Arkansas Food & Beverage - By the Numbers

• At the end of 2017, there were 341 food and beverage companies in Arkansas, employing 48,770 people. 
• Between January 2015 and June 2018, there have been 66 economic development projects in the food and beverage manufacturing industry, with 2,204 new jobs and $1.5 billion of proposed investments. 

MEETING THE WORKFORCE NEED

• 23 of the top 25 food and beverage companies by revenue in the world have manufacturing facilities in the state.
• Arkansas has the second largest number of food processing workers in the U.S.
• 341 companies employed nearly 50,000 Arkansans in the Food and Beverage Industry at the end of 2017.

Arkansas Agriculture Rankings

• #1 in rice production
• #2 for broilers
• #3 catfish
• #4 cotton and cottonseed
• #5 turkeys
• #10 grain sorghum and chicken eggs
• #11 soybeans

INFRASTRUCTURE

• Three U.S. Interstates connecting east and west coasts, and the Canada and Mexico borders, including I-30, I-55, and I-40
• 16,418 miles of state and U.S. Highways – 12th largest system in the U.S.
• Eight Intermodal freight facilities with four riverports
• 2,505 miles of rail and three Class 1 rail systems
• #3 in the nation with 1,000 miles of inland, navigable waterways
• More than 90 public airports including Clinton National, Northwest Arkansas Regional, and close proximity to Memphis International Airport and the Fed-Ex hub

EDUCATION

• 45 colleges, universities & 2-year colleges
• That state offers a wide range of education and training programs for food and beverage industry professionals.  
• AEDC’s Manufacturing Solutions offers multiple workshops and training sessions beneficial to businesses involved in the food and beverage industry.

Download the Food & Beverage Report