Bentonville: Fueling The Region’s Economy

Northwest 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 Carnegie Foundation Top 3% research institution, and thriving arts, outdoor recreation and startup sectors, the region consistently gets high marks for job growth, affordability, cost of living and quality of life.

Steadily attracting businesses, residents, visitors and a trained and educated workforce, the population in Northwest Arkansas is about 560,000. With rapidly increasing density 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.

Bentonville is a city where innovation shines. It is home to Walmart, the world's largest retailer with 2.3 million employees, and was recently named one of the best places in the U.S. to launch a career.

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 nation.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is the spring from which Bentonville’s vibrant arts and tourism economies flow. The Momentary, a satellite of Crystal Bridges, opened in 2020 with visual, culinary and performing arts. And, Bentonville’s renowned culinary scene boasts three 2022 James Beard Foundation Semifinalists.

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.

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 is officially Home of the U.S. National Mountain Bike Team.

A Central Location

Located in America’s Heartland, 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.

Access to suppliers and business customers is easily available with convenient nonstop flights from Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) to 23 destinations, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami, Washington DC and New York.

A Critical Mass of Business

While Walmart, Tyson Foods and J.B. Hunt all began in Northwest Arkansas, nearly 400 Fortune 500 companies have a 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 Abbott Nutrition, Bimbo Bakeries USA, Clif Bar, The Clorox Company, Del Monte, Energizer, General Mills, J.M. Smucker’s, Kellog’s, Molson Coors, Nestle, Spectrum Brands and Unilever. The region is increasingly home to technology and advanced mobility companies that do business with Walmart, too. Those companies include Cognizant, Digimarc, DroneUp, GoodLeap, Microsoft, NCR, Nuqleous, IBM, Tata, Valenta, Zebra Technologies and Zipline to name a few.

World-Class Workforce

Northwest Arkansas has enjoyed national attention from Entrepreneur.com as an unexpected hub for tech startups, from

DataFox as one of the best places to found a company outside Silicon Valley, and from FastCompany.com as a top place for minority-owned businesses. And, the University of Arkansas has one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurship programs.

A Culture of Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Bentonville has a high concentration of technology startups for retail, supply chain, logistics and corporateenablement. The city is a growing center of healthcare and wellness. And, it is leading the charge in advanced mobility. Startups, enterprises and post-secondary institutions are turning the region into a center of excellence in these sectors.

Science & Technology

Northwest Arkansas is recognized as one of the nation’s 10 rising, smaller tech hubs. The high concentration of retail, logistics and food processing corporations, working closely with post-secondary institutions, creates the synergy to turn Northwest Arkansas into a center of excellence, while seeding a thriving environmental sustainability hub.

Cost of Living Index 2022

For the Cost of Living Index (COLI), 100 is average, which means cost of living in the FayettevilleSpringdale-Rogers MSA is 10% below the national average. The Council for Community and Economic Research produces COLI with input from metro areas around the country.

2022 Labor Force, Not Seasonally Adjusted, Nov (in 000s)

Population Growth

*Northwest Arkansas includes Benton, Madison and Washington Counties in AR