Of the top 10 largest Arkansas counties by GDP, only Washington County posted a GDP (gross domestic product) decline – down 0.6% – between 2022 and 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

The BEA county and metro area GDP numbers were posted Wednesday (Dec. 4), and are the most recent metro and county GDP numbers available.

Arkansas’ GDP ended 2023 at $142.86 billion, up 2.4% compared with $139.56 billion in 2022. Of Arkansas’s top 10 counties by GDP, only Craighead and Washington counties had percentage changes below that of the state. Following are the top 10 counties by GDP, with percentage increase from 2022.
• Pulaski: $31.61 billion, up 3.2%
• Benton: $19.712 billion, up 3.1%
• Washington: $13.24 billion, down 0.6%
• Sebastian: $7.271 billion, up 3%
• Craighead: $5.482 billion, up 1.1%
• Faulkner: $4.414 billion, up 4.4%
• Mississippi: $3.823 billion, up 8.6%
• Garland: $3.654 billion, up 2.7%
• Pope: $3.165 billion, up 7.6%
• Saline: $3.072 billion, up 5.3%

2023 GDP in Arkansas’ 10 largest counties was almost 67% of state total

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Arkansas’ real gross domestic product (GDP) rose 2.5% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous quarter, above the national rate of 1.4%, and ranking 11th in the nation. The state’s personal income rose 6.1%, below 7% nationwide, and ranking 38th among all states.

Real GDP increased in 39 states and the District of Columbia in the first quarter of 2024, with the percent change ranging from 5% at an annual rate in Idaho to a 4.2% decline in South Dakota, according to a Friday (June 28) report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

Personal income, in current dollars, increased in all 50 states, with the percent change ranging from 9.5% in South Carolina to 0.6% in North Dakota.

Arkansas GDP up 2.5% in the first quarter, personal income up 6.1%