Data / Rankings / Business establishments (QCEW) / Counties in Arkansas

Counties in Arkansas by business establishments (QCEW)

Pulaski County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 75 counties in 2018, at 14,431. Calhoun County had the lowest, at 105. The median was 513 and the figure for Arkansas was 90,444. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest14,431Pulaski County
Lowest105Calhoun County
Median51375 counties
Arkansas90,444History

Map of counties, 2018

Arkansas County: 801 countAshley County: 569 countBaxter County: 1,242 countBenton County: 6,596 countBoone County: 977 countBradley County: 368 countCalhoun County: 105 countCarroll County: 816 countChicot County: 503 countClark County: 664 countClay County: 384 countCleburne County: 656 countCleveland County: 133 countColumbia County: 701 countConway County: 537 countCraighead County: 2,853 countCrawford County: 1,254 countCrittenden County: 1,208 countCross County: 483 countDallas County: 238 countDesha County: 555 countDrew County: 544 countFaulkner County: 2,871 countFranklin County: 378 countFulton County: 207 countGarland County: 3,073 countGrant County: 345 countGreene County: 911 countHempstead County: 521 countHot Spring County: 629 countHoward County: 371 countIndependence County: 915 countIzard County: 266 countJackson County: 441 countJefferson County: 2,091 countJohnson County: 501 countLafayette County: 168 countLawrence County: 418 countLee County: 282 countLincoln County: 299 countLittle River County: 256 countLogan County: 513 countLonoke County: 1,304 countMadison County: 271 countMarion County: 291 countMiller County: 896 countMississippi County: 1,129 countMonroe County: 299 countMontgomery County: 177 countNevada County: 203 countNewton County: 131 countOuachita County: 666 countPerry County: 144 countPhillips County: 756 countPike County: 264 countPoinsett County: 513 countPolk County: 513 countPope County: 1,862 countPrairie County: 259 countPulaski County: 14,431 countRandolph County: 405 countSt. Francis County: 715 countSaline County: 2,043 countScott County: 186 countSearcy County: 180 countSebastian County: 3,733 countSevier County: 320 countSharp County: 395 countStone County: 284 countUnion County: 1,310 countVan Buren County: 348 countWashington County: 6,147 countWhite County: 1,812 countWoodruff County: 211 countYell County: 427 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,300
  • 1,300 and over
count, 2018. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2018

Pulaski County: 14,431 countPulaski County14,431Benton County: 6,596 countBenton County6,596Washington County: 6,147 countWashington County6,147Sebastian County: 3,733 countSebastian County3,733Garland County: 3,073 countGarland County3,073Faulkner County: 2,871 countFaulkner County2,871Craighead County: 2,853 countCraighead County2,853Jefferson County: 2,091 countJefferson County2,091Saline County: 2,043 countSaline County2,043Pope County: 1,862 countPope County1,862White County: 1,812 countWhite County1,812Union County: 1,310 countUnion County1,310Lonoke County: 1,304 countLonoke County1,304Crawford County: 1,254 countCrawford County1,254Baxter County: 1,242 countBaxter County1,242Crittenden County: 1,208 countCrittenden County1,208Mississippi County: 1,129 countMississippi County1,129Boone County: 977 countBoone County977Independence County: 915 countIndependence County915Greene County: 911 countGreene County911Miller County: 896 countMiller County896Carroll County: 816 countCarroll County816Arkansas County: 801 countArkansas County801Phillips County: 756 countPhillips County756St. Francis County: 715 countSt. Francis County715Columbia County: 701 countColumbia County701Ouachita County: 666 countOuachita County666Clark County: 664 countClark County664Cleburne County: 656 countCleburne County656Hot Spring County: 629 countHot Spring County629Ashley County: 569 countAshley County569Desha County: 555 countDesha County555Drew County: 544 countDrew County544Conway County: 537 countConway County537Hempstead County: 521 countHempstead County521Logan County: 513 countLogan County513Poinsett County: 513 countPoinsett County513Polk County: 513 countPolk County513Chicot County: 503 countChicot County503Johnson County: 501 countJohnson County501Pulaski County: 14,431 countPulaski County14,431Benton County: 6,596 countBenton County6,596Washington County: 6,147 countWashington County6,147Sebastian County: 3,733 countSebastian County3,733Garland County: 3,073 countGarland County3,073Faulkner County: 2,871 countFaulkner County2,871Craighead County: 2,853 countCraighead County2,853Jefferson County: 2,091 countJefferson County2,091Saline County: 2,043 countSaline County2,043Pope County: 1,862 countPope County1,862White County: 1,812 countWhite County1,812Union County: 1,310 countUnion County1,310Lonoke County: 1,304 countLonoke County1,304Crawford County: 1,254 countCrawford County1,254Baxter County: 1,242 countBaxter County1,242Crittenden County: 1,208 countCrittenden County1,208Mississippi County: 1,129 countMississippi County1,129Boone County: 977 countBoone County977Independence County: 915 countIndependence County915Greene County: 911 countGreene County911Miller County: 896 countMiller County896Carroll County: 816 countCarroll County816Arkansas County: 801 countArkansas County801Phillips County: 756 countPhillips County756St. Francis County: 715 countSt. Francis County715Columbia County: 701 countColumbia County701Ouachita County: 666 countOuachita County666Clark County: 664 countClark County664Cleburne County: 656 countCleburne County656Hot Spring County: 629 countHot Spring County629Ashley County: 569 countAshley County569Desha County: 555 countDesha County555Drew County: 544 countDrew County544Conway County: 537 countConway County537Hempstead County: 521 countHempstead County521Logan County: 513 countLogan County513Poinsett County: 513 countPoinsett County513Polk County: 513 countPolk County513Chicot County: 503 countChicot County503Johnson County: 501 countJohnson County501
count. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018
count		Change on 2017
1Pulaski County14,431+0.8%
2Benton County6,596+2.9%
3Washington County6,147+3.4%
4Sebastian County3,733+1.1%
5Garland County3,073-1.5%
6Faulkner County2,871+1.8%
7Craighead County2,8530%
8Jefferson County2,091-1.6%
9Saline County2,043+0.7%
10Pope County1,862+1%
11White County1,8120%
12Union County1,310+0.3%
13Lonoke County1,304+0.9%
14Crawford County1,254-0.1%
15Baxter County1,242+1.1%
16Crittenden County1,208-3.6%
17Mississippi County1,129-2.1%
18Boone County977+0.6%
19Independence County915+0.8%
20Greene County911+1%
21Miller County896-0.2%
22Carroll County816+1%
23Arkansas County801+3.1%
24Phillips County756-3.6%
25St. Francis County715-3.9%
26Columbia County701-2.1%
27Ouachita County666+0.2%
28Clark County664+4.1%
29Cleburne County656-1.6%
30Hot Spring County629-2.2%
31Ashley County569-0.2%
32Desha County555-1.9%
33Drew County544-0.5%
34Conway County537-0.2%
35Hempstead County521+1.4%
36Logan County513+0.6%
36Poinsett County513-2.5%
36Polk County513+1%
39Chicot County503-4.7%
40Johnson County501+0.8%
41Cross County483-1%
42Jackson County441-2.4%
43Yell County427+0.5%
44Lawrence County418-1.4%
45Randolph County405+0.7%
46Sharp County395-2.7%
47Clay County384-0.8%
48Franklin County378+1.9%
49Howard County371+1.6%
50Bradley County368-1.3%
51Van Buren County348-2.5%
52Grant County345-2.3%
53Sevier County320+1.6%
54Lincoln County2990%
54Monroe County299-3.5%
56Marion County291+1%
57Stone County284+2.2%
58Lee County282-4.1%
59Madison County271+1.5%
60Izard County266-0.7%
61Pike County2640%
62Prairie County259-3.7%
63Little River County256-1.2%
64Dallas County238-5.6%
65Woodruff County211-0.9%
66Fulton County207+3%
67Nevada County203-1%
68Scott County186+0.5%
69Searcy County180+3.4%
70Montgomery County177+1.1%
71Lafayette County168-5.6%
72Perry County144-3.4%
73Cleveland County133+1.5%
74Newton County1310%
75Calhoun County105+1.9%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of establishments with jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. An establishment is a single place of business, such as a factory, store or office; a company with several locations has several.

Counts places of business, not firms: for firms use employer_firms. Changes in how large employers report their locations can move the count without any change in activity.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Arkansas by business establishments (QCEW), 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Arkansas by business establishments (QCEW), 2018. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/arkansas-counties?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Arkansas by business establishments (QCEW), 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/arkansas-counties?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Arkansas by business establishments (QCEW), 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/arkansas-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_arkansas_by_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Arkansas by business establishments (QCEW), 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/arkansas-counties?period=2018. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Arkansas by business establishments (QCEW), 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/arkansas-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/arkansas-counties?period=2018.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Arkansas by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"establishments_qcew","level":"province","within":"Arkansas","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=establishments_qcew&level=province&within=Arkansas&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Pulaski County, with 14,431 in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Calhoun County, with 105 in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Business establishments (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Arkansas: more rankings