central Arkansas live in the region’s three largest cities, Little Rock, North Little Rock and Conway. read more >
Central Arkansas Population Growth Slows
The planning agency Metroplan has found that growth slowed considerably in most cities in central Arkansas when comparing the period 2000-10 with 2010-19, according to its latest report. read more >
Cumulative Employment Growth in Arkansas Varies
Nonfarm payroll employment in Arkansas rose in June in most of the state’s metro areas, particularly in Fayetteville and Jonesboro. read more >
Unemployment Rates Trend Lower in Arkansas
The unemployment rates in most of Arkansas’ metro areas continued to move downward or stay stable in June, with Fayetteville, Jonesboro, Little Rock and Texarkana seeing declines. read more >
Central Arkansas Unemployment at 3.5 Percent
The unemployment rate in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metropolitan statistical area remains near a historical low, 3.5% in February. read more >
Arkansas Delta Boosters Seek ‘Critical Mass’
The Arkansas Delta Council, a nonprofit economic development organization still in formation, hopes to raise money and entice investors to a region that has been losing population, unevenly but inexorably, for half a century. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Two-Thirds of Arkansas Counties Lose Residents
Two-thirds of Arkansas’ counties lost population between 2012 and 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. read more >
Central Arkansas Average Weekly Earnings on Rise
Private-sector workers in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metropolitan statistical area earned an average of $861.50 each week as of February 2019. read more >
NWA Veterinarians Find Freedom Hitched to Corporate Chains
Animal practitioners in northwest Arkansas are typifying the trend of national groups ramp up their acquisitions of local clinics. read more >
by Marty Cook -
Central Arkansas Population Growth Average on Par with U.S.
The population of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metropolitan statistical area grew 5.5 percent from 2010 to 2017, reaching about 747,000 in 2018, according to Metroplan, the central Arkansas planning agency. read more >
More Front Porches Coming to Rockwater Village
The near build-out of The Residences at Rockwater is putting new development activity in play for North Little Rock’s Lower Baring Cross neighborhood. read more >
by George Waldon -
Residential Lots Scarce As Northwest Arkansas Draws a Crowd
Space is not the problem for northwest Arkansas as thousands of new arrivals show up each year. The struggle is with affordability. read more >
by Marty Cook -
Arkansas Metros Show Wide Gap in Post-Recession Employment Rates
Although the unemployment rate gets the most attention, Arkansas economist Michael Pakko recently also looked at the employment rate in the state over the last year and since the Great Recession. read more >
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