Manufacturing Output and Firms
Total Manufacturing Output ($billions, 2018)
$19.85
(Percent share of total gross state product)
15.50%
Manufacturing Firms in Arkansas (2016)
2,276
Arkansas Manufacturing Facts
Manufacturers in Arkansas account for 15.50% of the total output in the state, employing 12.72% of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing was $19.85 billion in 2018. In addition, there were an average of 161,000 manufacturing employees in Arkansas in 2018, with an average annual compensation of $58,343.71 in 2017.
Employment and Compensation
Manufacturing Employment (2018)
161,000
(Percent share of nonfarm employment)
12.72%
Average Annual Compensation (Manufacturing, 2017)
$58,343.71
(Nonfarm Businesses, 2017)
$40,553.08
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Arkansas Export Facts
Manufacturers help to drive Arkansas’s economy, with $5.87 billion in manufactured goods exports in 2018. That same year, $2.62 billion in exports was with our free trade agreement (FTA) partners. This helps create jobs in the state, and 14.10% of its employment stemmed from exports in 2011. Small businesses comprised 80.00% percent of all exporters in Arkansas.
Manufacturing Exports
Manufactured Goods Exports ($billions, 2018)
$5.87
(Percent share of total goods exports)
90.76%
Growth in Manufactured Goods Exports (2010–2018)
24.74%
U.S. Jobs Supported by Goods Exports (2016)
26,144
Employment from Manufacturing Exports (Export share of manufacturing jobs, 2011)
14.10%
Small Business Share of Total Exporters (2015)
80.00%
Manufactured Goods to Free Trade Agreement Partners ($billions, 2018)
$2.62
(Percent of total exports, 2018)
40.57%
Total Manufactured Goods Exports to Canada and Mexico (NAFTA, 2018)
$1.84
Top Five Export Markets (Percent of total manufactured goods exports, 2018)
31.34%
Canada
19.74%
Mexico
11.60%
Saudi Arabia
6.76%
France
5.55%
China
4.61%
Sources: International Trade Administration, U.S. Census Bureau
Figure 4
Additional Trade Facts
- The 20 U.S. FTA partners purchased nearly 49 percent ($679.46 billion) of U.S. manufactured goods exports in 2018 – even though these countries represent only six percent of the world’s population and 10 percent of GDP.
- FTA countries: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, Peru, Singapore and South Korea.