The average salary in Arkansas is approximately $59,020 per year, based on an average weekly wage of $1,135 reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the third quarter of 2025. That figure sits well below the national average, but Arkansas also has one of the lowest costs of living in the country, which stretches each paycheck further than the raw number suggests.
How Arkansas Pay Compares Nationally
Arkansas consistently ranks among the lower-paying states when you look at raw dollar figures. The roughly $59,000 annual average trails the national average by a meaningful margin. But salary alone doesn’t tell the full story.
Arkansas has a cost of living index of 90.1, meaning everyday expenses run about 10% cheaper than the national average. Housing is where the gap is widest, with an index of just 78.8, or roughly 21% below the national benchmark. Groceries, utilities, and transportation costs also come in below the national average. So while a $59,000 salary in Arkansas buys less than the same number in a vacuum, it goes further in practice than the same paycheck would in most parts of the country.
Salaries by Major Industry
What you earn in Arkansas depends heavily on your field. The state’s economy leans on healthcare, logistics, retail, and manufacturing, and pay varies widely across those sectors.
Healthcare practitioners and technical workers (think registered nurses, pharmacists, and physical therapists) earn the highest average among major employment categories at $78,010 per year. That’s a significant step above the statewide average and reflects the persistent demand for licensed healthcare professionals across the state’s hospitals and clinics.
Sales and related occupations average $42,450, while transportation and material moving jobs, a large category in a state that serves as a major logistics hub, average $42,110. These two sectors employ enormous numbers of workers and sit closer to the middle of the pay scale.
Healthcare support roles, which include home health aides, medical assistants, and nursing assistants, average $33,360. These positions typically require less formal education but also represent some of the lowest-paid work in the healthcare system. At the bottom of the pay scale, the state minimum wage is $11.00 per hour, which applies to employers with four or more employees and works out to about $22,880 annually for a full-time worker.
What Drives the Pay Gap
Several factors keep Arkansas salaries below the national average. The state has a relatively high share of employment in lower-wage industries like retail, food service, and agriculture. It also has fewer corporate headquarters and tech employers compared to states with higher averages, though Northwest Arkansas is a notable exception thanks to Walmart, Tyson Foods, and J.B. Hunt all being headquartered there.
Educational attainment plays a role as well. States with higher percentages of residents holding bachelor’s and graduate degrees tend to report higher average wages, and Arkansas falls below the national average on both measures. That doesn’t mean high-paying jobs don’t exist in the state. It means the mix of jobs skews toward occupations that pay less on average.
Regional Differences Within Arkansas
Pay isn’t uniform across the state. Metropolitan areas like Little Rock and the Northwest Arkansas corridor (Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville) tend to offer higher wages than rural parts of the state. Northwest Arkansas in particular has seen strong wage growth driven by the corporate presence of major employers and the surrounding ecosystem of suppliers, consultants, and professional services firms that support them.
Rural counties, especially in the Delta region and parts of southern Arkansas, typically report lower average wages. These areas have fewer large employers and a heavier reliance on agriculture, timber, and small-scale manufacturing. If you’re evaluating a job offer in Arkansas, where in the state matters nearly as much as what industry you’re in.
What This Means for Your Budget
If you’re considering a move to Arkansas or benchmarking a job offer, the combination of lower salaries and lower costs can work in your favor. A household earning $59,000 in Arkansas has roughly the same purchasing power as one earning $65,000 to $66,000 in an average-cost state. For housing specifically, the advantage is even larger. Median home prices and average rents in Arkansas run significantly below national figures, freeing up a bigger share of your income for savings, debt repayment, or discretionary spending.
That said, not every expense scales with local cost of living. Student loan payments, car loans, and online purchases cost the same no matter where you live. The cost of living advantage shows up most clearly in housing, groceries, and local services, while fixed national-price obligations stay unchanged.