Invested in Business Growth
As a business-friendly state, Arkansas offers a range of competitive incentives for businesses looking to open, expand or relocate. From cash rebates to community grants, Arkansas' business incentives encourage job creation and investment.
View the Arkansas Incentives Tier MapKey Industries
Our unique blend of industries instantly connects you to a lucrative index of resources, talent, and decision-makers. Here, global retailers are neighbors to massive data curators. Biotechnologists rub elbows with industrial manufacturers. Alternative energy providers share communities with logistics specialists. Achieving success isn't just about what you know but also about who you know.
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Aerospace & Defense
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AgTech & Forestry
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Firearms & Ammunition
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Food & Beverage
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Information Technology
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Logistics & Distribution
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Metals
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Professional Services
Aerospace & Defense
Aerospace and aviation represents Arkansas’ #1 export, and we are home to nearly 150 well-known aerospace and defense companies that include MRO, component parts, completion centers, and defense contractors as well as the Little Rock Air Force Base. The state is also home to the Highland Industrial Park, one of the nation’s fastest growing defense corridors, with companies like Aerojet Rocketdyne, Esterline, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.
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AgTech & Forestry
Arkansas is at the heart of this timber-rich area of the country, due to much of the state being covered by 19 million acres of forestland, or more than half of the total area of the state. This is having a huge impact on the state’s economy, timber and forest products companies from around the world, and the lives of the many families living in the area who are seeing an increase in jobs created by those companies.
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Firearms & Ammunition
Arkansas keeps the firearms and ammunition industry in its sights. From manufacturers to businesses involved in sales and distribution, the Arkansas firearms and ammunition industry is diverse. Companies that call Arkansas home include SIG SAUER, Remington, Daisy, Walther, Nighthawk Custom, Thermold Magazines, Umarex, and Wilson Combat. As a pro-second amendment state, Arkansas welcomes firearms and ammunition companies looking to start-up, expand, or relocate.
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Food & Beverage
Arkansas knows the food and agribusiness industry. We're home to Tyson Foods, one of the world’s largest food companies, and manufacturing facilities for some of the top companies in the industry, including PepsiCo, Nestle, JBS USA, Kraft Heinz, and many others. We're also an agricultural leader, producing 49 percent of all the rice in the United States. The Arkansas Economic Development Commission works diligently to assist food and beverage companies looking to expand or relocate.
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Information Technology
When it comes to economic development in the technology sector, Arkansas is rising. With the second-lowest cost of living in the country and business incentives for technology-based organizations, the state is attracting companies from around the world and bringing in a skilled workforce to fill high-tech jobs in cybersecurity, fintech, retail, supply chain and more.
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Logistics & Distribution
With a central location and comprehensive transportation infrastructure, it’s not surprising that Arkansas has a growing distribution and logistics services sector. Arkansas is home to more than 6,800 transportation, logistics, and distribution companies. Additionally, Arkansas is home to Fortune 500 company J.B. Hunt Transportation Services.
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Metals
In Arkansas, the metals industry employs over 22,000 individuals and accounts for 13.6% of total manufacturing. Located in the Northeast corner of Arkansas, Mississippi County boasts the second-largest capacity for steel production in the nation.
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Professional Services
Home to corporate leaders in retail, transportation, food processing and oil, our economy is as diverse as our workforce. Arkansas offers great assets to companies looking to establish or relocate a headquarters operation.
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At AEDC, we know economic advancement doesn’t happen by accident. We work strategically with businesses and communities to create strong economic opportunities, making Arkansas the natural choice for success. Here are some examples of businesses that are thriving!
