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The Arkansas Economic Development Commission Welcomes Your Interest in Arkansas.

The mission of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission is to lead statewide economic development, create targeted strategies which produce better paying jobs, promote communities, and support the training and growth of a 21st century skilled workforce.

Arkansas is a Natural for Business, noted as a leader in the South for its favorable business climate and low cost of doing business.

Arkansas is proud of the four homegrown Fortune 500 companies headquartered here: Dillard's, Murphy Oil, Tyson Foods and Walmart.

Arkansas is making headlines:

• In October 2011, Business Insider named two Arkansas counties, Craighead and Saline, among 20 American Cities and Counties that Could be the Next Silicon Valley.
• CNBC's Top States for Business 2010 ranked Arkansas's cost of doing business as second lowest in the nation.
• Arkansas's education system ranks sixth in the nation, according to Education Week's "Quality Counts" report.
• In 2010, the Wall Street Journal ranked Little Rock as the Sixth Best Market in the U.S. for single family real estate investment.
• In 2010, the Brookings Institute MetroMonitor ranked Little Rock among America's 20 Strongest Performing Economies.
• In 2010, Forbes named Fayetteville among the top 20 MSAs in the U.S. for Business and Careers.
• Arkansas-based Wal-Mart and J.B. Hunt were included among Fortune's Most Admired companies in 2010.
• In early 2011, Southern Business and Development magazine noted "Arkansas's Rural Regions Fared Better than any Southern State in Recent Recession" going on to say "Why are Arkansas's rural areas faring so much better than just about all of the states in South? There is no one answer to that question, yet business retention has to be a factor."

Employers give favorable ratings to Arkansas workers for their work ethic, skills, productivity and low turnover rates. Businesses report great success in recruiting quality and reliable people.

The average cost of living for all of Arkansas's MSAs is consistently below the national average. Businesses also enjoy low tax obligations through a variety of incentives, exemptions, credits and refunds.

Because of its central location, Arkansas provides a valuable transportation advantage. Halfway between Canada and Mexico, the Carolinas and California, Arkansas is only a tank of gas away from one-third of the nation's population.