LITTLE ROCK, AR (September 6, 2023) – The Little Rock Regional Chamber announced today the completion of a regional industrial workforce zip code study. 31 companies located in the Port of Little Rock and Clinton National Airport participated in the study.
The study helped the Chamber draw compelling conclusions around the relationship between
commute distances, average wages, and employer tenure. The 31 participating companies
represented over 7,500 employees. The average wage of the companies that participated was
$26.74/hour ($55,619 annually), which is above median household income for Pulaski County.
Information provided by employers indicated that employees from 48 Arkansas counties
commute to the Port of Little Rock or Clinton National Airport for employment opportunities.
The top ten counties include Pulaski, Saline, Lonoke, Faulkner, Jefferson, White, Garland, Grant,
Hot Springs, Conway, and Arkansas.
“At the Little Rock Regional Chamber, we strive to provide regional employers with the most
up-to-date information to remain competitive in the local, national, and international
economies,” said Jack Thomas, Vice President of Economic Development at the Little Rock
Regional Chamber. “The results of this study reinforce the importance of our work to develop
world-class regional transportation systems and regional education ecosystems that align with
available employment opportunities.”
The Chamber will use the study to focus its efforts on business retention and expansion,
workforce development, and regional infrastructure development. The study will also serve as a
recruitment tool for the Chamber to market to prospective companies evaluating the area for
investment.
“In an environment with unemployment at an all-time low, prospective companies are asking
where they will find a qualified workforce,” said Thomas. “With this study, we can prove people
are willing to travel significant distances for a good job and Little Rock is the destination of
choice for Arkansans seeking fulfilling job opportunities.”
The Chamber markets to prospective companies a 12-county region known as “Metro Little
Rock” when recruiting companies. The region consists of 1,074,060 people with a median age
of 36.5, two years below the national average. According to the labor analytics software
platform Lightcast, the population of the Little Rock region is expected to increase by 2.3%
between 2022 and 2027, adding 17,099 people.