How many jobs were lost in Arkansas last month?
Refreshed monthly
Arkansas lost 1,500 jobs in July 2026, ranking it 38th among states in job growth. Those figures come 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 1,700 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
-1.5K
month to month change in number of jobs (July 2026)
38th
rank among states in monthly job growth (July 2026)
July 2026’s loss of 1,500 jobs was the second consecutive month of negative job growth in Arkansas. Monthly job growth was up from the 2,000 lost jobs in June 2026.
During the latest five year period (August 2021 to July 2026), Arkansas gained jobs in 43 out of 60 months. July 2026 had the sixth-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 1,500 fewer jobs in July 2026 in Arkansas than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, August 2021–July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Arkansas sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in July 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in July 2026 were transportation, warehousing, and utilities, construction, and other services. Transportation, warehousing, and utilities added 900 jobs, more than the entire economy. Construction gained 400 jobs, while other services added 200. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were accommodation and food services, administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, and health care and social assistance. Accommodation and food services lost 1,000 jobs in July 2026, while administrative and support and waste management and remediation services lost 500 jobs and health care and social assistance lost 500 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector lost 500 jobs during July 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Arkansas (July 2026)
How has Arkansas's job growth changed over time?
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 2020. 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 July 2026 ranged from a loss of 300 jobs in the Fort Smith, AR area metro area to a gain of 1,000 jobs in the Little Rock, 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. | +800 | |
| 3. | +100 | |
| 4. | +0 | |
| 5. | -100 | |
| 6. | -200 | |
| 7. | -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.
