GROWTH
BENTONVILLE: FUELING THE REGION’S ECONOMY N
orthwest Arkansas is one of the fastest growing regional economies in the nation, home to Fortune 500 leaders such as Walmart, Tyson Foods and J.B. Hunt that are among the largest companies in the U.S. Along with the University of Arkansas, a top-tier research institution, and thriving arts, leisure and startup sectors each with international reach, the region consistently gets high marks for job growth, affordability, cost of living and quality of life.
arts and tourism economies flow. The Momentary, the world-class Crystal Bridges’ satellite venue, opened in 2020 with visual, culinary and performing arts. Bentonville’s Brightwater culinary school is spurring continued economic growth around food and hospitality.
Steadily attracting businesses, residents, visitors and a trained and educated workforce, the population in Northwest Arkansas exceeds 550,000. With increasing diversity and an ever-growing economy, Money and U.S. News & World Report both ranked the region among the top 10 places to live in the nation.
Epic bike trails and a welcoming cycling culture have bicyclists from all over flocking to Bentonville – called a "Disneyland for Mountain Bikers” by Outside magazine and one of America’s 20 Best Mountain Bike Towns by National Geographic.
A Central Location
As Middle America’s entrepreneurial center, Bentonville is a city where innovation shines. It is home to Walmart, the world's largest retailer with 2.2 million employees, and was recently named one of the best places in the U.S. to launch a career.
Located near the middle of the nation, Northwest Arkansas is at the center of everywhere. Key markets in the Midwest and South are within a half-day’s drive, including Kansas City, St. Louis, Dallas-Fort Worth, Memphis, Little Rock, Tulsa, Wichita and Oklahoma City.
The neighboring cities of Bella Vista, Pea Ridge and Centerton are among the safest in which to live and raise a family, with some of the fastest growing populations in the state. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is the spring from which Bentonville’s vibrant 22
Continued investments by Bentonville and the entire region into Northwest Arkansas' bike trail infrastructure are paying off, generating many millions for the region's economy.
Access to suppliers and business customers is easily available via convenient nonstop flights from the Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) to 23 destinations. Its list of nonstop cities includes Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York.
Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce 2022 Welcome Guide & Business Directory
A Critical Mass of Business While Walmart, Tyson Foods and J.B. Hunt all began in Northwest Arkansas, many other Fortune 500 companies have a large presence in the region. More than 1,450 suppliers have established offices in the region to be close to Walmart. Suppliers with offices here include Kraft Heinz, Dorel Industries, Bimbo Bakeries USA, Kruger Products, Spectrum Brands, Nestle, Johnson & Johnson, The Clorox Company, Kellogg’s, Newell Brands, General Mills and J.M. Smucker. The region is increasingly home to technology companies that do business with Walmart, too. Those companies include Cognizant, Tata and CompuCom Systems to name a few.
World-Class Workforce Northwest Arkansas has a diverse, growing workforce that’s more than a quarter-million strong, and there’s an emphasis on continuing to improve it. Just about all of the region’s high schools and NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville teach students employable skills in business and finance, healthcare and information technology. The region currently has seven times the concentration of workers employed at corporate headquarters or their subsidiaries compared to the rest of the nation.
