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 2023, at 256,872 jobs. Newton County had the lowest, at 985 jobs. The median was 5,690 jobs and the figure for Arkansas was 1,278,470 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest256,872Pulaski County
Lowest985Newton County
Median5,69075 counties
Arkansas1,278,470History

Map of counties, 2023

Arkansas County: 10,319 jobsAshley County: 5,690 jobsBaxter County: 16,074 jobsBenton County: 139,320 jobsBoone County: 14,578 jobsBradley County: 3,621 jobsCalhoun County: 3,055 jobsCarroll County: 10,856 jobsChicot County: 2,730 jobsClark County: 8,363 jobsClay County: 3,079 jobsCleburne County: 6,452 jobsCleveland County: 1,082 jobsColumbia County: 8,014 jobsConway County: 6,747 jobsCraighead County: 54,001 jobsCrawford County: 19,117 jobsCrittenden County: 15,861 jobsCross County: 4,688 jobsDallas County: 2,588 jobsDesha County: 4,397 jobsDrew County: 6,381 jobsFaulkner County: 44,357 jobsFranklin County: 4,890 jobsFulton County: 1,850 jobsGarland County: 37,985 jobsGrant County: 4,293 jobsGreene County: 15,882 jobsHempstead County: 7,777 jobsHot Spring County: 8,103 jobsHoward County: 6,338 jobsIndependence County: 17,381 jobsIzard County: 2,862 jobsJackson County: 5,069 jobsJefferson County: 25,848 jobsJohnson County: 8,397 jobsLafayette County: 1,004 jobsLawrence County: 4,047 jobsLee County: 1,706 jobsLincoln County: 2,674 jobsLittle River County: 3,040 jobsLogan County: 5,177 jobsLonoke County: 15,228 jobsMadison County: 3,532 jobsMarion County: 3,403 jobsMiller County: 12,285 jobsMississippi County: 17,998 jobsMonroe County: 1,827 jobsMontgomery County: 1,310 jobsNevada County: 2,041 jobsNewton County: 985 jobsOuachita County: 7,283 jobsPerry County: 1,016 jobsPhillips County: 4,490 jobsPike County: 2,631 jobsPoinsett County: 5,236 jobsPolk County: 5,930 jobsPope County: 26,826 jobsPrairie County: 1,528 jobsPulaski County: 256,872 jobsRandolph County: 5,890 jobsSt. Francis County: 6,729 jobsSaline County: 27,037 jobsScott County: 3,223 jobsSearcy County: 1,480 jobsSebastian County: 66,887 jobsSevier County: 4,929 jobsSharp County: 3,908 jobsStone County: 2,630 jobsUnion County: 16,703 jobsVan Buren County: 3,825 jobsWashington County: 118,123 jobsWhite County: 25,144 jobsWoodruff County: 1,980 jobsYell County: 6,510 jobs
  • Under 3,000
  • 3,000 to 4,000
  • 4,000 to 6,000
  • 6,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 to 18K
  • 18K and over
jobs, 2023. 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, 2023

Pulaski County: 256,872 jobsPulaski County256,872Benton County: 139,320 jobsBenton County139,320Washington County: 118,123 jobsWashington County118,123Sebastian County: 66,887 jobsSebastian County66,887Craighead County: 54,001 jobsCraighead County54,001Faulkner County: 44,357 jobsFaulkner County44,357Garland County: 37,985 jobsGarland County37,985Saline County: 27,037 jobsSaline County27,037Pope County: 26,826 jobsPope County26,826Jefferson County: 25,848 jobsJefferson County25,848White County: 25,144 jobsWhite County25,144Crawford County: 19,117 jobsCrawford County19,117Mississippi County: 17,998 jobsMississippi County17,998Independence County: 17,381 jobsIndependence County17,381Union County: 16,703 jobsUnion County16,703Baxter County: 16,074 jobsBaxter County16,074Greene County: 15,882 jobsGreene County15,882Crittenden County: 15,861 jobsCrittenden County15,861Lonoke County: 15,228 jobsLonoke County15,228Boone County: 14,578 jobsBoone County14,578Miller County: 12,285 jobsMiller County12,285Carroll County: 10,856 jobsCarroll County10,856Arkansas County: 10,319 jobsArkansas County10,319Johnson County: 8,397 jobsJohnson County8,397Clark County: 8,363 jobsClark County8,363Hot Spring County: 8,103 jobsHot Spring County8,103Columbia County: 8,014 jobsColumbia County8,014Hempstead County: 7,777 jobsHempstead County7,777Ouachita County: 7,283 jobsOuachita County7,283Conway County: 6,747 jobsConway County6,747St. Francis County: 6,729 jobsSt. Francis County6,729Yell County: 6,510 jobsYell County6,510Cleburne County: 6,452 jobsCleburne County6,452Drew County: 6,381 jobsDrew County6,381Howard County: 6,338 jobsHoward County6,338Polk County: 5,930 jobsPolk County5,930Randolph County: 5,890 jobsRandolph County5,890Ashley County: 5,690 jobsAshley County5,690Poinsett County: 5,236 jobsPoinsett County5,236Logan County: 5,177 jobsLogan County5,177Pulaski County: 256,872 jobsPulaski County256,872Benton County: 139,320 jobsBenton County139,320Washington County: 118,123 jobsWashington County118,123Sebastian County: 66,887 jobsSebastian County66,887Craighead County: 54,001 jobsCraighead County54,001Faulkner County: 44,357 jobsFaulkner County44,357Garland County: 37,985 jobsGarland County37,985Saline County: 27,037 jobsSaline County27,037Pope County: 26,826 jobsPope County26,826Jefferson County: 25,848 jobsJefferson County25,848White County: 25,144 jobsWhite County25,144Crawford County: 19,117 jobsCrawford County19,117Mississippi County: 17,998 jobsMississippi County17,998Independence County: 17,381 jobsIndependence County17,381Union County: 16,703 jobsUnion County16,703Baxter County: 16,074 jobsBaxter County16,074Greene County: 15,882 jobsGreene County15,882Crittenden County: 15,861 jobsCrittenden County15,861Lonoke County: 15,228 jobsLonoke County15,228Boone County: 14,578 jobsBoone County14,578Miller County: 12,285 jobsMiller County12,285Carroll County: 10,856 jobsCarroll County10,856Arkansas County: 10,319 jobsArkansas County10,319Johnson County: 8,397 jobsJohnson County8,397Clark County: 8,363 jobsClark County8,363Hot Spring County: 8,103 jobsHot Spring County8,103Columbia County: 8,014 jobsColumbia County8,014Hempstead County: 7,777 jobsHempstead County7,777Ouachita County: 7,283 jobsOuachita County7,283Conway County: 6,747 jobsConway County6,747St. Francis County: 6,729 jobsSt. Francis County6,729Yell County: 6,510 jobsYell County6,510Cleburne County: 6,452 jobsCleburne County6,452Drew County: 6,381 jobsDrew County6,381Howard County: 6,338 jobsHoward County6,338Polk County: 5,930 jobsPolk County5,930Randolph County: 5,890 jobsRandolph County5,890Ashley County: 5,690 jobsAshley County5,690Poinsett County: 5,236 jobsPoinsett County5,236Logan County: 5,177 jobsLogan County5,177
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

RankCounties2023
jobs		Change on 2022
1Pulaski County256,872+2.2%
2Benton County139,320+3.3%
3Washington County118,123+1.7%
4Sebastian County66,887+2.5%
5Craighead County54,001+1.3%
6Faulkner County44,357+3.8%
7Garland County37,985+0.6%
8Saline County27,037+3%
9Pope County26,826+6.3%
10Jefferson County25,8480%
11White County25,144+0.1%
12Crawford County19,117-0.8%
13Mississippi County17,998+4.8%
14Independence County17,381+3.6%
15Union County16,703+0.7%
16Baxter County16,074+3.3%
17Greene County15,882+1.7%
18Crittenden County15,861+0.7%
19Lonoke County15,228+2%
20Boone County14,578+0.9%
21Miller County12,285+0.2%
22Carroll County10,856-0.3%
23Arkansas County10,319-0.2%
24Johnson County8,397-1.4%
25Clark County8,363+2.1%
26Hot Spring County8,103-0.2%
27Columbia County8,014+1.2%
28Hempstead County7,777-0.4%
29Ouachita County7,283-11.5%
30Conway County6,747-1.2%
31St. Francis County6,729-1.6%
32Yell County6,510+1.8%
33Cleburne County6,452+2%
34Drew County6,381+1.5%
35Howard County6,338-1.4%
36Polk County5,930+0.6%
37Randolph County5,890-0.7%
38Ashley County5,690-1.9%
39Poinsett County5,236-0.9%
40Logan County5,177+0.5%
41Jackson County5,069-0.9%
42Sevier County4,929+2.8%
43Franklin County4,890+1.3%
44Cross County4,688+1%
45Phillips County4,490-4.4%
46Desha County4,397+1.5%
47Grant County4,293+0.1%
48Lawrence County4,047+2%
49Sharp County3,908+5.5%
50Van Buren County3,825+1.5%
51Bradley County3,621+2%
52Madison County3,532-0.4%
53Marion County3,403-5.4%
54Scott County3,223+6.7%
55Clay County3,079+0.3%
56Calhoun County3,055+55.1%
57Little River County3,040-1.4%
58Izard County2,862+2.3%
59Chicot County2,730-3.4%
60Lincoln County2,674-0.4%
61Pike County2,631+2.3%
62Stone County2,630+2.1%
63Dallas County2,588-1.9%
64Nevada County2,041-4.8%
65Woodruff County1,980+4%
66Fulton County1,850-14.1%
67Monroe County1,827-1.3%
68Lee County1,706-0.1%
69Prairie County1,528+2%
70Searcy County1,480+1.9%
71Montgomery County1,310+7.6%
72Cleveland County1,082+9.4%
73Perry County1,016-4.2%
74Lafayette County1,004-6.6%
75Newton County9850%

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/2023/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), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/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), 2023. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/arkansas-counties?period=2023. 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), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/arkansas-counties?period=2023.

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), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/arkansas-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_arkansas_by_2023,
  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), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/arkansas-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/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), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/arkansas-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/arkansas-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Pulaski County, with 256,872 jobs in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Newton County, with 985 jobs in 2023.

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