Manufacturing Output and Firms
Total Manufacturing Output ($billions, 2019)
$19.56
(Percent share of total gross state product)
14.93%
Manufacturing Firms in Arkansas (2017)
2,264
Arkansas Manufacturing Facts
Manufacturers in Arkansas account for 14.93% of the total output in the state, employing 11.84% of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing was $19.56 billion in 2019. In addition, there were an average of 148,000 manufacturing employees in Arkansas in 2020, with an average annual compensation of $61,389.83 in 2019.
Employment and Compensation
Manufacturing Employment (2020)
148,000
(Percent share of nonfarm employment)
11.84%
Average Annual Compensation (Manufacturing, 2019)
$61,389.83
(Nonfarm Businesses, 2019)
$42,597.39
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau
Figure 1
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Arkansas Export Facts
Manufacturers help to drive Arkansas’s economy, with $4.72 billion in manufactured goods exports in 2020. That same year, $2.14 billion in exports was with our free trade agreement (FTA) partners. This helps create jobs in the state, and 14.10% of its employment stemmed from exports in 2011. Small businesses comprised 80.00% percent of all exporters in Arkansas.
Manufacturing Exports
Manufactured Goods Exports ($billions, 2020)
$4.72
(Percent share of total goods exports)
90.82%
U.S. Jobs Supported by Goods Exports (2016)
26,144
Employment from Manufacturing Exports (Export share of manufacturing jobs, 2011)
14.10%
Small Business Share of Total Exporters (2015)
80.00%
Manufactured Goods to Free Trade Agreement Partners ($billions, 2020)
$2.14
(Percent of total exports, 2020)
45.34%
Canada
23.52%
France
14.25%
Mexico
11.89%
Netherlands
4.85%
China
4.62%
Sources: International Trade Administration, U.S. Census Bureau
Figure 4
Additional Trade Facts
- The 20 U.S. FTA partners purchased 48.3% ($659.49 billion) of U.S. manufactured goods exports in 2019 – 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.