Data / Rankings / Covered employment (QCEW) / Counties in Arkansas

Counties in Arkansas by covered employment (QCEW)

Pulaski County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 75 counties in 2016, at 247,493 jobs. Cleveland County had the lowest, at 963 jobs. The median was 5,538 jobs and the figure for Arkansas was 1,191,763 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest247,493Pulaski County
Lowest963Cleveland County
Median5,53875 counties
Arkansas1,191,763History

Map of counties, 2016

Arkansas County: 9,897 jobsAshley County: 6,638 jobsBaxter County: 14,603 jobsBenton County: 114,646 jobsBoone County: 13,918 jobsBradley County: 3,691 jobsCalhoun County: 2,755 jobsCarroll County: 10,803 jobsChicot County: 3,238 jobsClark County: 9,101 jobsClay County: 3,336 jobsCleburne County: 6,548 jobsCleveland County: 963 jobsColumbia County: 8,067 jobsConway County: 6,632 jobsCraighead County: 48,620 jobsCrawford County: 19,460 jobsCrittenden County: 16,503 jobsCross County: 4,991 jobsDallas County: 2,838 jobsDesha County: 4,577 jobsDrew County: 6,410 jobsFaulkner County: 40,264 jobsFranklin County: 4,471 jobsFulton County: 1,826 jobsGarland County: 36,361 jobsGrant County: 3,965 jobsGreene County: 15,354 jobsHempstead County: 7,822 jobsHot Spring County: 8,478 jobsHoward County: 6,977 jobsIndependence County: 15,398 jobsIzard County: 3,135 jobsJackson County: 5,317 jobsJefferson County: 28,237 jobsJohnson County: 8,623 jobsLafayette County: 1,209 jobsLawrence County: 4,032 jobsLee County: 1,970 jobsLincoln County: 2,862 jobsLittle River County: 3,474 jobsLogan County: 5,538 jobsLonoke County: 14,031 jobsMadison County: 3,172 jobsMarion County: 3,814 jobsMiller County: 12,951 jobsMississippi County: 17,985 jobsMonroe County: 2,140 jobsMontgomery County: 1,382 jobsNevada County: 2,462 jobsNewton County: 1,106 jobsOuachita County: 7,077 jobsPerry County: 1,226 jobsPhillips County: 5,464 jobsPike County: 2,477 jobsPoinsett County: 5,230 jobsPolk County: 5,835 jobsPope County: 26,148 jobsPrairie County: 1,484 jobsPulaski County: 247,493 jobsRandolph County: 4,871 jobsSt. Francis County: 7,934 jobsSaline County: 23,492 jobsScott County: 3,068 jobsSearcy County: 1,559 jobsSebastian County: 66,336 jobsSevier County: 4,894 jobsSharp County: 3,843 jobsStone County: 2,552 jobsUnion County: 17,772 jobsVan Buren County: 3,575 jobsWashington County: 103,088 jobsWhite County: 23,998 jobsWoodruff County: 1,778 jobsYell County: 6,440 jobs
  • Under 3,000
  • 3,000 to 4,000
  • 4,000 to 6,000
  • 6,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 to 18K
  • 18K and over
jobs, 2016. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Pulaski County: 247,493 jobsPulaski County247,493Benton County: 114,646 jobsBenton County114,646Washington County: 103,088 jobsWashington County103,088Sebastian County: 66,336 jobsSebastian County66,336Craighead County: 48,620 jobsCraighead County48,620Faulkner County: 40,264 jobsFaulkner County40,264Garland County: 36,361 jobsGarland County36,361Jefferson County: 28,237 jobsJefferson County28,237Pope County: 26,148 jobsPope County26,148White County: 23,998 jobsWhite County23,998Saline County: 23,492 jobsSaline County23,492Crawford County: 19,460 jobsCrawford County19,460Mississippi County: 17,985 jobsMississippi County17,985Union County: 17,772 jobsUnion County17,772Crittenden County: 16,503 jobsCrittenden County16,503Independence County: 15,398 jobsIndependence County15,398Greene County: 15,354 jobsGreene County15,354Baxter County: 14,603 jobsBaxter County14,603Lonoke County: 14,031 jobsLonoke County14,031Boone County: 13,918 jobsBoone County13,918Miller County: 12,951 jobsMiller County12,951Carroll County: 10,803 jobsCarroll County10,803Arkansas County: 9,897 jobsArkansas County9,897Clark County: 9,101 jobsClark County9,101Johnson County: 8,623 jobsJohnson County8,623Hot Spring County: 8,478 jobsHot Spring County8,478Columbia County: 8,067 jobsColumbia County8,067St. Francis County: 7,934 jobsSt. Francis County7,934Hempstead County: 7,822 jobsHempstead County7,822Ouachita County: 7,077 jobsOuachita County7,077Howard County: 6,977 jobsHoward County6,977Ashley County: 6,638 jobsAshley County6,638Conway County: 6,632 jobsConway County6,632Cleburne County: 6,548 jobsCleburne County6,548Yell County: 6,440 jobsYell County6,440Drew County: 6,410 jobsDrew County6,410Polk County: 5,835 jobsPolk County5,835Logan County: 5,538 jobsLogan County5,538Phillips County: 5,464 jobsPhillips County5,464Jackson County: 5,317 jobsJackson County5,317Pulaski County: 247,493 jobsPulaski County247,493Benton County: 114,646 jobsBenton County114,646Washington County: 103,088 jobsWashington County103,088Sebastian County: 66,336 jobsSebastian County66,336Craighead County: 48,620 jobsCraighead County48,620Faulkner County: 40,264 jobsFaulkner County40,264Garland County: 36,361 jobsGarland County36,361Jefferson County: 28,237 jobsJefferson County28,237Pope County: 26,148 jobsPope County26,148White County: 23,998 jobsWhite County23,998Saline County: 23,492 jobsSaline County23,492Crawford County: 19,460 jobsCrawford County19,460Mississippi County: 17,985 jobsMississippi County17,985Union County: 17,772 jobsUnion County17,772Crittenden County: 16,503 jobsCrittenden County16,503Independence County: 15,398 jobsIndependence County15,398Greene County: 15,354 jobsGreene County15,354Baxter County: 14,603 jobsBaxter County14,603Lonoke County: 14,031 jobsLonoke County14,031Boone County: 13,918 jobsBoone County13,918Miller County: 12,951 jobsMiller County12,951Carroll County: 10,803 jobsCarroll County10,803Arkansas County: 9,897 jobsArkansas County9,897Clark County: 9,101 jobsClark County9,101Johnson County: 8,623 jobsJohnson County8,623Hot Spring County: 8,478 jobsHot Spring County8,478Columbia County: 8,067 jobsColumbia County8,067St. Francis County: 7,934 jobsSt. Francis County7,934Hempstead County: 7,822 jobsHempstead County7,822Ouachita County: 7,077 jobsOuachita County7,077Howard County: 6,977 jobsHoward County6,977Ashley County: 6,638 jobsAshley County6,638Conway County: 6,632 jobsConway County6,632Cleburne County: 6,548 jobsCleburne County6,548Yell County: 6,440 jobsYell County6,440Drew County: 6,410 jobsDrew County6,410Polk County: 5,835 jobsPolk County5,835Logan County: 5,538 jobsLogan County5,538Phillips County: 5,464 jobsPhillips County5,464Jackson County: 5,317 jobsJackson County5,317
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
jobs		Change on 2015
1Pulaski County247,493+1%
2Benton County114,646+4.7%
3Washington County103,088+3.5%
4Sebastian County66,336+1.5%
5Craighead County48,620+3.4%
6Faulkner County40,264-0.6%
7Garland County36,361+1.1%
8Jefferson County28,237-0.1%
9Pope County26,148-2.5%
10White County23,998-1.7%
11Saline County23,492+2.9%
12Crawford County19,460+1.7%
13Mississippi County17,985+0.7%
14Union County17,772-3.6%
15Crittenden County16,503-3.6%
16Independence County15,398+3.7%
17Greene County15,354-0.9%
18Baxter County14,603+0.1%
19Lonoke County14,031+1.6%
20Boone County13,918+1.6%
21Miller County12,951-2.2%
22Carroll County10,803+2.9%
23Arkansas County9,897-2%
24Clark County9,101-0.1%
25Johnson County8,623+2.2%
26Hot Spring County8,478-0.4%
27Columbia County8,067-2.7%
28St. Francis County7,934+0.2%
29Hempstead County7,822+1.3%
30Ouachita County7,077-0.2%
31Howard County6,977-1.3%
32Ashley County6,638-4.4%
33Conway County6,632-4.9%
34Cleburne County6,548-1.4%
35Yell County6,440+1.8%
36Drew County6,410+0.4%
37Polk County5,835-1.2%
38Logan County5,538+0.3%
39Phillips County5,464-3.7%
40Jackson County5,317-0.2%
41Poinsett County5,230+0.7%
42Cross County4,991-1.6%
43Sevier County4,894+2.9%
44Randolph County4,871+13.9%
45Desha County4,577+0.2%
46Franklin County4,471+0.3%
47Lawrence County4,032-1.3%
48Grant County3,965+0.9%
49Sharp County3,843+1.6%
50Marion County3,814+0.8%
51Bradley County3,691-1%
52Van Buren County3,575-9%
53Little River County3,474-0.2%
54Clay County3,336-4.7%
55Chicot County3,238-2.2%
56Madison County3,172-2%
57Izard County3,135+0.2%
58Scott County3,068+0.2%
59Lincoln County2,862-0.1%
60Dallas County2,838+2.5%
61Calhoun County2,755+3.3%
62Stone County2,552+1.6%
63Pike County2,477+3.8%
64Nevada County2,462+2.2%
65Monroe County2,140-1.4%
66Lee County1,970-0.1%
67Fulton County1,826-2.4%
68Woodruff County1,778-1.7%
69Searcy County1,559-0.7%
70Prairie County1,484-2.3%
71Montgomery County1,382-4%
72Perry County1,226-2.3%
73Lafayette County1,209+0.3%
74Newton County1,106-0.7%
75Cleveland County963-2.3%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of 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. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Arkansas by covered employment (QCEW), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Arkansas by covered employment (QCEW), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/arkansas-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Arkansas by covered employment (QCEW), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/arkansas-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Arkansas by covered employment (QCEW), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/arkansas-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_arkansas_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Arkansas by covered employment (QCEW), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/arkansas-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Arkansas by covered employment (QCEW), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/arkansas-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/arkansas-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/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 covered employment (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"covered_employment","level":"province","within":"Arkansas","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=covered_employment&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 covered employment (QCEW)?

Pulaski County, with 247,493 jobs in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Cleveland County, with 963 jobs in 2016.

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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Arkansas: more rankings