 |
The Northwest Arkansas Workforce Investment Area includes the counties of Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Marion, Newton, Searcy, and Washington. |
|
Long-Term Employment Projections
|
Projected Industry Growth
2008-2018
Industry |
Estimated Employment
|
Projected Employment
|
Numeric Change
|
Percent Change
|
| Total Employment, All Jobs |
270,059 |
318,377 |
48,318 |
17.89 |
| Natural Resources and Mining |
1,835 |
1,521 |
-314 |
-17.11 |
| Construction |
10,804 |
11,739 |
935 |
8.65 |
| Manufacturing |
38,426 |
41,190 |
2,764 |
7.19 |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities |
53,716 |
62,831 |
9,115 |
16.97 |
| Information |
3,257 |
3,377 |
120 |
3.68 |
| Financial Activities |
9,878 |
11,780 |
1,902 |
19.25 |
| Professional and Business Services |
33,489 |
40,347 |
6,858 |
20.48 |
| Education and Health Services |
48,691 |
65,814 |
17,123 |
35.17 |
| Leisure and Hospitality |
22,965 |
28,620 |
5,655 |
24.62 |
| Other Services (Except Government) |
7,825 |
9,673 |
1,848 |
23.62 |
| Government (Excluding State/Local Education & Hospitals) |
11,116 |
14,226 |
3,110 |
27.98 |
Projected Occupational Growth
2008-2018
Occupation |
Estimated Employment
|
Projected Employment
|
Numeric Change
|
Percent Change
|
Total Annual Openings
|
| Total, All Occupations |
270,059 |
318,377 |
48,318 |
17.89 |
11,131 |
| Management Occupations |
24,897 |
25,471 |
574 |
2.31 |
575 |
| Business and Financial Operations Occupations |
12,270 |
14,863 |
2,593 |
21.13 |
520 |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations |
7,231 |
8,873 |
1,642 |
22.71 |
301 |
| Architecture and Engineering Occupations |
2,731 |
3,461 |
730 |
26.73 |
129 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations |
1,604 |
2,170 |
566 |
35.29 |
109 |
| Community and Social Services Occupations |
2,692 |
3,521 |
829 |
30.79 |
140 |
| Legal Occupations |
1,418 |
1,751 |
333 |
23.48 |
56 |
| Education, Training, and Library Occupations |
14,947 |
20,363 |
5,416 |
36.23 |
870 |
| Arts, Design, Entertain., Sports, & Media Occs |
3,224 |
3,716 |
492 |
15.26 |
139 |
| Healthcare Practitioners & Technical Occupations |
11,477 |
15,568 |
4,091 |
35.65 |
649 |
| Healthcare Support Occupations |
5,370 |
7,468 |
2,098 |
39.07 |
272 |
| Protective Service Occupations |
3,467 |
4,452 |
985 |
28.41 |
204 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations |
20,406 |
25,445 |
5,039 |
24.69 |
1,208 |
| Bldg & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occs |
8,211 |
9,526 |
1,315 |
16.02 |
269 |
| Personal Care and Service Occupations |
7,151 |
9,027 |
1,876 |
26.23 |
360 |
| Sales and Related Occupations |
25,694 |
29,416 |
3,722 |
14.49 |
1,123 |
| Office and Administrative Support Occupations |
41,210 |
47,993 |
6,783 |
16.46
|
1,581 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations |
1,694 |
1,537 |
-157 |
-9.27 |
50 |
| Construction and Extraction Occupations |
10,626 |
11,658 |
1,032 |
9.71 |
308 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations |
10,882 |
12,890 |
2,008 |
18.45 |
426 |
| Production Occupations |
27,790 |
30,163 |
2,373 |
8.54 |
877 |
| Transportation and Material Moving Occupations |
25,067 |
29,045 |
3,978 |
15.87 |
966 |
Top Ten Growth Industries, 2008-2018
Ranked by Net Growth
| Industry |
2008
Base
Employment
|
2018
Projected
Employment
|
Net
Growth
|
%
Growth
|
|
Educational Services
|
23,881
|
32,121
|
8,240
|
34.50
|
|
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
|
9,421
|
14,155
|
4,734
|
50.25
|
|
Ambulatory Health Care Services
|
8,603
|
13,098
|
4,495
|
52.25
|
|
Food Services and Drinking Places
|
17,345
|
21,606
|
4,261
|
24.57
|
|
Truck Transportation
|
12,398
|
15,575
|
3,177
|
25.63
|
|
Local government, Excluding Education and Hospitals
|
6,344
|
8,513
|
2,169
|
34.19
|
|
Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers
|
2,330
|
4,487
|
2,157
|
92.58
|
|
Food Manufacturing
|
15,898
|
17,693
|
1,795
|
11.29
|
|
Social Assistance
|
4,947
|
6,696
|
1,749
|
35.35
|
|
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
|
4,436
|
5,895
|
1,459
|
32.89
|
Top Ten Growth Occupations, 2008-2018
Ranked by Net Growth
|
Occupation
|
2008
Base
Employment
|
2018
Projected
Employment
|
Net
Growth
|
%
Growth
|
|
Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer
|
9,504
|
12,160
|
2,656
|
27.95
|
|
Registered Nurses
|
3,818
|
5,239
|
1,421
|
37.22
|
|
Waiters and Waitresses
|
4,972
|
6,125
|
1,153
|
23.19
|
|
Office Clerks, General
|
4,759
|
5,855
|
1,096
|
23.03
|
Combined Food Prep & Serving Workers, Incl. Fast Food
|
3,323
|
4,407
|
1,084
|
32.62
|
|
Retail Salespersons
|
8,586
|
9,616
|
1,030
|
12.00
|
|
Personal and Home Care Aides
|
1,347
|
2,278
|
931
|
69.12
|
|
Customer Service Representatives
|
2,611
|
3,506
|
895
|
34.28
|
|
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
|
4,236
|
5,096
|
860
|
20.30
|
|
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
|
2,014
|
2,830
|
816
|
40.52
|
| Short-Term Employment Projections |
Projected Industry Growth
2011-2013
| Industry |
Estimated Employment
|
Projected Employment
|
Numeric Change
|
| Total Employment, All Jobs |
264,054 |
267,962 |
3,908 |
| Natural Resources and Mining |
1,535 |
1,504 |
-31 |
| Construction |
8,005 |
7,680 |
-325 |
| Manufacturing |
34,238 |
34,284 |
46 |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities |
50,459 |
50,757 |
298 |
| Information |
2,590 |
2,582 |
-8 |
| Financial Activities |
8,487 |
8,350 |
-137 |
| Professional and Business Services |
35,416 |
36,732 |
1,316 |
| Education and Health Services |
52,986 |
54,688 |
1,702 |
| Leisure and Hospitality |
22,323 |
23,321 |
998 |
| Other Services (Except Government) |
7,935 |
8,010 |
75 |
| Government, Excluding State/Local Education and Hospitals |
11,266 |
11,361 |
95 |
Projected Occupational Growth
2011-2013
|
Occupation
|
Estimated Employment
|
Projected Employment
|
Numeric Change
|
Total Annual Openings
|
| Total, All Occupations |
264,054 |
267,962 |
3,908 |
8,579 |
| Management Occupations |
26,984 |
27,011 |
27 |
600 |
| Business and Financial Operations Occupations |
12,653 |
13,037 |
384 |
444 |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations |
7,128 |
7,485 |
357 |
308 |
| Architecture and Engineering Occupations |
2,593 |
2,646 |
53 |
81 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations |
1,715 |
1,748 |
33 |
76 |
| Community and Social Services Occupations |
3,334 |
3,476 |
142 |
135 |
| Legal Occupations |
1,705 |
1,720 |
15 |
37 |
| Education, Training, and Library Occupations |
14,978 |
15,426 |
448 |
540 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations |
2,888 |
2,920 |
32 |
108 |
| Healthcare Support Occupations |
6,310 |
6,545 |
235 |
201 |
| Protective Service Occupations |
3,294 |
3,339 |
45 |
117 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations |
20,258 |
21,164 |
805 |
1,269 |
| Personal Care and Service Occupations |
7,383 |
7,664 |
281 |
303 |
| Sales and Related Occupations |
25,795 |
26,255 |
460 |
1,121 |
| Office and Administrative Support Occupations |
39,263 |
39,567 |
304 |
1,067 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations |
1,587 |
1,551 |
-36 |
46 |
| Construction and Extraction Occupations |
8,722 |
8,555 |
-167 |
191 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations |
10,143 |
10,182 |
39 |
261 |
| Production Occupations |
24,343 |
24,426 |
83 |
667 |
| Other |
42,978 |
43,245 |
267 |
1,184 |
Top Ten Growth Industries, 2011-2013
Ranked by Net Growth
|
Industry
|
2011
Base
Employment
|
2013
Projected
Employment
|
Net
Growth
|
%
Growth
|
|
Food Services and Drinking Places
|
17,864 |
18,815 |
951 |
5.32%
|
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
17,183 |
17,829 |
646 |
3.76%
|
|
Educational Services
|
26,208 |
26,836 |
628 |
2.40%
|
|
Ambulatory Health Care Services
|
9,067 |
9,476 |
409 |
4.51%
|
| General Merchandise Stores |
7,522 |
7,882 |
360
|
4.79%
|
|
Social Assistance
|
5,733 |
6,085 |
352 |
6.14%
|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services |
9,749 |
10,081 |
332
|
3.41%
|
| Administrative and Support Services |
7,894 |
8,187 |
293 |
3.71%
|
| Transportation Equipment Manufacturing |
2,822 |
3,045 |
223 |
7.90%
|
| Nursing and Residential Care Facilities |
4,953 |
5,158 |
205 |
4.14%
|
Top Ten Growth Occupations, 2011-2013
Ranked by Net Growth
| Occupation |
2011
Base
Employment
|
2013
Projected
Employment
|
Net
Growth
|
%
Growth
|
| Combined Food Prep & Serving Workers, Including Fast Food |
3,935 |
4,273 |
338
|
8.59%
|
|
Personal Care Aides
|
2,293 |
2,474 |
181 |
7.89%
|
| Registered Nurses |
4,181 |
4,326 |
145 |
3.47%
|
|
Customer Service Representatives
|
3,213 |
3,352 |
139 |
4.33%
|
| Waiters and Waitresses |
5,039 |
5,140 |
101
|
2.00%
|
| Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants |
2,929 |
3,025 |
96 |
3.28%
|
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers |
1,572 |
1,668 |
96 |
6.11%
|
| Cooks, Fast Food |
1,962 |
2,057 |
95
|
4.84%
|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education |
2,309 |
2,391 |
82
|
3.55%
|
| Food Preparation Workers |
1,184 |
1,258 |
74 |
6.25%
|
| Occupational Employment and Wages |
Wages of Northwest's 10 Largest Occupations
May 2011
| Occupation |
Estimated Employment
|
Average
Wage
|
Entry Wage
|
Experience
Wage
|
| Retail Salespersons |
8,060 |
$23,286 |
$16,966 |
$26,447 |
| Waiters and Waitresses |
5,290 |
$18,417 |
$16,877 |
$19,187 |
| Cashiers |
5,070 |
$18,874 |
$16,983 |
$19,819 |
| Office Clerks, General |
5,010 |
$24,424 |
$17,459 |
$27,906 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand |
4,680 |
$22,150 |
$16,883 |
$24,784 |
| Registered Nurses |
4,200 |
$53,624 |
$39,151 |
$60,861 |
| Secretaries, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive |
3,970 |
$29,427 |
$20,843 |
$33,719 |
| Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food |
3,810 |
$17,148 |
$16,770 |
$17,337 |
| General Operations Managers |
3,500 |
$98,991 |
$44,052 |
$126,461 |
| Sales Reps, Wholesale & Mfg, Except Technical & Scientific Products |
3,390 |
$62,917 |
$31,498 |
$78,626 |
|
Covered Employment and Earnings
|
Employment and Earnings, By Industry
Calendar Year 2010
| Industry |
Average Employing Units
|
Average Covered Employment
|
Total Earnings
|
Average Weekly Earnings
|
| Total, All Industries |
14,895 |
224,660 |
$8,919,151,499 |
$763 |
| Natural Resources and Mining |
128 |
1,691 |
$77,463,276 |
$881 |
| Construction |
1,398 |
8,640 |
$324,273,831 |
$722 |
| Manufacturing |
685 |
34,658 |
$1,217,898,228 |
$676 |
| Trade, Transportation & Utilities |
3,667 |
50,131 |
$1,849,682,755 |
$710 |
| Information |
226 |
2,752 |
$117,095,600 |
$818 |
| Financial Activities |
1,471 |
8,857 |
$389,147,795 |
$845 |
| Professional and Business Services |
2,396 |
35,187 |
$2,431,489,014 |
$1,329 |
| Educational and Health Services |
2,090 |
27,601 |
$1,025,443,287 |
$714 |
| Leisure and Hospitality |
1,453 |
22,265 |
$306,745,683 |
$265 |
| Other Services |
963 |
4,382 |
$113,385,888 |
$498 |
| State Government |
108 |
7,963 |
$345,840,010 |
$835 |
| Local Government |
312 |
20,532 |
$720,686,132 |
$675 |
| Unemployment Rates and Labor Force Statistics |
September 2012
| County |
Civilian Labor Force
|
Number of Employed
|
Number of Unemployed
|
Unemploy. Rate
|
| Northwest LWIA |
291,525 |
276,625 |
14,900 |
5.1 |
| Baxter County |
18,000 |
16,800 |
1,200 |
6.6 |
| Benton County |
112,550 |
106,850 |
5,700 |
5.1 |
| Boone County |
17,500 |
16,450 |
1,050 |
6.0 |
| Carroll County |
14,775 |
14,150 |
625 |
4.2 |
| Madison County |
7,750 |
7,375 |
375 |
4.7 |
| Marion County |
6,700 |
6,250 |
450 |
6.9 |
| Newton County |
3,600 |
3,3785 |
225 |
6.3 |
| Searcy County |
3,450 |
3,225 |
225 |
6.7
|
| Washington County |
107,200 |
102,150 |
5,050 |
4.7 |
2011 Census Population
| County |
Population |
| Northwest LWIA |
589,825 |
| Baxter County |
41,536 |
| Benton County |
227,556 |
| Boone County |
37,051 |
| Carroll County |
27,512 |
| Madison County |
15,776 |
| Marion County |
16,573 |
| Newton County |
8,264 |
| Searcy County |
8,036 |
| Washington County |
207,521 |
2010 Total Personal Income - BEA
| County |
Income
|
| Baxter County |
$1,332,303.000 |
| Benton County |
$7,993,658,000 |
| Boone County |
$1,121,103,000 |
| Carroll County |
$721,736,000 |
| Madison County |
$357,519,000 |
| Marion County |
$436,697,000 |
| Newton County |
$201,642,000 |
| Searcy County |
$206,656,000 |
| Washington County |
$6,592,946,000 |
2010 Per Capita Income - BEA
| County |
Income
|
| Baxter County |
$32,083 |
| Benton County |
$35,858 |
| Boone County |
$30,371 |
| Carroll County |
$26,213 |
| Madison County |
$22,762 |
| Marion County |
$26,255 |
| Newton County |
$24,181 |
| Searcy County |
$25,245 |
| Washington County |
$32,309 |
2010 Median Household Income- Census
| County |
Income
|
| Baxter County |
$34,421 |
| Benton County |
$52,417 |
| Boone County |
$35,532 |
| Carroll County |
$33,789 |
| Madison County |
$34,547 |
| Marion County |
$31,438 |
| Newton County |
$30,965 |
| Searcy County |
$27,896 |
| Washington County |
$39,692 |
|
