Arkansas is located in the southern region of the United States. It shares a border with six states, the Mississippi River mostly dominating its eastern border. Arkansas has a population of 2,889,450 (2009 est.)*, most of them residing in Little Rock, the state’s capital.
As of 2008, the gross state product was reported to be at $98 billion or $27,783 per capita.** Arkansas’ agricultural products include poultry and eggs, cattle, hogs, rice, cotton, milk, soybeans and sorghum, while its industrial products are electric equipment, fabricated metal, paper, machinery, bromine and vanadium.
Some global companies have their headquarters in Arkansas, most notably Wal-Mart, J.B. Hunt and Tyson Foods.
Nicknamed “The Natural State,” Arkansas is also a tourist spot with many areas protected by the National Park System. These include Fort Smith National Historic Site, Hot Springs National Park, among others. Arkansas is also the only U.S. state in which diamonds are mined. For a minimal daily fee, members of the public are allowed to dig for diamonds using primitive tools.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for Arkansas is at 7.5% as of August 2010.***
| Unemployment Agency | Website | Phone Number | State |
| Dept. of Workforce Services | Arkansas Website | 501-683-27602 | Arkansas Unemployment Benefits |
Below is a list of the 50 largest employers in Arkansas:****
| Employer | City |
| WAL-MART STORES INC. | Bentonville |
| WAL-MART US DIV | Bentonville |
| UAMS MEDICAL CTR | Little Rock |
| WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER CANCER | Little Rock |
| UNIVERSITY-AR-MEDICAL SCIENCES | Little Rock |
| UAMS | Little Rock |
| UNIVERSITY ARKANSAS MEDICAL | Little Rock |
| BAPTIST HEALTH | Little Rock |
| O.K. INDUSTRIES INC. | Fort Smith |
| BAPTIST HEALTH MEDICAL CTR. | Little Rock |
| WEYERHAEUSER CO | Hot Springs National Park |
| SAM’S CLUB DIV | Bentonville |
| WHIRLPOOL CORP. | Fort Smith |
| UNIVERSITY-AR FAYETTEVILLE | Fayetteville |
| HIGHWAY & TRANSPORTATION DEPT. | Little Rock |
| HOLY SABBATH CHRISTIAN CHURCH | Bismarck |
| MC CLELLAN V.A. MEDICAL CTR | Little Rock |
| TOWBIN V.A. HEALTHCARE CTR | North Little Rock |
| TYSON FOODS INC. | Springdale |
| ST. VINCENT HEALTH SYSTEM | Little Rock |
| TYSON FOODS INC. | Nashville |
| VERIZON WIRELESS RGNL HDQRTRS | Little Rock |
| SPARKS REGIONAL MEDICAL CTR | Fort Smith |
| ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY | Jonesboro |
| SPARKS HEALTH SYSTEM | Fort Smith |
| WASHINGTON REGIONAL | Fayetteville |
| ST. EDWARD MERCY MEDICAL CTR | Fort Smith |
| ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL | Little Rock |
| COOPER TIRE & RUBBER CO. | Texarkana |
| FIDELITY INFORMATION SVC | Little Rock |
| HUMAN SERVICES DEPT. | Little Rock |
| NATIONAL GUARD | North Little Rock |
| ST. BERNARD’S MEDICAL CTR | Jonesboro |
| NORTHWEST MEDICAL CTR | Springdale |
| SUPERIOR INDUSTRIES INTL INC. | Fayetteville |
| TYSON FOODS INC. | Berryville |
| TYSON FOODS INC. | White Hall |
| BAXTER HEALTHCARE | Mountain Home |
| DILLARD’S INC. | Little Rock |
| PILGRIM’S PRIDE CORP. | El Dorado |
| ST. JOSEPH’S MERCY HEALTH CTR | Hot Springs National Park |
| UPS CUSTOMER CTR | Little Rock |
| MC KEE FOODS CORP. | Gentry |
| ACXIOM CORP. | Conway |
| ACXIOM CORP. | Little Rock |
| J.B. HUNT TRANSPORT SVC INC. | Lowell |
| JOSEPH T. ROBINSON CAMP | North Little Rock |
| PILGRIM’S PRIDE CORP. | De Queen |
| TYSON FOODS INC. | Hope |
| TYSON FOODS INC. | Green Forest |
Sources:
* http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05000.html
** http://www.bea.gov/regional/gsp/action.cfm
*** http://data.bls.gov:8080/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet;jsessionid=62307c4f83322c285470
**** http://www.acinet.org/acinet/oview6.asp?printer=&next=oview6&id=11&nodeid=12&stfips=05&group=1