Above: A look inside a Dassault Falcon Jet Corp facility. Dassault Falcon's Little Rock location ranks as Arkansas' second-largest manufacturing company. (Image source: Dassault Falcon Jet Corp)
Arkansas may be known for its natural beauty and agricultural roots, but its manufacturing sector powers much of the state’s economy. Food processing giants, precision metal fabricators, and aerospace leaders all call the state home, driving jobs and exports and securing the state's reputation as a top notch place to do business.
Today, we're exploring some key facts and insights on Arkansas manufacturing and providing information on the ten largest factories in the state.
The Latest Facts on Arkansas’ Manufacturing Sector
According to data collected by MNI, compiler of the industrial information that powers IndustrySelect, Arkansas is currently home to 2,379 manufacturers employing 181,972 workers.
According to MNI, Bentonville is Arkansas’ largest city based on industrial employment, home to 14,724 workers. This is followed by Springdale with 11,700 jobs.
Read more: Top Manufacturing Cities in the U.S.
Other top cities in Arkansas include
- Little Rock (11,490 jobs)
- Fort Smith (10,110 jobs)
- Jonesboro (6,671 jobs)
Benton County is Arkansas’ largest in terms of industrial jobs, home to 30,697 workers. This is followed by Pulaski County (25,414), Washington (18,748), and Sebastian County (11,949).
Taking a look at the state’s top industries, food processing accounts for a quarter of the Arkansas’ manufacturing employment.
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The apparel and textiles industry accounts for another 10% of the state's industrial employment, while industrial machinery and fabricated metals each represent another 8% of Arkansas' manufacturing jobs.
MNI reports there are 10,769 executive contacts among Arkansas’ manufacturing companies, including 1,106 presidents, 1,072 owners and partners; 610 vice-presidents and 750 sales, marketing and purchasing executives.
Other facts to know about Arkansas manufacturers, based on IndustrySelect’s advanced criteria available to subscribers, include ownership, distribution and other trends. Let’s take a look:
- 2% of Arkansas manufacturers are women-owned
- 12% are publicly owned companies
- 10% import raw materials
- 21% distribute their products internationally.
Next, we’ll take a look at the state’s top companies.
Top 10 Manufacturing Companies in Arkansas
| Company | Employees | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. | 1,760 | Texarkana | AR |
| Tyson Chicken, Inc. | 1,600 | Pine Bluff | AR |
| Tyson Chicken, Inc. | 1,550 | Green Forest | AR |
| McKee Foods Corp. | 1,500 | Gentry | AR |
| Pilgrim's Pride Corp. | 1,450 | De Queen | AR |
| American Greetings Corp. | 1,400 | Osceola | AR |
| Conagra Brands, Inc. | 1,400 | Russellville | AR |
| Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. | 1,400 | Little Rock | AR |
| Tyson Chicken, Inc. | 1,400 | Clarksville | AR |
| Tyson Chicken, Inc. | 1,350 | Nashville | AR |
About the Top 10 Manufacturing Companies in Arkansas
1. Cooper Tire & Rubber (Texarkana, AR)
Established in 1914 in Akron Ohio, Cooper Tire & Rubber is the world’s 13th largest tire manufacturer with operations on three continents, employing 10,000 worldwide. The company’s main focus is on passenger car and light vehicle replacement tires. The Texarakana site is Arkansas’ third-largest industrial employer with 1,760 workers.
2. Tyson Chicken, Inc. (Pine Bluff, AR)
Ranking fourth in the state with 1,600 employees, Tyson Chicken’s Pine Bluff facility is the second-largest of the many Tyson plants in the state. This facility focuses on chicken processing.
3. Tyson Chicken, Inc. (Green Forest, AR)
An additional Tyson Chicken plant, this one in Green Forest, also ranks among the state’s largest manufacturing facilities with 1,550 workers. Tyson is a major employer in the state and also ranks as the world’s second-largest meat producer, after JBS. The company has an annual revenue of $42.4 billion.
4. McKee Foods Corp (Gentry, AR)
Employing 1,500 in Gentry, AR, McKee Foods is a family-owned baker that makes snack cakes, granola bars and other bakery goods, including the famous Little Debbie snack cakes. The company was founded in 1934 by OD and Ruth McKee, who started out by selling 5-cent “Virginia Dare” cakes. Today the company has locations in four U.S. states, including Arkansas.
5. Pilgrim’s Pride Corp (De Queen, AR)
Owned by food corporation giant JBS, Pilgrim’s Pride is one of the largest chicken processors in the United States, employing 37,000 worldwide. The company’s De Queen location focuses on chicken processing and employs 1,450.
6. American Greetings Corp. (Osceola, AR)
You love to receive that birthday card, but have you thought about where it was made? Ranking seventh in Arkansas is American Greetings Corp, which employs 1,400 workers at a printing plant in Osceola.
7. Conagra Brands, Inc. (Russellville, AR)
Conagra Brands, Inc. in Russellville, Arkansas, is a key player in the food manufacturing industry. This facility is known for producing a variety of popular frozen food products, including brands like Marie Callender’s, Banquet, and Healthy Choice.
8. Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. (Little Rock, AR)
A major Arkansas industrial employer with 1,400 employees, Dassault Falcon Jet Corp is the only company worldwide that produces both fighter jets and business aircraft.
9. Tyson Chicken, Inc. (Clarksville, AR)
One of several Tyson processing facilities in Arkansas, the Clarksville plant handles poultry slaughter and processing operations, including leg line production and further processing. Tyson Foods, founded in nearby Springdale in 1935, is the world’s second-largest meat producer and the largest in the U.S., with annual revenues topping $54 billion.
10. Tyson Chicken, Inc. (Nashville, AR)
Tyson’s Nashville facility is one of the company’s longest-running Arkansas operations, with a plant on the site dating to 1971. The facility handles chicken processing and further-processed products including chicken nuggets. Like the company’s other Arkansas locations, it reflects Tyson’s deep roots in the state where the company was founded over 90 years ago.
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Sources
https://www.dassaultfalcon.com/en/Pages/Home.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyson_Foods
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennox_International
https://www.mckeefoods.com/109/history-of-our-company
https://www.kait8.com/story/1153241/american-greetings-moving-work-to-osceola/
Editor's note: This article was originally published in May of 2021. It is updated annually to reflect new statistics and trends in Arkansas' manufacturing sector.