How many jobs were lost in Arkansas last month?
Refreshed monthly
Arkansas lost 2,200 jobs in June 2026, ranking it 46th among states in job growth. Those figures comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 1,800 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
-2.2K
month to month change in number of jobs (June 2026)
46th
rank among states in monthly job growth (June 2026)
Arkansas’s job loss of 2,200 June 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was down from the 500 gain in May 2026.
During the latest five year period (July 2021 to June 2026), Arkansas gained jobs in 44 out of 60 months. June 2026 had the third-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (+12,600) while job growth was weakest in July 2023 (-3,300).
There were 2,200 fewer jobs in June 2026 in Arkansas than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, July 2021–June 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Arkansas sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in June 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in June 2026 were non-durable goods, construction, and administrative and support and waste management and remediation services. Non-durable goods added 400 jobs, more than the entire economy. Construction gained 300 jobs, while administrative and support and waste management and remediation services added 100. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
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The health care and social assistance sector gained 100 jobs during June 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Arkansas (June 2026)
How does Arkansas's job growth in 2026 compare to previous years?
In 2025, Arkansas gained an average of 725 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 1,367, and the lowest since 2024. The 2025 average ranks as 13th-highest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 2,900 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 2,900 on average every month in 2022.
In 2025, Arkansas gained an average of 725 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among five metro areas primarily in Arkansas during June 2026 ranged from a loss of 1,100 jobs in the Little Rock, AR area to a gain of 1,000 jobs in the Fayetteville, AR area metro area
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Arkansas
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +1,000 | |
| 2. | -200 | |
| 3. | -200 | |
| 4. | -200 | |
| 5. | -400 | |
| 6. | -1,100 | |
| 7. | -1,300 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
