The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Van Buren County is a county of Arkansas with 15,998 residents. Its economy produced $484 million in 2024 (ranked #54 of 75 counties) and had 3,804 jobs with an average annual pay of $43,889 (#46 for pay). The unemployment rate was 4.4% in 2026M09.
Van Buren County produced about $484 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 0.3% of the combined output of the 75 counties of Arkansas that BEA reports (about 0.5% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 54th of 75 on that measure. Per resident that is $30,240, 51% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $61,763. In current dollars output grew 1.0% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (54th) and its output-per-resident rank (66th) shows that population is large relative to the value of what is produced here.
BLS counts 3,804 jobs located in Van Buren County on average in 2024, spread over 350 employer sites (about 11 jobs per site). That is 0.24 jobs for every resident, below the 0.31 of the typical county in Arkansas, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $43,889, 23% below the average of all counties in the state ($43,889 against $57,024). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs fell 0.5% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are retail trade (28.6% of private jobs, $30,868 a year on average), transportation and warehousing (14.8% of private jobs, $87,547 a year on average), accommodation and food services (10.9% of private jobs, $17,443 a year on average). Together they hold 54.3% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is transportation and warehousing at $87,547 a year, followed by utilities ($86,685). The county is specialised in an industry: retail trade (1.7 times the US share, 651 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: accommodation and food services ($17,443). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Van Buren County was 4.4%, 20% above the average of the state's counties (4.4% against 3.7%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 6,009. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 4.4% (2026M09) to 6.3% (2026M01); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $50,354 (ACS 2020–2024), 17% below the state median ($50,354 against $60,773). None of the largest places of the guide has this as its main county, which usually means a smaller or more rural county; the figures above still describe the whole county.
Counties close to Van Buren County in output are Lawrence County, Scott County, Clay County, Bradley County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 75 counties of Arkansas ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 15,998 | 48 of 75 |
| GDP 2024 | $484 million | 54 of 75 |
| GDP per resident | $30,240 | 66 of 75 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 3,804 | 50 of 75 |
| Average annual pay | $43,889 | 46 of 75 |
| Job change vs 2023 | -0.5% | 45 of 75 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 4.4% | 53 of 75 |
| Median household income | $50,354 | 43 of 75 |
Federal jobs in Arkansas (245) →All cities of ArkansasState guide: Arkansas
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
None of the 60 largest places of Arkansas has this as its main county, so the guide has no city page here. County figures on the other tabs are complete.
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 651 | 28.6% | $30,868 | 1.71 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 338 | 14.8% | $87,547 | 2.10 |
| Accommodation and food services | 249 | 10.9% | $17,443 | 0.72 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 173 | 7.6% | $33,600 | 1.51 |
| Construction | 168 | 7.4% | $41,977 | 0.84 |
| Manufacturing | 158 | 6.9% | $39,384 | 0.51 |
| Administrative and waste services | 117 | 5.1% | $34,417 | 0.52 |
| Finance and insurance | 102 | 4.5% | $56,716 | 0.66 |
| Professional and technical services | 92 | 4.0% | $43,634 | 0.35 |
| Utilities | 72 | 3.2% | $86,685 | 4.98 |
| Real estate and rental | 48 | 2.1% | $27,848 | 0.81 |
| Information | 46 | 2.0% | $49,206 | 0.65 |
| Wholesale trade | 44 | 1.9% | $64,025 | 0.29 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 22 | 1.0% | $30,054 | 0.34 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 6,009 |
| Employed residents | 5,745 |
| Unemployed residents | 264 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 3,804 |
| Employer sites | 350 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulaski County | 399,818 | $41,430 million | $103,623 | 261,631 | $63,505 | 3.8% |
| Benton County | 303,632 | $26,126 million | $86,045 | 144,544 | $81,978 | 3.0% |
| Washington County | 256,765 | $18,160 million | $70,726 | 120,673 | $59,680 | 3.1% |
| Sebastian County | 128,900 | $9,255 million | $71,802 | 67,665 | $55,173 | 3.6% |
| Faulkner County | 127,717 | $5,737 million | $44,921 | 45,513 | $49,974 | 3.4% |
| Saline County | 127,479 | $4,029 million | $31,606 | 27,501 | $47,454 | 3.2% |
| Craighead County | 113,249 | $7,259 million | $64,098 | 55,053 | $51,690 | 3.6% |
| Garland County | 100,035 | $4,738 million | $47,364 | 38,005 | $46,226 | 3.7% |
| White County | 77,838 | $3,311 million | $42,531 | 26,169 | $46,050 | 3.6% |
| Lonoke County | 75,272 | $2,116 million | $28,108 | 15,597 | $43,054 | 3.3% |
| Jefferson County | 64,802 | $3,461 million | $53,404 | 25,233 | $51,569 | 5.2% |
| Pope County | 64,131 | $4,153 million | $64,758 | 26,851 | $50,324 | 4.4% |
| Crawford County | 61,139 | $2,328 million | $38,083 | 19,290 | $48,778 | 3.8% |
| Crittenden County | 47,266 | $2,345 million | $49,610 | 16,197 | $47,790 | 4.6% |
| Greene County | 46,432 | $2,021 million | $43,536 | 15,663 | $47,490 | 3.9% |
| Baxter County | 42,407 | $2,326 million | $54,856 | 16,171 | $45,036 | 3.8% |
| Miller County | 42,360 | $1,834 million | $43,301 | 12,301 | $50,579 | 4.3% |
| Mississippi County | 39,126 | $4,152 million | $106,106 | 20,139 | $72,605 | 3.7% |
| Independence County | 38,175 | $2,636 million | $69,059 | 17,612 | $48,642 | 3.2% |
| Boone County | 38,138 | $1,934 million | $50,699 | 14,330 | $48,350 | 3.8% |
| Union County | 37,900 | $3,375 million | $89,061 | 16,449 | $61,648 | 4.4% |
| Hot Spring County | 33,180 | $1,579 million | $47,583 | 7,969 | $48,229 | 3.9% |
| Carroll County | 28,626 | $1,309 million | $45,725 | 10,760 | $40,303 | 3.6% |
| Johnson County | 26,003 | $935 million | $35,955 | 8,068 | $41,859 | 4.7% |
| Cleburne County | 25,226 | $844 million | $33,460 | 6,524 | $41,874 | 4.0% |
| Poinsett County | 22,543 | $886 million | $39,308 | 5,164 | $50,036 | 3.7% |
| Saint Francis County | 22,400 | $943 million | $42,103 | 6,723 | $48,570 | 5.3% |
| Columbia County | 22,349 | $1,306 million | $58,458 | 8,106 | $49,212 | 4.7% |
| Ouachita County | 22,085 | $863 million | $39,073 | 7,057 | $48,303 | 4.3% |
| Logan County | 21,277 | $727 million | $34,188 | 5,089 | $40,914 | 3.9% |
| Clark County | 21,125 | $1,071 million | $50,713 | 8,618 | $45,514 | 4.2% |
| Conway County | 21,054 | $1,016 million | $48,264 | 6,503 | $49,612 | 3.6% |
| Yell County | 20,134 | $895 million | $44,470 | 6,547 | $41,516 | 3.6% |
| Hempstead County | 19,508 | $1,323 million | $67,820 | 7,628 | $45,282 | 4.1% |
| Polk County | 19,361 | $860 million | $44,430 | 5,837 | $42,869 | 4.3% |
| Randolph County | 18,838 | $729 million | $38,684 | 6,201 | $40,131 | 3.4% |
| Ashley County | 18,429 | $1,196 million | $64,875 | 5,759 | $50,111 | 5.0% |
| Grant County | 18,242 | $668 million | $36,620 | 4,601 | $51,783 | 3.2% |
| Sharp County | 17,773 | $580 million | $32,624 | 3,954 | $38,491 | 4.0% |
| Madison County | 17,329 | $695 million | $40,085 | 3,680 | $44,603 | 3.0% |
| Franklin County | 17,326 | $689 million | $39,764 | 4,972 | $44,454 | 3.9% |
| Marion County | 17,228 | $774 million | $44,905 | 3,239 | $41,231 | 5.1% |
| Drew County | 17,046 | $819 million | $48,052 | 6,337 | $44,295 | 4.1% |
| Jackson County | 16,712 | $988 million | $59,121 | 5,130 | $49,233 | 4.0% |
| Cross County | 16,543 | $588 million | $35,530 | 4,761 | $41,359 | 3.7% |
| Arkansas County | 16,515 | $1,354 million | $82,011 | 9,514 | $52,542 | 3.9% |
| Lawrence County | 16,238 | $559 million | $34,448 | 3,983 | $43,366 | 3.6% |
| Van Buren County | 15,998 | $484 million | $30,240 | 3,804 | $43,889 | 4.4% |
| Sevier County | 15,712 | $758 million | $48,241 | 4,945 | $43,390 | 3.2% |
| Phillips County | 15,450 | $678 million | $43,856 | 4,531 | $41,596 | 6.8% |
| Clay County | 14,280 | $476 million | $33,353 | 3,120 | $42,107 | 3.9% |
| Izard County | 14,009 | $390 million | $27,847 | 2,949 | $41,611 | 5.1% |
| Lincoln County | 12,950 | $380 million | $29,343 | 2,666 | $46,882 | 4.8% |
| Howard County | 12,583 | $909 million | $72,204 | 6,139 | $43,784 | 4.7% |
| Stone County | 12,568 | $366 million | $29,115 | 2,658 | $37,476 | 4.5% |
| Fulton County | 12,302 | $237 million | $19,285 | 1,775 | $41,242 | 4.5% |
| Little River County | 11,821 | $715 million | $60,486 | 3,083 | $59,053 | 3.9% |
| Desha County | 10,786 | $724 million | $67,123 | 4,132 | $47,354 | 6.0% |
| Bradley County | 10,208 | $472 million | $46,235 | 3,600 | $43,350 | 4.8% |
| Pike County | 10,115 | $401 million | $39,671 | 2,603 | $41,635 | 4.0% |
| Perry County | 10,101 | $266 million | $26,309 | 1,038 | $42,605 | 4.2% |
| Scott County | 9,816 | $505 million | $51,467 | 3,110 | $38,033 | 3.5% |
| Chicot County | 9,765 | $372 million | $38,103 | 2,663 | $43,395 | 5.7% |
| Montgomery County | 8,553 | $209 million | $24,436 | 1,276 | $36,741 | 4.3% |
| Lee County | 8,359 | $245 million | $29,284 | 1,623 | $43,972 | 5.7% |
| Nevada County | 8,159 | $318 million | $38,994 | 1,877 | $48,710 | 5.8% |
| Prairie County | 8,064 | $267 million | $33,158 | 1,562 | $45,818 | 3.4% |
| Searcy County | 7,859 | $259 million | $32,903 | 1,407 | $36,776 | 3.7% |
| Cleveland County | 7,453 | $235 million | $31,576 | 1,045 | $44,678 | 4.1% |
| Newton County | 7,112 | $139 million | $19,498 | 1,004 | $36,124 | 4.3% |
| Monroe County | 6,589 | $265 million | $40,147 | 1,761 | $41,633 | 4.5% |
| Dallas County | 6,242 | $340 million | $54,515 | 2,595 | $44,813 | 3.8% |
| Lafayette County | 6,136 | $221 million | $36,068 | 1,074 | $40,224 | 4.5% |
| Woodruff County | 6,026 | $327 million | $54,221 | 1,981 | $45,809 | 3.0% |
| Calhoun County | 4,704 | $458 million | $97,389 | 3,268 | $73,626 | 3.7% |
15,998 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$484 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
4.4% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
3,804 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $43,889 (BLS QCEW).